Why Your Trucks Could Be Costing You A Lot Of Money, Even When They're Stationary


As a haulage and distribution expert, you don't need anybody to tell you that you have to tackle direct costs if you are to keep moving in the right direction. You may watch the expenditure associated with your trucking fleet like a hawk, as you know that you need to get maximum value per kilometre driven and ensure that your trucks are as full as possible. You are sure that your competitors are paying a lot of attention to fuel efficiency and ongoing maintenance, so you know that you have to do the same. However, you may be overlooking something crucial, which could really make a difference.

Burning up Your Money

You may be surprised to learn that your trucks could be costing you a lot of money when they're not even moving. You've been focusing your attention on efficiency and user metrics gathered on the road, but in truth, they are eating up your valuable resources even when they are idling. Did you know that a truck can use more than five litres of fuel per hour when it is stationary and idling? It's no wonder you are finding it difficult to hit your target with this kind of drain. You need to do something about this by introducing specific accessories that can control the waste as much as possible.

Challenging but Necessary

Sometimes, your drivers will need to keep their engine running when the vehicle is stationary and especially if they have to maintain an adequate environment to sleep in. Yet while this is understandable in the heat of the Australian summer, an idling engine can also lead to unwanted air pollution, together with increased wear and tear to the motor and several other components. If you were to let this go unchecked, you might run into trouble with local jurisdictions as well, as some of them have put in place regulations to limit engine idling as much as possible.

Specific Aids

There are several different components available on the market to help you get back on track, including battery-powered auxiliary units that stand by themselves and can often provide sufficient energy. You may be able to get an HVAC system that is also battery-powered and that can maintain those crucial sleeping temperatures at night. The truck can recharge these AGM batteries quite quickly once underway in the morning.

Why not think about introducing a battery management system that can keep an eye on levels and only bring the engine in if necessary? These can be programmed to switch off in areas where truck idling policies are regulated to ensure that you don't encounter any problems.

Servicing Too

While you can certainly invest in some of these components, don't forget to look at the idling efficiency of each engine the next time the vehicle goes in for a major truck servicing repair. When you pair all of these improvements together, you'll definitely be making strides in the right direction.

About Me

Barbara's Big Blog of Auto Service Info, Tips and More

Welcome. I hope you stick around and learn something new. My name is Barbara, and ever since I was a little girl, I have been working on cars. I used to follow my papa around our farm, always ready to hand him a tool or help him work on our equipment. Now, I still love to work with cars but enjoy writing about it even more. I recently turned 50 and made a promise to try several new things -- one, being writing a blog. I am married with two fabulous children, both away at uni studying, and I love to spend time at the beach and in nature. This year, I plan to take my first surf lesson as well. Enjoy, and remember, as the kids say, YOLO (you only live once)!