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If it's not clear to you already, the business climate for trucking demands a new way of driving and management to weather it successfully. But the "new" way, is really the "old" way and basically means bringing out those skills you already have to shift gears and make high fuel costs particularly, a nonissue.

Tackling bigger expenditures on fuel means tackling the things that contribute most to fuel consumption as well as those things that will keep extra cash in your pocket. We've all heard the tips to save money: cut back on unnecessary items; bag your lunch; skip that soda. But they are all nickels and dimes and do little for the long term health of your business when diesel is over $5 per gallon. Ultimately, it will be your driving habits and your business practices that determine whether fuel costs make or break you. Over at Edmunds.com, Phillip Reed has tested a bunch of gas-saving myths and truths for the four-wheelers, but the bottom line is that changing some habits will give you the biggest savings. Trucks and drivers are no different.

Sometimes offsetting higher operating expenses means smarter management, and yes, spending more money! Granted, some of these tips may be linked to the work you get-speed; faster turn; etc.-but by practicing the skills you already have, you can set yourself or your fleet up for success and reorient your business to accommodate higher fuel expenses.

Idling

Idling Class 8 rigs can chew up to 2,500 gallons of fuel per year at an average 7 hours of idling per day-that's $12,500 gone with the wind. On a truck level, you will save more than 25 percent of that lost fuel by cutting your idling time by an average 2 hours per day.

Less Work

You read that right. It is all about return on investment, or better hauls for your fuel dollar. Maybe it means calculating fuel consumption on a potential load with regard to distance, and rejecting, yes, rejecting loads that are a drain on operating expenses. It may be hard to swallow, but accepting more loads in a desperate attempt to stay in business, may put you out of business that much faster.

Reducing Miles

It is tempting to take those small jobs, or any job, when times are tight. It is natural to think that we need more work to offset higher operating expenses. But think of the mileage and corresponding fuel costs, as well as the contribution to your bottom line. Is it really worth it?

Trip Planning

Plotting better routes that are easiest on your equipment, as opposed to quicker, perhaps more typical routes, will have a better long term savings. More direct routes or routes that offer more stable or consistent speeds, will be noticed in your bottom line.

Maintenance

More efficient equipment means better fuel usage. Spending money to replace transmission parts, engine parts, or body parts may be an immediate drain on cash, but will save you money down the line.

Better Driving

Better driving to reduce stress on the machinery will save fuel, hands down. Shift at your rig's designed RPM. Over revving does nothing, places greater wear on the equipment, and burns fuel, period. Driving less aggressively will also go a long way toward saving fuel. Over braking and sudden shifts in speed will only burn valuable fuel, place greater wear on your equipment, and make you a safety risk.

Speed Management

Faster is not always better, especially when faster costs more, and it does. If you've engaged in good advanced trip planning, and put forward agreeable times to your pick-up point, driving faster than speed limits allow will not bring anything extra and just burn fuel needlessly. Better savings on fuel will be found by managing your speeds to keep them consistent, within limits, and less varied (i.e., slower). It doesn't matter how fast you're turning those loads if you're burning that extra money on fuel to make it happen.

More investment.

It may be counterintuitive, but spending money in tight times might be the way to go. It just might be time to spend the money on APUs, more frequent maintenance checks and replacement parts, and better driver training to deal with a new, fuel conserving way of driving. Test performed at the National Transportation Research Center at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) found that switching dual tires to single, wider-base tires increased fuel efficiency by 2 to 7 percent. The new truck business has been declining and new truck registrations shrinking. This just might be a good time to get a good deal on a more fuel efficient, more aerodynamic truck. Better aerodynamics have been shown to reduce fuel use by $.30 per gallon over the long haul.

Finally, if you are a small fleet owner or trucking company, all the tips and tricks to get better fuel usage won't mean anything if you're not treating your drivers well. If your drivers don't care, no amount of equipment refitting will matter. A new study out of Canada suggests that workers who are shown trust perform better and provide better service to customers. How is trucking any different? Trust your drivers and get them on board and committed to making the company successful. In these economic times, it is their future too after all. Rewarding drivers who show the creativity or initiative to follow through on your "new" way of driving will do better to secure a better future for your business.