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Show j Exec's lnJcCiDnig , crisj. of the past ""J has had a profound V on r na,,on s " J Not one segment ,n0 V,' soared from the 2JUoffuel.nd ( P-e. . stJ, . trucking industry to-'' ,hat fuel is, andalways K ftfmijor expense. It i. of "on supplies k, 'Spncesnce their, , f s dependent on p . iS L tased fuels to power sss. "'? , , U fuel used in trucks is ' ,, ilv the same refined "Hhle heating oil. ' industry was caught as nff-Euard by the energy l as the general public, cci " uielv. fuel-saving ''. 'JL once deemed too ex-"Irt ex-"Irt 10 be practical, are ! Graving Iw themselves as ' l V,ce of diesel continues , ,(pard trend. lis, idOVCTHE lechnological Cmentsadopielbythe carrier industry to save aw -"S,ve m"re ef"clent ',.,lt performance are ,7s' 'oiwmit drag redu.non !,t; inch as wind cV'ec-nJial cV'ec-nJial tires, demaml-ac- '-j fan drive systems. :-n- ',. and dnv-3 chain ,if-'. : jmraiions. anu lie kirj , jctmeni of gas powered riies with the more ef-si ef-si .ii ,,tn diel powered one he.er possible. "hroush a combination of measures, coupled with one-,,';!! enforcement of a ort jimum speed of 55 miles - tour, many trucking -pames are realizing fuel .his as high as 20 to 25 per S FUEL IS also being con- - ,ed through improved '! .-.habits, better training divers and mechanics in rating procedures and penance, lower engine writing speeds and better . jaiion of available :,cles through better Lling. ;erly filled radial tires, ;tin have resulted in fuel . "gs of 2 to 10 per cent. :::.3ls also give the truck r.er a better ride, allow the ::kto be "handled" bet ter and run cooler, which gives longer life to the tires. SINCE 1972, ML Freight Inc., Salt La ,e City, has improved gas nileage by 7 9 percent throuj, i combination of fuel saving 'Vvices. Ryder True' .ines. Jacksonville, Jack-sonville, Fin rimates the company couk ave 27 percent per-cent of its f el if they equipped all the. trucks with wind deflectors, adials, fan clutches and tag xles. INSISTING that its drivers slay at the federally-mandated speed limit, cut one na-lionwide na-lionwide truck fleet's fuel consumption by 12 per central's cent-ral's 631,428 gallons per year! When that same company com-pany had its drivers reduce truck idling time, an additional addi-tional 884,000 gallons of diesel were conserved. Trucking companies are not the only ones saving fuel, however. These energy conservation con-servation measures, fully supported by the American Trucking Associations, are being adopted by nearly every truck operator in the country. A recently published Department Depart-ment of Transportation survey sur-vey says that in 1976, truck operators saved 155 million gallons of fuel, enough to operate all passenger cars in a city the size of Memphis, lenn. for one year. The truckers conserved the fuel by purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles. YELLOW Freight Co. of bhawnee Mission. Kans. has tackled the problem of conserving con-serving fuel through a unique and innovative way. The company's Miami terminal is now heated and cooled through the use of soiar energy. The company says the use of the sun is simply a practical solution to the long-term long-term problem. By not using petroleum to heat and cool their offices, the company has that much more diesel to use in their trucks. The motor carrier industry has the ability to save fuel through liberalized size and weight limits, t study conducted con-ducted by the .Stanford Research Institute for the f ederal Energy Administration Administra-tion (now Department of Lnergy) found that if all states permitted a minimum lop gross vehicle weight of 80,000 pounds along with the use of twin-trailer combinations, combina-tions, 240 million gallons of fuel could be saved annually In Pennsylvania, alone, 30.4 million gallons could be saved if twins were allowed to operate in the state, and the current restriction of 78,000 lbs. g.v.w. was raised to 80,000. WHILE truck operators have profit margins as their incentive to conserve fuel, motorists, too can conserve luel and get better mileage, by applying some of the same conservation techniques truck drivers use when driving. During National Transportation Transpor-tation Week, May 14-20, the American Trucking Associa-uons Associa-uons offers these tips to motorists mo-torists on how to save fuel. A car operator can save fuel by changing his driving habits. Motorists can also save fuel through maintenance procedures. The former costs next to nothing, the latter will, though the fuel savings will offset the cost. CARPOOLING is the least expensive way to save fuel. As a side benefit, carpooling reduces air pollution. The lewer cars on the road, the less fuel used and the less oxides and pollutants in the air. With two or more people sharing the daily commuting costs, the amount of gas used to take two people to one place is immediately cut in half. If you must drive alone, ihen try to avoid long traffic lights and traffic congestion. Avoid rush hours whenever possible. The less time you sit idling in traffic, the fewer gallons of gas you'll use. IF YOU own more than one car, drive the most economical one, particularly on short trips to the grocery store, the dry cleaners and department stores. Your car will use a higher percentage uf gas in start and stop situations situa-tions than it will during Ireeway travel. Another way to save fuel is to avoid extended warm-ups un cold mornings. Depressing the accelerator once, instead of pumping it, should set the automatic choke. Also give your car a break, drive it slowly for a mile or two until the engine warms up. AGAIN, THE idea here is to cut idling time. Idling uses gas. but doesn't get you and the car anywhere. Drive 55. A recent Highway Traffic Safety Administration study says trucks are adhering adher-ing to the limit more than any other class of vehicles. If truckers can stay at 55 mph, so can you. Also, accelerate and decelerate smoothly, avoiding "jack-rabbit" starts and panic stops. Fast starts and irregular speeds are heavy fuel consumers. You'll save fuel by not being the leader of the pack when the light turns green. GRADUALLY build up your speed when climbing a hill to avoid engine "lug", as your car changes gears. A "lugging" "lug-ging" engine uses more fuel than necessary. In addition, reduce the use uf accessories, particularly the air conditioner, as much as possible. With the air conditioner con-ditioner off, fuel efficiency can improve by 5 to 14 per cent. FUEL SAVINGS can also be realized through regular car maintenance. Periodic tune-ups tune-ups of points and plugs, at least as often as your owner's manual recommends, can improve gas mileage by as much as 9 to 15 per cent. It almost always r suits unlet-- -,- 1. . .d . i. ... Attention should also be given to the following areas: CLOGGED AND dirty air and oil filters should be replaced. Make sure carburetor is clean. PERFORM regular lube and oil changes. Fuel consumption can also be lowered if your car's automatic au-tomatic choke is set correctly. A sticky choke will use more gas than necessary. Properly inflated tires which are correctly balanced and aligned are a must. Poor tire inflation and a bad alignment will cause drag, increasing, the car's need for fuel.1 linally, when you fill the car's gas tank, don't fill it to the' brim. In hot weather, especially, the gas will expand ex-pand and overflow. DRIVING habit changes will improve automobile efficiency ef-ficiency and reduce commuting commut-ing costs and proper maintenance of your car will result in a significant savings in the long run, both in fuel and other costs. The trucking industry is lirmly committed to a comprehensive fuel savings program. Energy use in the United States increased by 4.8 per cent in 1976, including a 4.2 per cent rise in petroleum consumption for transportation. transporta-tion. DURING THAT same year, U.S. oil production continued to decline. These divergent trends cannot continue for very long without totally depleting the available fuel supply. Even massive imports im-ports of foreign crude will not reverse these trends. But motor carriers and motorists can help make the finite supply of petroleum last .as long as possible. The only " way to accomplish this is to reduce truck and car fuel consumption to the absolute minimum. The trucking in- dustry is saving tuel-how about you? |