Now that I have been able to use my new Freightliner Cascadia Evolution paired with the DT12 twelve-speed automated transmission, I am thoroughly impressed by what it can offer to the trucking world. Not only does it have a lot of the creature comforts to make the numerous hours in it comfortable and less tiring, but also its performance is equally as astonishing. Although I have not seen the miraculous improvement in MPG that some of my over-the-road counterparts have been privy to, I am seeing an impact in my overall fuel-to-revenue figures compared to my previous truck. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen my fair share of 8+ MPG weeks, but the answer to my
figures lies in the application in which I use this advanced piece of machinery.
Being involved in a completely different kind of work than my fellow Team Run Smart Pros sheds a little light on where my numbers differ. Los Angeles traffic definitely lends its hand in keeping me away from the 9 and 10-MPG mark, but man is it awesome having the DT12 transmission in that scenario! Since I run such short runs and am compensated a percentage of the haul on a weekly basis, my fuel average is not calculated by the run or even by the tank-full. Rarely have I ever seen my tanks full, since fuel is deducted weekly for the settlements ran that week. Instead, I calculate my fuel MPG weekly (Monday-Friday), not only by true MPG but also by percent in comparison to total revenue for the week. Since my hauls vary so much and I am never hauling the same weight or the same routes in any form of consistency, I tend to do things a little differently.
Doing the dirty work in the use of this method takes a little daring experimentation. It took a couple weeks to get to know my fuel levels in the new truck. With the help of an old school tool, the fuel stick (yard stick), I was able to get the information needed to run under my usual method. Knowing when I am on the verge of running out of fuel is the key to this method. I then use that information to run my tanks as low as possible before the end of the week, usually with less than five gallons. With little to no fuel left in my tanks, there is not money left sitting over the weekend for trips that were already run. I also can judge by using this method the amount of fuel I have used for all runs that week. My best week yet out of this 10,000-mile period has been 8.46 MPG on paper. I have also seen my fair share of 8.1’s and 8.2’s! For comparison sake the best week my old truck ever gave me was 7.78 and it's lifetime average over a three year period was 7.14 MPG on paper when it was sold.
Since I haul for a lot of the same customers, just not in any particular order, I figured a head to head comparison would be the best way to show the difference the Cascadia Evolution has had on my operation. Since I have been pulling the same trailers, had the same driving habits, and generally the 
same spread of runs with no major changes, the results should be a fair comparison. For this chart I took the revenue and fuel figures for the last ten settlements on the old truck and the first ten settlements on the new truck (blacked out for privacy purposes). Dividing my fuel cost by my total revenue in each row gave me the percentage of fuel used to revenue earned. When averaged together at the bottom of the column for fuel cost, you can see the average fuel to revenue percentage for the entire ten-week period. As you can see, even with my having to adjust to the driving of a new truck, I have been able to see a realized reduction in fuel costs of five percent overall in relation to my revenue. In my eyes, numbers speak for themselves…five percent more in my pocket is a lot better than it puffing out of my stack!
Now that I have seen realized gains in the area of fuel economy, I am hooked on saving MPG! I now am making it a goal to increase this figure by the time my next update blog comes along by seeking other aerodynamic improvements. I am currently researching wheel covers (other than my fancy chrome lug and axle covers), tire pressure monitoring, and reducing my mud flap’s surface area. I am going to try and do the best I can to increase my bottom line and this truck is allowing me to do it in the fuel economy area of my business without much extra effort. This stock Cascadia Evolution, with no other modification, has saved me a nice percentage of money so far and I can’t wait to see how much more I can take out of the tanks and put back into my wallet!