While road transport vehicles are responsible for more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe, adopting good driving habits is essential. Eco-driving therefore presents numerous advantages for effectively reducing truck consumption. However, before you start investing in one of these training courses, we have put together a guide to eco-driving specific to heavy goods vehicles . At the end of the article, we share with you an innovation which, coupled with economical driving, gives exceptional results
What is eco-driving adapted for trucks?
Eco -driving is economical driving that applies to all users. Each type of vehicle, car, motorcycle, utility vehicle etc. can therefore adopt several methods based on the anticipation and management of variations in their driving to make travel more ecological and safer. The practice thus becomes flexible and intelligent by eliminating all the bad habits that impact fuel consumption .
road transport sector is particularly concerned. Trucks are responsible for 25% of CO2 emissions on European roads. However, the latter only represent 5% of vehicles listed on the continent. Apart from the ecological impact and the level of fuel consumption, which remains an essential issue today, there is also the financial impact on operators.
A fleet containing a fleet of trucks represents a significant expense in terms of energy budget, maintenance, etc. Adopting the right actions to reduce consumption is of interest to more and more truck drivers.
What are the advantages?
Eco -driving for road transport has many advantages . It is thus partly integrated into the initial driving license training or other FIMO, FCO and compulsory continuing training so that drivers adopt the right actions when discovering the vehicle as well as throughout their professional activity.
Its implementation thus makes it possible to limit CO2 emissions , reduce the risk of accidents while saving fuel . Eco-responsible driving is thus a first step towards a transition to a more sustainable activity, without necessarily having to turn to electric vehicles. Let's look at this in more detail.
Reduce the consumption of your heavy goods vehicles
As we said previously, faced with rising fuel prices, reducing consumption per truck has become essential for transport operators who see their income statements increasingly impacted by energy expenditure. Thanks to eco-driving , vehicles can make real savings and not only on fuel but also on the frequency of replacing certain wearing parts. Thus, with responsible driving, it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by up to 25% and have a smaller impact on the lifespan of tires, for example, which have a significant impact on consumption.
Reduce the carbon footprint of your trucks
Reducing the carbon footprint of a truck is automatically linked to the practice of eco-driving. Indeed, thanks to the anticipation of actions linked to events occurring on the road, vehicles can considerably limit their CO2 emissions . Reducing the carbon footprint also involves knowing your vehicle well. Indeed, recent engines are very different from older trucks. Thus, it is no longer necessary to preheat your vehicle while changing gears with a recent gearbox has also evolved.
Eco-responsible driving reduces the risk of accidents
Thanks to anticipation, eco-responsible driving is able to reduce the risk of road accidents. Managing your driving with fewer sudden movements, acceleration, lane changes, sudden braking, except in specific cases of course, are all preventive actions that reduce risks. Indeed, truck drivers are required to drive long hours and users on the road can be unpredictable. Finally, when we carry out the same action every day, we can sometimes develop bad habits by driving around all day for years. Eco -driving trucks thus makes it possible to avoid these errors by considerably improving road safety and understanding of the environment.
What are the main rules of eco-driving?
Contrary to popular belief, eco-driving is not limited to increasing travel time. In reality, it brings together a set of practices which allows you to better understand your route before departure and while driving. Here is a non-exhaustive list of the main rules of eco-driving .
What points should you check before your departure?
Before hitting the road, several elements must be checked in order to be able to drive in complete safety while enjoying the performance of your truck. In addition, ensuring regular monitoring of the maintenance of your heavy goods vehicle allows you to anticipate potential problems by limiting costs and CO2 emissions generated by the truck:
- Define your route before departure: this allows you to drive peacefully by avoiding slowdowns and other congestion.
- Check the tire pressure : incorrect pressure can lead to excess fuel consumption, in addition to a risk of bursting.
- Remove any unnecessary load to relieve the total weight induced by the goods.
- Do not leave your truck running while stationary: this generates unnecessary pollution.
How to apply eco-driving throughout the journey?
Anticipation is the key word in eco-driving . Indeed, speed variations lead to excess fuel consumption which can range from 20 to 40% while quickly wearing out certain parts of the truck. Here are several rules to apply to limit pollution while ensuring user safety:
- Respect safety distances: anticipation is simplified with the use of engine braking which releases less exhaust gases.
- Drive at a constant speed: fuel consumption is limited, as are carbon dioxide emissions.
- Respect the limitations: respecting the highway code ensures the safety of all users while limiting excess fuel consumption.
- Quickly reach the highest gear: choosing the right gear ratio avoids driving at overspeed, which consumes more fuel.
- Turning off the truck engine during a stop of more than 20 seconds is more economical than leaving the vehicle running while stationary.
- Use air conditioning and heating reasonably to avoid consuming too much fuel.
- Close the windows when the speed is above 60 km/h: this influences the aerodynamics of the heavy goods vehicle which increases fuel consumption.
Eco-responsible driving coupled with the ECOLOW system for heavy goods vehicles
Eco -driving allows you to adopt good actions that improve driving and safety on board your heavy goods vehicle . Let's discover these advantages in figures.
How much saving can we see with eco-driving?
A transport company can now use connected tools to download directly to the trucks in a fleet in order to obtain data on the performance and consumption of heavy goods vehicles.
The savings made with eco-responsible driving depend on the size, engine or loading of the truck. However, it is accepted that fuel savings can be up to 15 to 25% . Some studies also show that controlled driving can represent up to 40% less consumption compared to abrupt or sporty driving. In this case of course, we are talking about extreme differences. Thermal engines can thus save between 0.5 and 3 liters. Furthermore, in the case of a switch to electric, autonomy will also depend on driving style.
It is also possible to modify your fleet by purchasing electric trucks or by opting for biofuels such as hydrogen. However, this represents very significant costs for the players, such as changing the car gearbox to carry out decarbonization. However, there is another solution that allows significant savings on all types of fuels in the long term: ECOLOW technology . Coupled with eco-driving, the impact is even greater.
Optimize your consumption with ECOLOW technology
The implementation of
ECOLOW required more than 2 years of research in France. Today, it shows satisfactory results for the transport sector and other maritime, agricultural sectors, etc. With 95% satisfied customers and 446,000 tonnes of CO2 saved, ECOLOW offers the promise of reducing consumption by 5 to 7%* for road vehicles and up to 20%* for other types of machinery. * It should be noted that on certain extreme cold type fuels (GNR) the result is reduced or even canceled.
The fuel saver therefore acts on your costs, while limiting pollution and the use of AdBlue. The module is interchangeable from one vehicle to another and complies with aftermarket accessory standards. In short, you do not lose your manufacturer's warranty because nothing is done to the engine. ECOLOW thus makes it possible to move towards the ecological transition by reducing its impact on the environment while saving money.