Wind!!

[Curtisj28]

Ia-ne-mn-mo-sd areas are just shi#t this Time of year. Nobody I know can see. To get anything mpg wise with the wind and cold and switch to winter fuels. Accepting ideas tho lol.

[hhow55]

Just keep downshifting, till the boost stay's at about 10. Btw, a bunk heater is a good idea also.

[Curtisj28]

Have a bunk heater. And you would be downshifting till 25 mph. 6-7 axels 90-107k

[Chamberpains]

Ya, it was tough that 1 day. I faced that wind for about 500 miles straight once daylight broke. Every turn I took brought me right in to the wind. Every wind turbine was facing with me and every blade of grass, corn stalk and bush was leaned toward me non stop.

I contemplated tucking in behind a van trailer to break up the wind. But every single one of them were hammering 65 mph+. I couldn't and definitely didn't want to keep up with them. It was also snowing i35 in MN till about Mitchell SD. I keep a long following distance in rain and snow so it wasn't an option even if I found another slow roller like myself.

The most success I had was waiting for night when the winds calmed down.

I think I would've preferred to be heavy. Gravity and momentum would've help more on the down hills. Being light, the wind was able to over come my weight and force me to actually drive down hill.

[Rawze]

the colder the air, the more dense it is too. this drops fuel mileage dramatically all on its own if your truck is not very aerodynamic

[Volvo8873]

(10-14-2019 )Curtisj28 Wrote:  Ia-ne-mn-mo-sd areas are just shi#t this Time of year. Nobody I know can see. To get anything mpg wise with the wind and cold and switch to winter fuels. Accepting ideas tho lol.

Lets not forget WI also. More valleys and coulees in the western half to make a trucker cry! LOL!

[Chamberpains]

What is the temperature point at which the ECM has a hard time compensating for the air being too dense? At what cold temperature does fuel economy begins to suffer?

[Chamberpains]

Update -- On this trip from Greencastle Pennsylvania to Billings Montana then picked up grossing 78,000 in Lovell Wyoming and got to Cozad Nebraska, where I finally filled the tanks all the way up, I managed to squeak out 6.1 MPG pump to pump. I normally average above 7. Usually 7.0 to 7.5. so this was the lowest I've seen since I changed my driving habits a year and half ago. This all pulling 80k gross open air freight mainly in the N.E. region. If you're seeing any less than these numbers you have poor driving habits and or something wrong with the truck.

[Rawze]

(10-17-2019 )Chamberpains Wrote:  Update -- On this trip from Greencastle Pennsylvania to Billings Montana then picked up grossing 78,000 in Lovell Wyoming and got to Cozad Nebraska, where I finally filled the tanks all the way up, I managed to squeak out 6.1 MPG pump to pump. I normally average above 7. Usually 7.0 to 7.5. so this was the lowest I've seen since I changed my driving habits a year and half ago. This all pulling 80k gross open air freight mainly in the N.E. region. If you're seeing any less than these numbers you have poor driving habits and or something wrong with the truck.

We run 55-60~ish, dry/reefer, usually heavy, and we average between illinois and Wyoming a lifetime fuel mileage of 7.415 mpg when fuelling in Illinois, then again in Wyoming.

ref: "il_wy / avg.=7.415 / peak=8.367"

Going the other way though, even when heavy, we always make up for it. Lifetime shows 8.4 mpg going east from Wyoming towards Illinois/Indiana, and 8.6 going from Wyoming towards Missouri..

ref: "wy_in / avg.=8.435 / peak=9.184"

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Just putting this here for reference so that others can calculate how much more it costs them with an open air trailer (flat/step deck, etc) compared to a dry-van/reefer operations.

I would surely hope that whatever freight they are hauling has a higher rate to cover the extra fuel costs. if not, then they are loosing money after fuel and maint. comes out of that pay.