MPG

What kind of fuel mileage is a good target/ expectation.

I get differant trucks larger, lightweights etc, just a kindageneral expectation.

I understand various companies reward better fuel mileage. Just eant to see what kind of target to shoot for during tnt phase.

I'm sure some Prime Inc drivers can throw some specific numbers at you but generally speaking you're looking for the 7 - 8 mpg range. But seriously, during training there's no need to worry yourself about it. It's good to understand how to drive in such a way that you're getting better fuel mileage but I think there are too many other concerns to be focused on when you're first learning to drive. Things happen quickly out there. Don't let yourself get distracted worrying about things like getting better fuel mileage. That's something you'll have all the time in the world to work on soon enough.

I'm sure some Prime Inc drivers can throw some specific numbers at you but generally speaking you're looking for the 7 - 8 mpg range. But seriously, during training there's no need to worry yourself about it. It's good to understand how to drive in such a way that you're getting better fuel mileage but I think there are too many other concerns to be focused on when you're first learning to drive. Things happen quickly out there. Don't let yourself get distracted worrying about things like getting better fuel mileage. That's something you'll have all the time in the world to work on soon enough.

Agreed about the worry about it later. When you upgrade to solo there is a company reefer "optional" class I told you about that will explain it.

For bonuses, I get fuel and safety bonuses for weeks over 2500 miles. I don't think u get the safety bonus until six months solo. But for fuel they will send a QC message "your MPG this week was 8.2. Fleet avg was 7.9" type of thing.

What kind of fuel mileage is a good target/ expectation.

I get differant trucks larger, lightweights etc, just a kindageneral expectation.

I understand various companies reward better fuel mileage. Just eant to see what kind of target to shoot for during tnt phase.

Having no experience at all in the trucking industry I was amazed at how good the fuel mileage is, especially when compared to the diesel ambulances I used to drive

My trainer has a Peterbuilt 579 w/a PACCAR (sp?) even with me driving on a permit and struggling to shift it got 8.7 one week and 9.3 the last week of my permit driving phase. Both times we were well above Fleet average

What kind of fuel mileage is a good target/ expectation.

I get differant trucks larger, lightweights etc, just a kindageneral expectation.

I understand various companies reward better fuel mileage. Just eant to see what kind of target to shoot for during tnt phase.

Having no experience at all in the trucking industry I was amazed at how good the fuel mileage is, especially when compared to the diesel ambulances I used to drive

My trainer has a Peterbuilt 579 w/a PACCAR (sp?) even with me driving on a permit and struggling to shift it got 8.7 one week and 9.3 the last week of my permit driving phase. Both times we were well above Fleet average

Didnt happen to be wi5h prime was it? 😀

It depends on the weight of the loads and the terrain as well as shifting. If you are going up and down mountains fully loaded you will burn more fuel. Empty then you can fly.

My avg is usually 9.0. Last week I did 7.9. It varies. Prime applies the bonus to the load not the week. So have one load with great mpg but another with lower then you still get money

It also depends on the individual truck. My full size cascadia gets better mpg than my friends...but he might not shift the same.

If you listen to primes messages when you are on hold you will hear them say to keep the RPM at 11. So you can be in 9th gear but at 35mph be at 1100 RPM and get better fuel mileage than if you upshifted . but each truck is different. Basics say to shift at 15 25 35/etc.... My truck shifts lower. My trainers truck shifted higher.

Its best to just learn now and find out about that stuff later. Most trainers are lease/owner and many tell their TNT to floor it. Ruins the mpg and the ability to learn it. And you will have to learn you solo truck and adjust.

Same with floating gears. Do what you feel comfortable with. Floating is not a necessity. Other things are

Good point Rainy, my trainer is real anal on mileage, started on day one.

Week or so back we did a 18k load, but over teton pass, he complained about my fuel mileage. We just did a light load he insisted on attaining 10mpg.

Guess in light of what you just commented, i get it a bit more now on the "load by load" basis.

Has been very helpful, knowing the full size are very capable of 10 - 11 mpg.

Expect by the time i am solo, will be real stingy with the fuel. Just bot at my trainers level ☺

Good point Rainy, my trainer is real anal on mileage, started on day one.

Week or so back we did a 18k load, but over teton pass, he complained about my fuel mileage. We just did a light load he insisted on attaining 10mpg.

Guess in light of what you just commented, i get it a bit more now on the "load by load" basis.

Has been very helpful, knowing the full size are very capable of 10 - 11 mpg.

Expect by the time i am solo, will be real stingy with the fuel. Just bot at my trainers level ☺

If your trainer is a LEASE OP - he's not working towards a FUEL BONUS, but looking at his BOTTOM LINE (since lease/OO's pay their own fuel).

A 2mpg difference over 1,000 miles (8MPG vs 10MPG for example) - is the difference of 25 gallons burnt. At the current $2.48 per gallon (national average) that's $62 that stays in his pocket. On a 5,000 mile week - that's $310 that goes in his wallet, instead of out his exhaust stack. You wouldn't see anywhere NEAR THAT DIFFERENCE as a company driver, working towards a fuel bonus on a load-by-load basis.

But that's $300 that stays in his wallet - so you can see why he's a little nuts about his fuel efficiency.

Rick

I'm in a lightweight truck and barely get into the 8's unless empty. I'm beginning to think it's like a Subaru.... great mpg until you ask it to try and haul a trailer. Hopefully this automatic will help. I tried to keep my shifting down to 12-1300 range. Plus they seem to have me running into PA and such. Beautiful country, but coming out of flat Illinois, you can literally see the dollars flying out of the stack once you start getting to eastern Ohio

Same here, my lightweight truck can get less than 7 if I'm close to 80K. But I don't really try to do anything to increase it. We have a target MPG which isn't too hard to make except in the summer. I was told they increase the target "to adjust for weather", which I guess really means they are trying to discourage idling during the summer by making it affect your bonus.