the vehicle i normally drive has a target mpg of 10mpg…last year it was averaging 11mpg…they turned the limiters down to 52mph…this years latest figures show its still averaging 11mpg?..but i guess it makes them feel good?
xamtex:
the vehicle i normally drive has a target mpg of 10mpg…last year it was averaging 11mpg…they turned the limiters down to 52mph…this years latest figures show its still averaging 11mpg?..but i guess it makes them feel good?
52 MPH 
How embarassing for you, I can’t imagine what it must be like to drive that speed all day long ? When they first started limitting trucks in the UK it was at 60mph and that was stupid enough, then came the riddiculous 56 mph. My first truck here was limitted to 85 MPH 
My second was set at 75 mph and the one I have now is set at 66 mph which is a pain in the ■■■ to say the least,
We would never get anything done at 52 mph FFS.
Took an LDV van from Newcastle - West Thurrock ( Lakeside shopping centre ) then back (ok was full when left Newcastle well Brunswick ind est ) fuelled up when I arrived back home which was 70 lit 
forgot to take milage
animal:
Took an LDV van from Newcastle - West Thurrock ( Lakeside shopping centre ) then back (ok was full when left Newcastle well Brunswick ind est ) fuelled up when I arrived back home which was 70 lit
Its about 280 miles so I make it around 35mpg
No, I have plenty of other things to worry about like terry the tiger in india who needs £6 a month, what im having for dinner and does the fridge light stay on when the door is shut 
Lucy:
I’m looking into employed drivers’ attitudes to fuel efficiency for CM and could do with your help. Please vote above, and feel free to add your thoughts below. Why do you or don’t you care? Would anything make you change your mind?Please can we keep this just to employed drivers - we know owner drivers care because they have to pay for it, after all - and be aware that I may use what’s posted for publication.
Thankyou!
No longer in the industry but when I was I used to take pride in the fuel economy figures. Double digits for running at 44 tonne 50% loaded was the goal and usually achieved. At one point me and this guy did a trunk run to London from Hull. Identical wagons and loads. He would average 6MPG. I would average 9MPG and I only took 2-3 minutes longer to do the run.
One of my employers had an economical driving course as part of the weeks induction. I exceeded the target and only increased by 0.1MPG so it was quite good to vindicate what I had already been doing.
And driving economically doesn’t mean slow. Part of the course was you had to do a route and at the end, not only be more economical but reduce both the amount of gearchanges and the time it took to do it.
rorymotorbiker:
My company’s t/m told me I had the worst fuel consumption for the whole fleet
My logistics manager told me to get the trailer back as quickly as possible as there is always early delivery’s on them
Can’t do both can we?
Yes. On the course I did, not only were you required to improve economy but reduce journey time for the test route. Really easy to do when you think about it. Things such as timing it so you arrive at a roundabout when it is clear to go so you don’t need to stop. That is both more economical and quicker than belting up to it, coming to a halt and setting off from standstill.
Its all about thinking when you’re driving and planning instead of just reacting.
I drive my car the same way. I get nearly 60MPG in my Mondeo and have had as high as 70MPG. I drive at the speed limits and don’t hang about. One thing I will say which gives a hint as to how I do it is that I got 60,000 miles out of the last set of brake pads and they still had well over 1mm of material left when they were changed.
Always been economical and did SAFED as part of my DCPC (didn’t learn anything new). My son and I do Agri contracting through the summer and have a running comp to see who is most economical so I’ve carried that into my C+E driving.
As far as I can see companies may pay lipservice to fuel economy but its all about getting goods to the destination by a certain time so generally fuel economy is a very poor second consideration, and as far as I know none of the companies I’ve driven for has bothered to check driver’s fuel economy’ performance.
One thing that bugs me is that while I always fully fill the tank after a shift a lot of drivers can’t be *rsed and leave it well short.
just knock it into neutral on the down hills that saves plenty of fuel and solves the limiter problem, i know it is a professional drivers forum but ffs who the hell still does the police steering wheel shuffle just watch out because vosa might report you to that woman who will take your licence away for 1million years.
p.s. im allergic to horses so please can people leave theres at the thread door 
Observation, planning and timing, keep it moving and smooth.
i had 3 deliveries booked in in nottingham within a 15 minute time slot on friday!!. the day they bother about the job being done within a reasonable time frame will be the day i bother about fuel figures. there is absolutly no initiative to keep mpg down and to be honest as long as the job gets done they don’t give a [zb].
working for a ftse100 company
jonboy
I don’t care these days, as most of the trucks I do drive are auto, and are usually set up to achieve the best figures by the way they behave when I’m the pilot by block changing etc.
Also I take WN’s point that if the gaffer has a top of the range car, then he can’t care about consumption either.
Ken.
Quinny:
Also I take WN’s point that if the gaffer has a top of the range car, then he can’t care about consumption either.Ken.
Say you ran a fleet of trucks and where fairly successful do you not think you’re entitled to spend your on earnings as you see fit?
I dont see what make the bosses car has to do with him wanting his drivers to be fuel efficient to reduce his overheads.
I work for Maritime and yes we do get a fuel bonus but it’s laughable. I’m on the coscon contract and being ex coscon vehicles they’re not governed to 50-52 mph like the rest of the fleet mine does 55mph an Actros.Last 3 months fuel figures i was 7th out of 160+ plus vehicles in fxto so my question is does limiting vehicles to 50-52 work■■? 
I do care what my lorries are doing to the gallon out of pride more than anything 
But its impossible to get good fuel out of the 143 so not anymore,Having said that i still try and drive it efficiently,more so for looking after the old girl and not wanting to abuse it. 
yes,if i get it all year round its worth appx £1200[better in my pocket than theres],but do i think its fair/works, no i dont[and thats comming from a driver whos not missed one from a couple of months before last xmas],the systems not fair as the driver who goes up and down motoways is gar it,ours is on running in green,use of cruise,idling,its obvious hell get it,the bloke who does 3+ drops automatically gets it,the double decker driver automatically gets it[they gar it on d/deckers,3+ drops],the poor sole who goes out and does 2 drops round country lanes doesnt get it[hes no chance of getting enough cruise].the driver who then gets 2/3 out of 5 eventually thinks stuff them,doesnt bother,sits in laybys etc to get his money,ive no idea how you make a fair system but its not fair that some drivers are gar it just because when someone alloted the runs they got motorway work,3+ drops,d/decker,it would be very easy to say im alright jack,zb anyone else,but i know how id feel,react in there situation,and i believe the system in place is not fair.
it also doesnt work as you can be as fuel efficient as you like,but if someone pulls out on you and you have to brake harshly youve lost it,14 hrs 59 mins driving efficiently [saving company money] and in one minute youve lost it,whats your reaction,stuff this for a game of soldiers i get it another way.
the one that really stuck in my throat was on our canbus training we were told if we had to brake harshly we could then bring this to the attention of the person who does it and as long as your genuine[not up there every 2 mins they would pay bonus,you then see ops mamnager as bonus blokes not about and he says you should of been looking ahead of you and you wouldnt have needed to brake harshly,you say-if i wasnt looking ahead of me id of t-boned him,i cant drive expecting every one to drive out of a layby without indicating and straight in front of me,his reply-but everyone says that,my reply-how many times have i been in office,none,first time so id guess im fairly genuine,and again his/some of managments attitude means drivers say stuff you.the office bloke in background said you know the answer next time dont you,run in to the zb thing,hes pulled out so it wont go on your record as your fault,and by not braking hard youll not loose your bonus,he has a point 
and at the end of the day the little fuel you save in a day[company driver] is more than lost by the agency driver who doesnt get a bonus and leaves the motor ticking over for half hour whilst he has chin wag
afer working or a well known haulier in Norfolk who predominatly runs a fleet of baby actros… Mr “Director” wants a Fuel return of at least 8.5mpg over the course of the week. bearing in mind, most of the work they do they run at 44t all week, with the odd load which may only exceed 7t, it was bloody hard to achieve.
after going on a so called course on how to Merc, we was told to sit at 40mph and 50mph also using cruise control… and now the best bit… “using your exhaust break as your main break, and not foot break” anyone that drives a merc will know, that by doing this you need to be slowing do at least a mile before a roundbout, traffic lighs etc, thats without “BMW” cutting you up, closing the space some more.
so if anyone gets caught behind this known haulier, this be the reason why…
Hence to say ive now left
merc0447:
Quinny:
Also I take WN’s point that if the gaffer has a top of the range car, then he can’t care about consumption either.Ken.
Say you ran a fleet of trucks and where fairly successful do you not think you’re entitled to spend your on earnings as you see fit?
I dont see what make the bosses car has to do with him wanting his drivers to be fuel efficient to reduce his overheads.
Agree 100%.
Couldn’t care less about the fuel figures,never have done,never will.
Thetaff:
Couldn’t care less about the fuel figures,never have done,never will.
Just keep parking next to Welshboy and you’ll be OK for diesel