North American Council for Freight Efficiency announces results

Feb. 24, 2012
Fleet fuel management efficiency study

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) used the occasion of the recent Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting in Tampa, FL, to announce the results from its first ever fleet fuel efficiency study.

A non-profit council, NACFE was created to drive the development and adoption of efficiency-enhancing, environmentally-beneficial and cost-effective technologies, services and methodologies in the North American freight industry by establishing and communicating credible and performance-based benefits.

This NACFE Fuel Efficiency Study was conducted with eight of the world’s largest fleets, representing 75,000 tractors and 130,000 trailers, “arguably the largest ever fleet fuel efficiency benchmarking study ever completed,” said Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE.

During the study, which was done from 2003 through 2010, the vehicles covered 3.1 billion miles and consumed 496 million gallons of fuel.

Successful application

The study highlights successful applications of new products and practices that provide fuel savings during real-world usage, Roeth explained. It analyzed the adoption of 60 known technologies and practices available to fleets during the study period.

Technology implementation experiences and best practices were identified and shared by these fleets in terms of how they manage their large fuel expenses and how they take advantage of opportunities to reduce them.

The study also offers insights for others considering the adoption of these products and practices, and gives feedback to manufacturers on customer requirements and expectations for future products, he added.

The report found that these fleets were saving on average $4,400 per year or $22,000 over five years in fuel expense.

Fleet participants

According to Mike O’Connell, national senior director fleet capability for Frito Lay - a supporter of NACFE and a participant in the fleet fuel efficiency study: “The economic value that this NACFE Fuel Efficiency Study represents to us is significant as it provides specific ideas for execution as we continue to lower our fuel costs.

“Environmental opportunities are equally exciting, and since our fleet is known for its environmental leadership, we look forward to receiving both economic and environmental benefits from this report.”

Steve Phillips, senior vp for operations at Werner Enterprises - also a NACFE and study participant, added: “This is a ground-breaking, first-ever report that is beneficial to all fleets, large and small, plus owner-operators interested in reducing their operating costs and lowering their risk of adopting new technologies.

“It also provides suppliers and support organizations with real world information garnered directly from those of us who purchase, operate and maintain all these products they produce.”

Unbiased approach

“Being a newly created non-profit, formed within the past two years, we are thrilled that our first major product is generating so much interest among the trucking industry,” said NACFE’s Roeth.

“Through our unbiased approach to aggregating information on fuel efficient technologies, we are adding direct value to the fleets’ bottom line and offering significant insights for suppliers and other organizations as they work in this field. We are receiving a number of accolades from the participating and other fleets wanting to join future studies to build on these findings.”

The study can be purchased as a package that includes the report for download, an online course that will help bring the findings to life, data sets on adoption and a question-and-answer session with the Study team in a small group webinar. It can found on the NACFE Academy website at http://academy.nacfe.org.

For more information, visit www.NACFE.org.

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