no doubt. work has a lot to do with it. with blocks and bricks we tend to be fully loaded or empty. my boss has several trucks on similar work but out of different depots. our depot in the south east has the worst links to major roads and is a real fuel burner. other depots nearer the m23 and such like get figures in the 8’s we get figures in the 6’s. i do nights out though and as such do only a minimal amount of empty running. my figures are now more often in the low to middle 6’s as opposed to the low 5’s when i first started for him 
Many thanks for the pointers theres a lot to chew on for sure,I never thought to use the semi-auto function and i have dropped the speed to 50 on motorways below it’s 52 governer so maybe this will reap dividends.It never ceases to amaze me that you can join a firm with a completely different vehicle and without any input from the dealership,just be given the keys and be expected to deliver instant results without any grounding in the new trucks idiosyncracies.
I myself have just returned to full-time box work after a sporadic period of euro groupage work,hammering scanias up the Alps hither and yon so I guess my driving still suffers from this mind set and the new fuel austerity reflects this all too starkly.I would jump at the chance for a days training with a daf instructor emminently sensible idea.
Thanks again chaps.
One last thing,I tend to use the cruise control as opposed to the gas pedal on longer runs,is this inherently a more fuel efficent approach?.I know it’s sometimes risky but i wonder if it uses less fuel than the pedal method.The point about the retarder using more fuel was told to me by one of the daf techs and I utilised it regularly in the early days,so whats the way to go when say hitting that downhill stretch at winchester on the m3 with a full load of recycled?.that tiny peddle where the clutch should be seems pointless.?Is it really a question of the choice between saving brake linings or conserving fuel,safety of course being the elephant in the room here?
i have always been taught that the cc is the most efficient way of driving the truck… i now realise that this is not always the case. one of the guys at work gets very good figures because as he puts it he “drives the truck”. cruise is ok on a relatively flat road. but if the surface undulates a bit cruise can actually eat into your fuel figures quite badly and often its better to lay of the throttle and slightly coast up these slopes then use the trucks weight to accelerate you down the hill. you then get say 1/4 of a mile of maybe 15-17 mpg and perhaps half a mile of zero fuel being used. wereas the cruise would of accelerated you up the slope and well over the crest of the hill at maybe 4 mpg.
i found it very distracting learning to put it all into practice as i was always glancing at the dashboard. and initially i thought it very unsafe. im getting used to it know and am starting to get the “feel” of fuel efficient driving. although i do sometimes wish i could just leave it in cruise and chill out a bit 
manalishi:
One last thing,I tend to use the cruise control as opposed to the gas pedal on longer runs,is this inherently a more fuel efficent approach?.I know it’s sometimes risky but i wonder if it uses less fuel than the pedal method.The point about the retarder using more fuel was told to me by one of the daf techs and I utilised it regularly in the early days,so whats the way to go when say hitting that downhill stretch at winchester on the m3 with a full load of recycled?.that tiny peddle where the clutch should be seems pointless.?Is it really a question of the choice between saving brake linings or conserving fuel,safety of course being the elephant in the room here?
Well i do use cruise to maintain a constant speed below normal limited 55, at the moment i’m experimenting on different techniques to get my fuel figures better…no company input at all they haven’t said a word this is for me only, often seeing mid to late 9s now instead of mid 7’s to 8 running at just under 44t out and usually empty return mixed routes, obviously some runs with uphill gradients from every roundabout and junction on the loaded out trip drop those figures considerably.
Once i’m off level main road running i turn cruise off, and 90% of the time i’m in manual, yes even ZF’s version of satans autobox… 
Then use the road sensibly, if appraoching a hill i get it up to full pelt to let momentum take it up, i can also decide if and when its going to change down or cut power as i near the peak, CC will immediately apply full throttle and an early downchange but it can’t read read the road where you can.
I let it overspeed slightly downhill whilst not letting it go fast enough to trigger overspeed, i switch exhaust brake off as soon as the speed stabilizes at around 58 as the road levels and let it coast for as long as possible till my normal cruising speed resumes.
As said above, looking as far ahead as possible and coast as much as possible does make a huge difference.
Even with the ZF auto learning to drive it in manual reaps benefits, you can cut your overall RPM by a good precentage.
Keeping my present vehicle to between 900 and 1300 rpm has seen better smoother progress and far better economy than letting the auto do its thing which often sees it up to 1700 rpm before an upchange.
In heavy traffic i let auto do its thing, the ZF box doesn’t respond as accurately or as instantly to manual input as the Scania box does in MH, but then maybe there’s an option i haven’t found yet…for example Scania is M proves far slower gearchanges than in MH, i have no idea if the ZF autobox has any similar quirks.
Funny thing is it doesn’t seem to matter how many years you’ve been driving, each and every vehicle has its own peaks and lows, it takes a good while to get the best from a new vehicle.
Just a quick interjection on night heaters, at full pelt they’ll use around 1 litre every 3 hours, and a bit less when the thermostat is set to a comfortable level.