Our 2015 Cascadia has the customary two fuel tanks with the big difference being one tank on the drivers side is 120-gallons and the tank on the passenger side is 80-gallons.  Our former truck had three fuel tanks with one tank dedicated to the generator and used off road or reefer fuel.
 
With the fuel mileage we were anticipating with the truck we decided to eliminate one fuel tank.  The 120-gallon tank is used for the engine and the 80-gallon tank is for the ONAN generator.
 
The weight of fuel is approximately 7lbs and while weight is not usually an issue with the type of freight we haul it still helped to take weight off of the front axle.  We have had the truck on the road now for almost two months and we are not regretting this decision.
 
Our fuel stops are coordinated to when we are switching drivers or before the other goes to bed.  On our previous trucks our goal was to fuel when we switched drivers and that was typically around 600 miles.  Now though we tend to fuel once a day and our longest fuel up was 1222 miles.
 
The DD13 has 36702 miles and the average fuel mileage is 12.32.    Due to the type of freight we haul our loads are usually very light and the freight is always placed at the back of the freight box.   Our empty weight though is heavier then a tractor as we weigh in empty at 31,000 lbs. 

Comments (3)

Linda Caffee

Bob and Linda started their driver careers after their children left home for college in 2000. Bob started as a driver for a large motor carrier with Linda as a rider. They decided to enter the Expedite industry as team drivers in 2005 and purchased their first Freightliner. Both, Bob and Linda have had their Class A licenses since the early 80's starting out driving in the oil field and hauling grain as fill in drivers where Bob worked as a diesel mechanic. Linda worked at the local country courthouse in data processing.

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I have wondered about going on a tractor to a single large tank, like 200 gallons, to reduce the weight of the tank material, free up frame rail space for APU, reduce tank heating needs in the winter, and eliminate the fuel proportioning return valves which seem to never quite work right.

November 21, 2014 5:48:12 AM

It was sure a case of thinking outside of the box on this one and I know our truck dealer scratched his head a few times on this truck build!

November 18, 2014 6:27:29 AM

Fueling itself has gotten faster (unless you have an inconsiderate driver ahead of you) with pay and go. You don't need a 2400 mile range. In my operation weight matters, and I will often not fuel fully before picking up a load. I could live carrying less fuel too.

November 18, 2014 5:07:52 AM