For people who operate heavy equipment, saving money on fuel is always a top priority. While trucks and other machines do critical work, they can be expensive and wasteful to operate; companies and operators alike have begun to turn their attention to fuel-saving devices and other ways to lower emissions and boost efficiency.

Fortunately, it is possible to promote fuel savings for heavy equipment, just so long as operators know how to approach it.

Fuel Savings for Heavy Equipment: 5 Tips

Heavy equipment is often used for everything from remodeling a home to clearing snow from a blocked roadway. These five smart tips can help promote fuel efficiency:

1. Limit Idle Times

During startup and shutdown, many operators let their equipment idle for several minutes; unfortunately, this is a primary cause of fuel waste. In recent years the engine mechanisms used in large equipment have advanced rapidly, allowing heavy machinery to warm up and cool down much faster. As a result, it is no longer necessary to idle engines for long periods. Limiting idle times can help reduce fuel consumption and slash environmental pollution at the same time.

2. Drive Slower

Driving heavy machinery at high speeds destroys fuel economy and can cause emissions to spike. To cut down on this situation, operators can regulate their driving speeds and take their time getting heavy equipment from one place to another.

3. Keep Tires in the Proper Pressure Range

Tire pressure has a large impact on fuel economy, and maintaining proper tire pressure is critical to maintaining efficient operation. For best results, operators should have tire pressure inspected on a regular basis and adjust them accordingly.

4. Implement Efficient Communication Between Teams

On busy job sites, one smart way to keep fuel economy at its peak is to ensure all heavy equipment teams are communicating effectively with one another. This helps prevent excess idling and can cut down on the total run time of each piece of machinery.

5. Shift at Lower RPM

Gearing up and throttling down at high RPMs can destroy fuel economy, so operators should always be careful to reduce RPMs before they shift.

Better Fuel Economy Starts Here

While there’s no way around the fact that heavy equipment uses a great deal of fuel, these smart tips can help create fuel savings for heavy equipment and make machine operation a more efficient experience. What’s more, they can also reduce overall dependence on fossil fuels and cut down on environmental pollution, which makes the world a nicer place to live for everyone.