You can’t avoid paying for fuel. But the truth is, many small carriers are bleeding thousands each month because they’re not controlling the two things they can control:
- Station selection — what you pay at the pump
- Fuel consumption — how much you burn with your foot on the pedal
Everything else—load rates, lane volatility, repair costs—is a roll of the dice in this market. Fuel? That’s your game to win or lose.
So today we’re breaking it down. Real math. Real examples. Real choices.
Part 1: Station Selection – Stop Guessing at the Pump
Let’s say you fill up 120 gallons per stop for easy math purposes, and you’re stopping 2x per week. That’s 240 gallons per week. Now here’s the split:
| Fuel Station | Price per Gallon | Weekly Fuel Cost (240 gal) |
| High-Cost Truck Stop | $4.29 | $1,029.60 |
| Discount Fuel Program (e.g. RTS) | $3.79 | $909.60 |
| Fleet Card Rebate Location | $3.59 | $861.60 |
Part 2: Fuel Consumption – Your Foot is Costing You More Than You Think
Let’s talk MPG. Specifically, what it costs you when it drops. Here is where you must know your truck. Below is just an example. Some trucks at 62 mph can get over 8+ MPG. But let’s look at the calculated difference in an example between the two economies.
Example:
| Speed | MPG | Weekly Miles | Gallons Used | Weekly Fuel Cost (@ 33.79) |
| 62 mph | 7.5 mpg | 2,500 | 333 gal | $1,262 |
| 70 mph | 5.8 mpg | 2,500 | 431 gal | $1,634 |
Difference: $372/week
Annualized: Over $19,000 per truck per year
That’s just one truck. Speed and specs matter — the math will always spell it out for you if you focus on it. Drag, idle time, and throttle discipline are all potential silent killers of your profit.
Mechanical Matters: Gear Ratios, Loads, and Application
Some of y’all are pushing the same MPG expectations across all trucks like they’re identical.
They’re not.
If you’ve got a truck with a 3.55 rear, no APU, and pulling 43,000 lbs coast to coast, don’t expect 7.5 mpg by default.
Final drive ratio matters. So does tire size. So does whether you’re aerodynamic or not. There are a LOT of factors that are part of it.
You don’t need to become a diesel tech, but you do need to know that:
- Your average load weight
- Typical terrain
- Your gear ratio
- Your cruise speed
… all combine to determine what your fuel curve should look like. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Mindset Shift – “Fuel Is a Requirement” vs. “Fuel Is an Opportunity”
The biggest misconception out here is that “fuel is just part of the game.”
That’s like saying “taxes are just part of the game”—until you learn how to write off expenses and use deductions to improve your standing.
Fuel is the same way. The small fleets winning today are treating fuel as a strategy, not a sunk cost.
They:
- Plan routes around cheapest pump pricing (even 25 miles matters)
- Use cost-per-gallon alerts
- Log average cost per mile in fuel, weekly
- Evaluate fuel summary reports EVERY week
- Tie fuel burn to driver bonuses
If your company can’t do that yet, start with yourself.
Comparison Scenario
Let’s walk through two scenarios to further illustrate:
Operator A:
- Fills at Loves — no fuel program
- Runs 72 mph because “time is money”
- Tracks revenue, not costs
- Runs 5.9 mpg on average
Operator B:
- Uses RTS fuel card, gets average $0.45 off retail
- Runs 62 mph, lets dispatch plan more conservatively
- Tracks MPG weekly, with a focus of incremental improvements each week
- Hits 7.4+ mpg regularly
Monthly Difference:
| Category | Operator A | Operator B |
| Gallons/week | 424 | 337 |
| Weekly Fuel Spend | $1,740 | $1,277 |
| Savings per week | – | $463 |
| Annual Difference | – | $24,000 |
Operator B isn’t “better” — they’re smarter about what they can actually control.
FAQs
Q: What’s the best fuel card?
A: It depends where you run. RTS, NASTC, TCS, and AtoB all have strong networks. But don’t just look at the discount — look at where you actually fuel.
Q: What’s a good MPG target in 2025?
A: This heavily relies upon the equipment you have and your habits. However, if you take your current fuel economy and set a target to improve it by 10% each week, you will begin to create a goal structure for longer terms.
Q: Does idling really make that big of a difference?
A: At 1 gal/hour, 8 hours of idle per night = 56 gal/week. That’s $212/week at $3.79/gal. That’s $11,000/year. So yes, it matters even when necessary.
Q: What if I haul heavy every week?
A: Then it’s even more critical to fuel smart. You’re already burning more. Your margin for error is tighter.
Q: Should I try additives or fuel treatment?
A: Only if you’re already maximizing pump price + burn rate. Additives don’t matter if you’re wasting $400/week on poor station selection.
Final Word
Fuel isn’t just a line on your expense sheet — it’s a scoreboard for how smart you’re running your business.
- Station selection is a discipline
- Fuel burn is a habit
- Combined, they’re your first line of defense against a volatile market
You don’t have to overhaul your whole operation today. But you do have to start caring more than the guy next to you.
Because in a freight cycle like this, the winner isn’t the one with the best rate…
It’s the one with the least waste.
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