This article aims to address the various challenges and impacts of operators' ability to control truck fuel consumption in road transport. It then proposes alternative solutions to reduce it.
How do you calculate the fuel consumption of a truck?
How to calculate your fuel consumption?
Fleet managers know that fuel represents the second largest expense, making it a crucial aspect to monitor in your budget. To accurately assess the impact of this expense on your finances, it is essential to correctly calculate the fuel consumption of your diesel trucks. This involves taking into account several variables, such as the payload carried, the gross vehicle weight (GVW), the distance traveled, the average speed, and the weather conditions. Other factors include the condition of the tires and engine, the number of stops made during the journey, the type of vehicle, and so on.
Although data recorders, also called on-board recorders, exist that collect information related to vehicle performance, these systems also have limitations. They do not take into account certain factors that can influence fuel consumption and require a more precise estimate. For example:
- Fuel quality: Differences in quality between different types of fuel can affect a truck's fuel consumption.
- Road conditions: incline, wind, or traffic jams. These factors must be taken into account when calculating fuel consumption.
- Driving habits: acceleration and braking are taken into account, but not all behaviors such as lane changes, sudden swerves, etc
Therefore, in order for carriers to properly assess a truck's fuel consumption and thus determine the points necessary for optimizing their energy performance, it is always useful to employ manual calculation methods :
- First, fill the tank to the maximum; once filled and before setting off, note the number of litres put in and the truck's mileage (or reset it to zero).
- After driving until the truck runs out of fuel, stop the vehicle and note the mileage. Subtract the previous mileage from this to find the distance traveled.
- Perform a simple operation: multiply the number of liters put in the tank by 100 and then divide by the number of kilometers traveled.
- This gives you your average fuel consumption in litres per 100 km.
What is the range of a diesel truck?
In France, it is estimated that a heavy goods vehicle consumes on average between 35 and 40 liters per 100 km. Although diesel is an increasingly criticized fuel, it remains the most widely used engine in the road transport , particularly for its range and the power these engines are capable of delivering.
To give you a general idea of therange of a diesel truck, here are some points of comparison:
As an example, a 19-tonne truck consumes on average 28 L/100 km, which is a range of approximately 1750 km for a tank with a capacity of 490 L.
For a 40-tonne truck, it is estimated that it consumes approximately 34 L/100 km, giving a range of 1440 km for a 490 L tank. Finally, the consumption of a 20 m3 truck with a tailgate is only 9.5 L/100 km.
According to a recent report by the Economic Observatory for Road Freight Transport, which was overlooked by the CNR (NationalRoad Transport Council), fuel represents a significant portion of the total cost of a semi-trailer or heavy goods vehicle: "up to more than €40,000 for an average of 120,000 km per year." Taking into account the average fuel consumption of this type of vehicle mentioned above, fuel costs alone account for "25%" of the vehicle's total operating cost.
This finding is striking and further justifies the need to take action to reduce fuel consumption. Fuel consumption also has a significant impact on the environment, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
In order to minimize this ecological impact while maintaining economic efficiency, it is important to look for ways to reduce truck fuel consumption.
What are the impacts of a heavy goods vehicle's fuel consumption?
As with the automotive market, the road transport sector is not immune to rising energy prices. The impacts of fuel consumption are numerous, and controlling it is becoming a crucial factor in optimizing the operating costs of a transport company. Using reliable manufacturers who optimize their engines and vehicle design for improved performance is a first step. Despite recent developments in this area, the financial and environmental stakes remain the same.
Financial stakes for operators
Transport margins are shrinking, customers are becoming increasingly demanding and expecting more sophisticated services at ever more competitive prices in a highly competitive market. The financial stakes for road haulers, whether independent or not, are significant.Truck fuel consumption has a considerable impact on a hauler's company budget, but not only that. Shippers and customers who use this delivery method are also affected.
Over the past few years almost all cost items have increased and with the Covid health crisis logistics companies have had to redouble their efforts to keep pace, ensure their services and maintain a balanced management of their operations.
Finally, growing environmental awareness is stimulating the development of greener alternatives, gradually paving the way for electric vehicles, which are less polluting and thus aligned with an ecological transition aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the road transport sector. However, converting an entire fleet to electric vehicles represents a huge investment, leading to the question: is the shift towards electric vehicles efficient enough to meet growing demand and effectively combat pollution on a global scale?
Environmental issues related to heavy goods vehicle consumption
According to some studies, and despite differing opinions on the matter, road transport remains one of the sectors that emits the most polluting gases. Carriers, both large groups and independent operators, are therefore considered essential players in the important challenges of environmental protection and public health. Heavy goods vehicle consumption goes beyond purely financial considerations and the carbon footprint of a truck must become the subject of actions undertaken in a comprehensive effort to reduce polluting emissions.
Legislation is evolving, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the introduction of taxes on each company's carbon footprint. Shippers are therefore increasingly looking to calculate their carbon footprints and reduce the environmental impact of their logistics activities, encouraging their service providers to follow suit. Carriers, if they want to remain competitive, are thus forced to implement measures to avoid losing market share to their competitors.
How to reduce fuel consumption?
In general, to reduce the fuel consumption of their trucks, carriers have been adopting practices for several years such as: route optimization, load factor optimization, training in economical driving, the use of alternative fuels, etc.
Fuel consumption in road vehicles also depends on other factors:
Firstly, every vehicle in a carrier's fleet must receive regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance. Worn parts, such as spark plugs and injectors, increase fuel consumption, as do worn tires.
Besides vehicle maintenance, driving technique also affects fuel consumption. Eco-driving prioritizes smooth driving at a constant speed without irregular acceleration or sudden braking, as aggressive and uneven driving leads to increased fuel costs.
Finally, some truck models are known for being more fuel-efficient thanks to their more effective engines. According to data from road transport experts, the most fuel-efficient vehicles in this sector are those from the Mercedes brand.
Investing in and committing to all of these recommendations will inevitably have a significant impact. But if you want to take active, simple, and effective action to reduce your trucks' fuel consumption and emissions, ECOLOW is currently the only truly effectivefuel-saving on the market.
The ECOLOW fuel-saving module technology.
The ECOLOW fuel-saving device is an innovative and reliable solution, 100% made in France, that reduces energy consumption and polluting emissions from road transport. This device, installed on the fuel line, modifies the molecular structure and calorific value of the fuel without impacting or modifying the original engine components, thus optimizing combustion.
On average, the ECOLOW module reduces the energy consumption of road vehicles by 5% to 7%*, depending on the models used and the drivers' driving techniques. This technology therefore also reduces pollutant emissions and AdBlue consumption.
* It should be noted that on some cold-weather fuels (GNR) the result is diminished or even cancelled.
Easy to install, the module requires no mechanical changes that would affect your manufacturer's warranty. The ECOLOW fuel saver box is compatible with all types of engines and fuels, making it a universal and interchangeable product that should be adopted urgently in the road transport sector!