Today’s Pickup: Leading fleets sign up to Run on Less

Good day,

Seven fleets will participate in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s Run on Less program to showcase the benefits of fuel-saving technologies. Each fleet will participate in the three-week-long event and then report on their findings this fall at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in September.

Run on Less will feature trucks using current, commercially available technologies. Each fleet will run routes it wants with the trucks, which will be equipped with different efficiency technologies such as 6×2 axle configurations and automated transmissions to aerodynamics and other technologies that assist with improved freight efficiency.

Driver progress, as well as the dollars and carbon emissions saved, will be tracked and reported in real time on runonless.com. Geotab devices will be installed in each participating vehicle to monitor the fuel savings.

Participating fleets are Albert Transport, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, Hirschbach, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Nussbaum Transportation, Ploger Transportation, and U.S. Xpress.

Did you know?

In 2015, 17 fleets (with a total of 62,000 tractors and 217,000 trailers) that adopted a variety of fuel efficiency technologies achieved a 3% increase in fuel economy over the national fleet average. That represented a $501 million in fuel savings.

Quotable:

“We are most excited to join Run on Less because we want to demonstrate the success that can be achieved when pairing a trained and educated driver with the latest technologies in fuel efficiency.”

– Brent Nussbaum, CEO of Nussbaum Transportation, on the fleet’s participation in a fuel-efficiency program this fall.

In other news:

Is Wabco being eyed by Silicon Valley?

An analyst with Piper Jaffray is suggesting that safety technology company Wabco could be a potential takeover target for a Silicon Valley company. (Trucks.com)

ATA Truck Tonnage Index jumps

The ATA’s Truck Tonnage Index took a big jump in May with a 6.5% increase. That follows a 1.5% decline in April. (Fleet Owner)

Australia emerging as autonomous testing hotbed

As truck makers and others race to develop the first truly autonomous trucks, Australia may be lining up as the testing hotbed for the technology. (Trade Trucks)

Texas changes several trucking regs

Several new laws have gone into effect in Texas that affect a number of trucking regulations, including platooning, truck enforcement, and size and weights requirements. (LandLine)

No more wasted energy

Canada Research Chair in mechatronic vehicle systems Amir Khajepour wants to study whether it’s possible to gather energy generated during through the idling of trucks and store it in batteries for other uses, such as powering refrigeration. (CBC News)

Final Thoughts

People are always looking for the next great fuel efficient technology, but the seven fleets participating in the Run on Less program are among the leaders in adopting current technologies. The goal of three-week event is to achieve 9 mpg with the trucks. It will be interesting to see if they do it in real-world conditions.

Hammer down everyone!