Heavy equipment and trucking trends typically center around one of two principals: abidance to safety regulations and cutting costs. Avoiding fines and penalties is the motivating factor behind abidance. Increasing net profit is the motivating factor behind lowering overhead costs.

Cost breakdowns of heavy equipment and trucking operating costs invariably produce the same data: fuel is the greatest expense.

So, invariably, technologies that reduce diesel fuel costs trend.

All Other Operational Costs Pale in Comparison to Fuel Costs

Over the lifetime of a truck or machine, driver costs per mile and operator wages per hour will be close to the cost of fuel, but operator and driver costs are typically 10 to 30 percent cheaper than fuel costs.

Very little can be done to curb the cost of the driver and operator-based costs. The market determines wages and benefits, as well as does the law. The cost of fuel is also beyond a proprietor or company’s control as well, but the fuel consumption rate is something individuals can control.

Trends for Controlling Diesel Fuel Consumption

Over the last half-decade, two fuel consumption trends have dominated the heavy equipment and trucking industries: technologies that monitor operator efficiency — idle time with the engine running — and technologies that increase engine combustion efficiency.

GPS and Engine Monitoring Technologies allow managers and supervisors to reduce the idle time which increases the production value of each gallon of diesel. By cutting idle times down from 30 percent to between 15 and 20 percent, a company can save up to 10 percent on diesel fuel costs.

But, cutting idle times requires detailed job planning, operator cooperation, and constant monitoring.

Another technology — fuel catalysts — require no monitoring, less foresight when planning a job, and zero operator cooperation and can save a minimum of 12 percent on fuel costs.

Industrial Technology: Heavy Equipment and Trucking Fuel Savings Devices

The major benefits of a fuel catalyst — in addition to the fact that no other technology can reduce fuel consumption to the same degree — is a Rentar requires no monitoring, no attention from an operator, and no special job planning.

Once placed on a fuel line, a Rentar can save up to 12 percent on fuel consumption and — depending on the machine and engine — savings can be almost twice that amount.