8 Ways You Can Boost Your Trucking Efficiency

Improving the performance of your trucks and their fuel efficiency will directly result in lower operating costs as well increasing the life span of your trucks. This will rake in a lot more profits for you as a third of the running costs are usually spent on fuel alone.

Here are 5 ways that you can boost your trucking efficiency:

1. Proper Truck Maintenance is Important

Having all your truck’s oil, air filters, tires and other parts of your truck checked regularly will increase the lifespan of your trucks. Ensure that your trucks are completely road worthy before they embark on any trip as improperly maintained trucks lack fuel efficiency, are unsafe and have a shorter lifespan.

2. Incorporating Truck Scales

Truck scales allow you to weigh the cargo while you unload in the same place as this helps to eliminate a lot of unnecessary steps that would slow the overall process if the truck scales are located away from the loading and unloading docks.

Make sure to keep your truck scales well maintained though to get the most efficient and accurate results.

3. Minimize Idling

Don’t leave your truck running for no reason when you have stopped as fuel is wasted. It is obvious that it is impractical to switch your truck off at every robot or traffic jam but don’t leave it running when it is not necessary.

4. Overcompensate on Motor Oil

Regularly changing the synthetic oil will allow your engine to do its work with less friction and less wear and tear, particularly in extreme temperatures. Even though this technique of changing your oil and air filters may be a bit expensive initially but it will eventually compensate for itself in the long run.

5. Keep the Loading Professional

Your truck is already carrying tens of tons across thousands of miles every week which is why it is very important that you don’t add any unnecessary items to your truck’s cargo.

Adding items will increase the overall weight and increase the amount of fuel that your truck consumes. Keep your truck and it’s in-cab accessories to a minimum as much as possible.

6. Get Rid of Unneeded Aftermarket Accessories

Ascertain whether you really need some of your large accessories as their added weight does affect your truck’s fuel economy. Bull bars and truck racks may look good but they add extra weight.

Don’t remove anything that may affect the trucks performance and safety. Also make sure to keep the aerodynamic factor in mind when loading your truck as an improperly packed load can create imbalance as well as affect the drag on the truck.

7. Fleet Tracking Tools

A major issue that is usually associated with having a large fleet of trucks is to keep track of all the drivers and shipments. Installing a GPS truck tracking system into your process will make things a lot easier by allowing you to monitor everything right from taking breaks, total idling time and truck speed. This will also help you improve your customer service as your customers can track where their cargo is and when they can expect it to be delivered.

8. Product Loading/ Unloading

A trucker’s job does not simply consist of driving and delivering the cargo to its destination. The next step after this is to securely load/unload the cargo. Most products are usually transported in 55-gallon drums so its crucial that your fleet managers provide the workers with proper equipment with which to handle these drums which can weigh up to 1,000 lbs.

Improving your trucks fuel efficiency requires minimal effort by you and simply by doing this alone can help you save thousands of dollars every month. Incorporating modern technology makes the job of managing your trucking fleet easier as well as reducing your overall expenses.

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Author Bio:

Kevin Hill heads the marketing efforts at Quality Scales Unlimited in Byron, CA. Besides his day job, he loves to write about the different types of scales and their importance in various industries. He also writes about how to care for and get optimized performance from different scales in different situations. He enjoys spending time with family and going on camping trips.