Truck platooning is a great innovative way of saving fuel for truck drivers and providing additional environmental and business benefits.
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Gas prices have been the hottest topic in the market since the pandemic started in March 2020. We are seeing extremely high prices, making it hard for people to get to work or even accomplish their basic errands.
The federal government and many stakeholders work together to provide as much help as possible to reduce the burden on the current gas prices. For example, some people might take advantage of tax credits when buying electric vehicles, preventing the hassle of hunting for gas.
However, most of the available incentives and most of these encouraging initiatives do not consider truck drivers because, with the current technology, the electric industry cannot provide alternatives to the larger trucks.
Many truck drivers are reducing their trips significantly, impacting their income and how they live here. In addition, many drivers left their jobs and decided to move to something else, considering the increase in gas prices.
Luckily, some studies provide recommendations on certain things truck drivers can do to save on gas; one of the biggest ones is truck platooning.
This could be your first time hearing about truck platooning, and that's why this article will provide you with all the details to show you how this thing can save on fuel significantly. It will also highlight potential ways to deal with the current skyrocketing Gasoline prices.
What is truck platooning?
Before we dig into the details about how truck platooning can help save on fuel and provide you a vehicle with a better fuel economy, it is essential to understand this concept and what it means in the first place.
Truck platooning involves multiple trucks driving after each other and being connected electrically. In other words, these trucks communicate through a complicated system where they drive at the same speed while maintaining a very small distance.
If any vehicle came to drive between the platooning trucks, the trucks would automatically increase the distance to allow for more room and, at the same time, maintain an arrow distance between the two trucks and the vehicle came in between.
Car platooning is extremely smart and can allow the drivers to release their hands on this hot wheel, reducing the stress on the drivers, especially if they're driving multiple states.
The best part about scar platooning is the breaking part. When there is a reason for the first truck to park stop, the three or the whole chain will stop simultaneously.
Car platooning has been there for a long time, and it's not a direct invention because of what's happening in the current gas prices corresponding to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it's getting more popular as truck drivers struggle to afford gasoline, considering that car platooning can help a lot in reducing fuel consumption and improving fuel economy.
How can a truck platoon improve fuel efficiency?
There is a lot of discussion about how truck platooning improved fuel economy. Understanding how the process works are extremely important to help drivers consider car platooning in the future to maintain their job without needing to stress over the current gas prices.
It's important to note that car platooning will not eliminate the use of gas because that's the only energy supply for these vehicles. Still, it will reduce it significantly, as automotive experts mentioned.
When multiple trucks Drive closely, they reduce the aerodynamic drag between them. This drag might cause increasing the use of fuel to withstand the forces on the vehicle. However, when the drag is reduced significantly, drivers don't have to spend so much fuel because the engine does not have to produce much energy to drive.
Experts mentioned that you'd see an improvement in vehicle fuel economy at longer distances. So, in other words, this truck platooning is recommended for trucks working on very long distances like driving over different States. However, it will not significantly improve unless you look at long-term things.
Other benefits of truck platooning
We mentioned earlier that truck platooning is a great idea for improving fuel economy. Does it have other benefits to consider? Let's take a look at some of the main benefits of truck platooning:
1. Environmental benefits
Truck platooning provides tons of benefits to the environment. These benefits might not be very clear to every driver but going through them helps make a difference and improve the environment.
For example, truck platooning is considered a clean way of driving. In other words, when you perform truck platooning, you're reducing fuel and consumption, and that's why you're participating in reducing the emissions and saving nonrenewable energy for future generations.
Furthermore, there are some social benefits of performing truck platooning. According to experts, by driving through truck platooning, there is a significant reduction in the overall risk related to traffic accidents.
2. Business benefits
In addition to the many environmental benefits, business owners have many benefits. For example, when performing this truck platooning, you're reducing the need for more labor because the system is smart enough to operate independently. You don't necessarily have the most experienced driver sit in the truck as the system operates.
Also, with the increased safety through truck platooning, business owners don't have to invest much in taking care of all that could have gone wrong without this system.
Finally, drivers can do other tasks as they're driving their trucks because they don't have to be driving the vehicle as the system is automated. As a result, they can multitask to take care of other things, making a difference in the company's profit.
How can truck drivers save on fuel?
While truck platooning is a great idea for saving on fuel and providing a better fuel economy, not every driver can utilize this innovative idea, especially those driving locally and with shorter distances where it's hard to maintain the distance or where they don't drive long distances.
Luckily, automotive experts still put together some recommendations for truck drivers to save on fuel. Let's take a closer look at some of these recommendations:
3. Adjust cruise speed
Many truck drivers rely on the cruise control system pretty much as a way to improve fuel economy. They probably drive longer distances on the highways where they can usually engage this component. However, does adjusting the speed make a difference in fuel economy?
According to statistics, increasing the cruise speed by one mph decreases the fuel economy by about 0.14 miles per gallon.
Therefore, as a truck driver, it is essential to understand how much you need to sit to your cruise control so you can achieve the maximum benefit of this system without using more fuel than you need.
4. Find the cheapest gas station
There are tons of apps that provide you with some details about the cheapest gas stations around you. You're a truck driver, and you're probably driving longer distances. Therefore, you can take full advantage of the available cheap gas stations you might run across while driving.
Unlike regular vehicle drivers, you have the benefits of going through multiple States and enjoying more chances for reduced gas prices. Take advantage of these and always check where to fill your gas before purchasing.
5. Plan your routes
We understand that truck drivers will always take very long routes, but there is still room for selecting the shortest route. Plan your trip and understand where you're going. There could be an alternative route that will provide you with the best fuel economy.
6. Do not drive if not needed
Every time you turn on your truck and move, you're consuming fuel, which can be very significant even for short trips. Therefore, automotive experts always recommend not to drive if it's not necessary. In other words, savior trips for more important errands and do not use the truck to take simple tasks and take care of things you can do using your smaller vehicle.
7. Reduce the load
Your truck is big enough and heavy enough to consume more fuel than any other vehicle. However, you can still reduce the load on your vehicle by removing any unnecessary items. For example, if your truck has loads that you might want to drop at some point in time, you might want to spend some time unloading this vehicle and take advantage of the lighter vehicle that does not consume a lot of fuel.
8. Inspect the tires regularly
Did you know your truck tires significantly affect how much your truck consumes fuel? That's why a simple practice like checking your tire pressure regularly helps you save a ton on fuel consumption.
9. Prevent idling as much as possible
Idling is one of the worst practices that could kill your truck and consume tons of fuel that's not needed. So whether you're driving a big truck or even a smaller vehicle, most automotive experts always recommend avoiding ailing as much as possible.
If you think you'll wait for a long time, turning off your truck is much cheaper than starting it and keeping it running idling.
10. Do not exceed the loading capacity
Every truck is designed to withstand a certain loading capacity. Some state regulations will get you in trouble if you overload your car. Not only for these regulations but also for your truck health, it is essential that you maintain your truckload within the design range that does not cause any overconsumption of fuel and does not result in troubles in your truck.
11. Brake mindfully
Hitting the brakes as you're driving your truck significantly affects how much fuel your truck is consuming. Therefore, you must understand the best way of breaking and the way that results in saving fuel as much as possible.
12. Inspect the alignment
In addition to checking your vehicle's tire, you got to understand that alignment is very important, and it's extremely important for truck drivers more than other drivers. Any bias in the alignment can easily mess up the way your vehicle operates and result in overstretching your engine, which means consuming more fuel than you need.
13. Keep a fan in a good shape
Did you know that a simple component like your engine fan is extremely important? It has to do a lot with how much fuel your engine consumes, and that's why you got to check it out frequently and confirm it's working just fine.
14. Inspect your battery
Your battery and the battery cables are extremely important when driving a healthy truck and reducing fuel consumption. Invest some time looking at the battery and confirming that the battery cables are in good shape and there's no corrosion around the battery terminals.
Final thoughts
Truck platooning is one of the innovative ways of saving fuel and maintaining your safety as a truck driver.
This article provided you with all you need to know to understand the benefits of truck platooning and how it saves fuel.
It is essential to understand that there are tons of factors impacting the way your truck consumes fuel. If you notice that your truck is consuming more fuel than it should, you must take care of the internal problems. If these problems are very expensive to repair, it could be a perfect time to sell your truck and buy a better one with more chances of a better fuel economy.
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