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Chamberpains

There is also a key to coasting. Coasting down a hill is free momentum. You're using gravity to gain speed and distance. You then have to figure out how to use that momentum to get over the next uphill obstacle without burning a lot of fuel. Smashing your foot to the floor as you are presented with an uphill challenge will waste all that free momentum savings. Instead try to use a quarter of your fuel pedal and downshift to Crest your next obstacle at a slower speed then regaining your road speed back when the downhill comes back again. It's a constant judgement call as to how much fuel you need to use to get over the hill and continue a decent rate of travel. But your ultimate goal is to use as little fuel pedal as possible to get over every single Hill. Every little bit helps and goes a long way in the end.

flatbed94kid

Especially if you dont have any fuel discounts or you are paying your own ifta.

Waterloo

(01-10-2019 )flatbed94kid Wrote: Especially if you dont have any fuel discounts or you are paying your own ifta.

IFTA? How much are they whacking you for? May be time to start recording your own numbers... I do, my quarterlies are always under $20, yours should be a little more, but under $100 would be my best guess. Keep track of every mile, when you end the week at say 567,089 on your ODO, start the following week with that number, never record a different number, keep them consecutive!

Record the miles driven in each state and write it all down. I keep a 6x9 spiral notebook on the dash to do just that, write the mileage down when I cross a state line. Record on weekly trip sheet. Filing is easy that way and you get the correct amounts owed or rebated, and if ever audited, pull up your weekly trip sheets. Many of these carriers do not know how to record these numbers and wind up with breaks in mileage, then the fed whacks you for the maximum allowed in regards to payment, normally around $650 from my experience. And that is a quarter. That is theft if you are only a one man trucking outfit.

flatbed94kid

(01-10-2019 )Waterloo Wrote:
(01-10-2019 )flatbed94kid Wrote: Especially if you dont have any fuel discounts or you are paying your own ifta.

IFTA? How much are they whacking you for? May be time to start recording your own numbers... I do, my quarterlies are always under $20, yours should be a little more, but under $100 would be my best guess. Keep track of every mile, when you end the week at say 567,089 on your ODO, start the following week with that number, never record a different number, keep them consecutive!

Record the miles driven in each state and write it all down. I keep a 6x9 spiral notebook on the dash to do just that, write the mileage down when I cross a state line. Record on weekly trip sheet. Filing is easy that way and you get the correct amounts owed or rebated, and if ever audited, pull up your weekly trip sheets. Many of these carriers do not know how to record these numbers and wind up with breaks in mileage, then the fed whacks you for the maximum allowed in regards to payment, normally around $650 from my experience. And that is a quarter. That is theft if you are only a one man trucking outfit.

We pay our own. Since April last year I paid $468 It looks like it ranges to between 20 to my highest was 137 on a monthly basis. Kentucky is a expensive one. As well as Indiana and PA is probably the highest state of all.But They do the calculations. Just using the elogs as it auto tracks you once you cross state lines so you don't have to think about it just log on to your elogs and all the data is there for miles. But I don't have access to that only the carrier. As far as gallons burned I would think you look up your transaction history per month or quarter and in every state you fueled find the gallons purchased and so forth and just divide it by miles to get your mpg. So having high mpg will save you lots not just on per gallon but your ifta. Like every time your in Oregon and you burn a gallon, I believe that is another .20 you owe and they don't give you anything for buying their fuel. I will post last years taxes costs.

flatbed94kid

flatbed94kid

Lonestar10

coasting is fine with an auto actually the new DT12 and whatever eatons throwing behind the cummins are both designed with a sensor that detects downgrades and will automatically put the transmission into neutral if it doesn't need to slow down once the sensor starts detecting the end of the hill or the truck is asked to slow down it will reenter the appropriate gear. they are literally being designed to run how rawze drives with as much OOG time as possible and skip gears when appropriate to maximize fuel economy.

all in all the newest best thing they've done with autos is adding "creep" mode to reverse so you don't have to hit the throttle to start engaging the clutch and jerking the damn thing around all over the place while backing. cant tell you in my first automated truck a 2011 prostar my first trip out solo went to chicago to DHL at O'haire and i swear to god i bounced off their dock like 6 times with the old school automated reverse.

flatbed94kid

Yes, they are getting better. Maybe better then most guys. But for the guys who are precise and dont use cruise and dont keep a constant speed idk. Idk if skipping gears is really the best but they are great things. It's not all about how fast you go, I take my sweet a### time in my auto. It shifts like a granny because I ease real easy into the throttle and I can only do what it will do. I will be empty in my flatbed and other people loaded and they will pass me by. I just keep my 2 hands on the wheel and use my foot and try to take it easy on my motor. It could skip gears if I floored it but I dont want to hurt the thing. I just think like well, I wonder if they can add things to a manual Transmission to make it even better then an auto. But either way, I havent heard of how the dd12 transmission is holding up for longevity and its cost of ownership vs a good driver. But in my opinion the 10 speed smart shift is nothing compared to a good driver as well as its cost or ownership.
Pros and cons to each, pluses and minuses. To me, It's all about saving money really in the end no just being cool shifting like a supertrucker.

Lonestar10

one of our drivers has a new freightshaker with DD15 and DT12 in a midroof with some frame stretch runs 65-75 depending on time needed for loads his average on winter fuel right now is 7.5mpg not babying it cant imagine how much better it would do unchoked and properly tuned