Highly efficient new truck beats high fuel prices
Why drive an old truck when a new truck can make you more money? New equipment can be more profitable – especially when it is more fuel-efficient.
Eighteen-year Dart Transit Company contractor Larry Dupuy, a veteran truck driver with a 43-year career in trucking, gave the new Volvo 630 an  extended test under real world conditions. He hauled freight in Dart’s Eco Fleet, a dedicated fleet that specializes in moving heavy paper loads. During an 11-week period starting in mid-December, he drove 29,704 miles. Many of his loads grossed around 47,000 pounds in the box. Larry’s idling time was also high. Even under these difficult conditions, Dupuy averaged 6.8 mpg.
“If this truck were hauling Dart’s regular mix of freight, I think it would get 7½, maybe even 8 mpg,” Dupuy says. “At 16,980 pounds, this tractor is light. That saves you money on fuel on every load, including light ones.” By comparison, Dupuy averaged 5.7 mpg hauling the same freight with his old Freightliner. That’s an improvement of 1.1 mpg: same driver, same freight, different tractor. Of course, actual fuel economy will vary with the driver, load, weather, and road conditions, so no particular mpg performance is promised or guaranteed.
“This truck is really well set up to run down the road,” he says. The 12-speed automatic is velvety smooth without any of the surges or lurches that older automatics produced, and it earns its keep by holding the engine in its sweet spot where it gets its best fuel economy. That is one of the reasons why this Volvo is so fuel-efficient – it’s virtually impossible for the driver to make mistakes like over-revving the engine or picking the wrong gear.
From his perspective as a driver, Dupuy says that what really sets this truck apart from others is driver comfort. He pronounces the climate control system very good, without hot spots or cold spots anywhere in the cab. But more important, it has the smoothest and quietest ride that he has ever experienced in a big truck. “The ride and the cabin noise levels are as good or better than my 2003 Dodge pickup.” He hasn’t experienced that in a big truck before. Even the engine brake is quiet. “Sounds like a muffled air compressor,” Dupuy says.
Special economy features
- Volvo D11 engine
- Volvo I-Shift, a no-pedal fully automatic 12-speed transmission for maximum efficiency. Because the transmission has so many forward gears, it is able to keep the engine in its sweet spot for the best fuel economy.
- Volvo Engine Brake
- Aluminum wheels for appearance and weight savings.
- Super Single drive tires improve fuel economy with less rolling resistance, lower weight, and lower replacement cost.
- Webasto heater for winter comfort at minimal cost
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Low cost of ownership
At $1,995 per month, the Volvo 630 starts out hundreds of dollars less per month than a similar truck purchased off a dealer’s lot, making it a great buy. That payment drops to $1,895 after 24 months and to $1,795 after 48 months.
Since you expect a new truck payment to be larger than a used truck payment, it is surprising that the cost to own one of these Volvos works out to be less per month than a 5-7 year-old truck with a $995 per month payment. There are two reasons: fuel savings alone can make half of this new truck’s payment. And its budgeted maintenance costs are two cents less per mile. With 10,000 miles per month, that’s worth $200 a month for maintenance alone.
Improving fuel economy by 1 mpg takes care of a large part of the payment. For example, with the price of diesel fuel around $4.00 per gallon, if you run this truck 10,000 miles a month and improve your fuel economy by 1 mile per gallon, the savings is about 238 gallons or $950 per month (238 gallons x $4 = $952). Maintenance cost savings adds another $200 per month, comparing the budgeted cost of the 2011 Volvo to a 5-year-old tractor. Since it’s a new truck, it carries manufacturer warranties that cover most repair costs.
Why drive an old truck when a new truck can make you more money? Contact us today! |
