Despite lower prices, producers still
strive to lower their fuel consumption.
W
hat
a difference a year
makes. In early 2008,
spurred by the introduction of low-sulfur diesel
fuel and a cut in production capacity due
to petroleum plant maintenance schedules, fuel prices jumped to historic levels.
Producers scrambled just to find
available fuel sources, almost regardless of the cost. Many even considered
purchasing long-term fuel options. The
Diesel fuel expenditures
can be the second highest
component of a producer's
variable costs, trailing only
cement. And while the
sudden return to normal
prices is welcomed,
there's still the reality that
fuel prices will increase.
price increase also affected product sales.
Bid proposals and sales contracts contained fuel escalation clauses. Then, of
course, the economy faltered.
In late February 2009, the Energy
Information Administration
(EIA) pro-
while the sudden return to normal prices is welcomed, there's still the reality
that fuel prices will increase.
The need for producers to invest in
fuel-saving technologies continues to be
real. Fortunately, our industry's manufacturers recognize this and continue to
develop new products.
In January, Command
Alkon, a
large supplier of dispatching software,
became a Certified Industry Partner of
Trimble
Mobile Resource
Management. This agreement allows for joint
sales efforts and strengthens the technical relationships between both companies. Similarly, Systech, another major
price, which averaged $3.79 per gallon
in 2008, would fall to $2.28 per gallon in
2009 and rise to about $2.55 in 2010.
technology supplier, also announced a
formal agreement with Trimble.
These
alliances,
among others,
demonstrate the opportunities producers
have to cut costs and increase profitability. "To stay competitive and thrive in a
Producers welcome this news. Diesel fuel expenditures can be the second
highest component of a producer's variable costs, trailing only cement. And
tough economy, producers must maximize the efficiency of their trucks and
plant operations," says John Rabchuk,
president of Systech.
vided a calming forecast on fuel costs. It
projected that the on-highway diesel fuel
Even
with
tight
capital
budgets,
producers should control their fuel costs
by adopting current technologies. And
if saving money isn't a strong enough
enticement
to secure funding, how
about demonstrating
a producer's commitment to the environment?
Saving
fuel reduces a cubic yard of concrete's
carbon footprint.
Going green saves green
While
fuel savings are important,
new
technologies
also allow producers to
demonstrate their commitment to green
construction.
According to some environmental experts, saving one gallon of
fuel eliminates the emissions of more
than 20 pounds of greenhouse gases,
such as carbon dioxide and methane.
By combining fuel savings with emis-
Fuel savings also can come from other manufacturer innovations. About a
year ago, Michelin Tire Co. introduced the X One XZY3 tire to the severe-duty
trucking industry.
The X One tire uses Michelin's Infini-coil casing reinforcement technology. The
new generation is supported by more than a liz-mile of steel cord wrapped
circumferentially around the tire from sidewall to sidewall. The added strength
and wide design enable producers to use a single X One tire in place of dual
tires in the tandem position.
This tire design meets the demands of heavy loading as the special reinforcement reduces casing growth and stabilizes the contact patch. Fleet managers
who have used the new tire have reported less tire wear and gains in fuel efficiency. The potential fuel savings comes from the decreased rolling resistence
by eliminating four tires in eight sidewalls versus four sidewalls.
At 2009 World of Concrete, Schwing-Stetter displayed a rear-discharge readymix truck equipped with its new lightweight drum and the X One tires. The
combination of the two new technologies provided a savings of more than
550 pounds in the truck's weight. Depending on the concrete unit weight,
the weight savings could allow producers to ship up to an additional 1/4 to l/z
cubic yards of concrete per trip.
sions reduction, producers can adopt
a win-win message for employees and
customers alike.
This approach is not new. In 1996
vehicle manufacturers began installing
EPA-mandated emission control systems
to monitor engine performance. While a
periodic testing program has been useful,
the EP A recognized that these testing
facilities do not evaluate emissions between the scheduled testing cycles.
To address this shortfall, in 2006
the EPA formed the Transitioning
Inspections and Maintenance Workgroup
to oversee the periodic emission check
methods. The work group concluded
that the most effective alternative from
a convenience and emissions reductions
standpoint is "remote OBD."
Networkfleet,
a San Diego-based
technology firm, has developed a wireless fleet management system that combines GPS tracking with diagnostic
monitoring
to reduce operating costs
for commercial fleets. How it combines
fuel savings with emissions control is
unique. To help producers understand
the relationship, it has developed an executive summary, "Go Green and Save
Green- Wireless Fleet Management Systems Cuts Emissions
While
Reducing
,I
Operating
Costs." The insights can help
producers look at fuel saving technology
from a different standpoint.
The Networkfleet
system collects
and wirelessly transmits emissions information directly from a vehicle's onboard diagnostic (OBD-II) system. With
its patented technology, the system helps
fleets decrease fuel usage and emissions.
This involves three distinct focus areas:
diagnostics, emissions system status, and
location-related information.
Fleet managers log in to a secure
Web site where they view real-time
data. Managers can continuously monitor vehicle speed and idle time. To help
The X One
XZY3tire
results in less
tire wear and
better fuel
economy, fleet
managers say.
filter the data and to provide intervention points, managers also receive e-mail
notifications when vehicle and emissions
statuses go outside the norm.
Networkfleet says its software helps
fleets reduce harmful emissions while
lowering fuel consumption and maintenance expenses in six ways: reduced idle
time, improved vehicle maintenance,
reduced speeding, reduced unauthorized
vehicle usage, optimized routing, and
continuous emissions monitoring.
The U.S. Department
of Energy
estimates that idling consumes more
than 3 billion gallons of fuel annually in the U.S., mostly from light- and
medium-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles consume 0.82 gallons of fuel for
every hour of idling, while light-duty
vehicles consume up to 0.5 gallons per
hour. Significantly reducing idling may
save up to 15% in fuel usage. Excessive
vehicle idling also affects engine wear.
Tracking support fleets
While fleet managers review the preand post-trip inspection reports daily
from their fleets, keeping track of support fleets is more difficult. Wireless fleet
management
systems with diagnostic
monitoring use the remote OBD to notify managers automatically
bye-mail
when a vehicle registers a check engine
light in the form of a specific diagnostic
trouble code (DTC).
Wireless
diagnostic
monitoring
also provides managers access to accurate mileage and hours used information generated by the engine computer, not through GPS. This allows for
scheduling regular maintenance
using
odometer and hour meter e-mail alerts
when vehicles
reach predetermined
maintenance
intervals.
Producers who use wireless engine
monitoring
systems on their support
fleets can check exact vehicle speed
and receive alerts when drivers exceed
a particular speed, such as 65 mph.
Studies suggest a 10% increase in mileage just by slowing from 70 mph to 60
mph. A reduction of 10 mpg across an
average fleet results in a 10% reduction in fuel costs. This is the equivalent
of saving 40 cents per gallon for all of
your fuel. Reducing speeds lowers fuel
consumption,
which also translates
into lower emissions by reducing the
amount of fuel burned.
Mapping savings
Knowing that the shortest distance
between two points is a straight line,
producers are accepting new versions
of mapping technology into their dispatching
operations.
For multiplant
operations, sharing this technology had
been difficult. Now, central dispatch
has an eye-in-the sky tool to keep deliveries on time.
550
500
450
400
co
.2
~
~
~
~
<.J
a.
co
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
.•.
0
0
i
~
i
'?
a>
a>
~
~
<0
In late 2008, the TrakitGPS
0
'"
i i
vehicle
tracking and reporting module was updated. It now provides new map views
and special vehicle stop reports. The
system's capability has been enhanced so
.•.
'"
~
interpreted,
logged, and reported by the
dispatchers can view, track, and manage
multiple plants and vehicle types.
truck driver," says Peter Panagapko, president ofTruckWeight.
"As a companion
to Smart Scale, TruckWeight FleetLink
helps replace these manual processes. It
creates an accurate electronic record of
axle-weight data that can be read by an
Dispatchers can select from a bevy
of new map views, including road, aerial,
and hybrid vantage points. The road
view includes specific road names; aerial
is based on satellite imaging and includes
onboard computer and sent home by satellite- or cellular-based mobile communications systems. Dispatchers and fleet
managers can monitor payload capacity
while the truck is in the field, eliminat-
landmarks; and hybrid is an easy-to-read
combination of the two. These aids helps
dispatchers direct fleet logistics.
T rakitGPS requires no IT staff. I~
features GPS tracking to provide realtime order tracking and truck mapping,
ing the latency and errors associated
with paper-based reporting."
two-way communication
ing and management,
for fleet trackand provides
time-stamped custom reports on all employee activity.
Maximizing truck loads
Another way to increase fuel efficiency
is to maximize payloads. Maintaining
dump truck legal loads is more efficient
with TruckWeight
FleetLink.
This
telematics device allows fleet managers
to electronically
capture and monitor
axle-weight data generated by the company's Smart Scale wireless scale for
commercial vehicles.
"Traditionally, onboard scales produce results that have to be manually
Dispatchers can now monitor each
truck's load in real time. TruckWeight
FleetLink integrates with Smart Scale.
The sensors monitor subtle changes in
the air-ride or mechanical spring suspension. An RF transmitter sends the
data to the TruckWeight
FleetLink
receiver which is connected to an onboard computer, onboard communications device, or cellular phone via Bluetooth, RS-232, or USB.
From there, the data can be used
by a wide range of fleet management
programs, including dispatch, compliance, and accounting.
TruckWeight
FleetLink also can be connected to an
in-cab printer to produce receipts and
other documents onsite. TruckWeight
FleetLink uses AA batteries for power
and does not require electricity from a
truck or tractor.
TCP