Improperly Inflated Truck Tires Can Negatively Affect Gas Mileage

Did you know that an under-inflated truck tire affect a truck's gas mileage

? It can - and drastically so. For a company operating a fleet of trucks, ensuring that tires are properly inflated can mean big savings on fuel costs each year. That is why regular tire maintenance is absolutely necessary to ensure optimal gas mileage of your fleet.

Under inflated tires with a reduced pressure of just one psi (pound per square inch) will decrease gas mileage by 0.4%. That means your company can save approximately $0.09 per gallon on fuel for each truck that has properly inflated tires. Thus, taking the time to ensure that your fleet's tire pressure is checked regularly can save your company a lot of money in the long run. The amount of money you can save each year depends, of course, on the number of trucks in your fleet.

Low tire pressure increases the risk of sidewall flexing, which causes heat to accumulate and tires to wear out quickly. Sidewall flexing increases rolling resistance, which increases a vehicle's fuel consumption. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 4.2 million gallons of fuel could be saved by truck companies each year if tire pressure was checked regularly.

Another way to save money on fuel is to keep loads as light as possible. Overloading of a commercial vehicle puts too much pressure on truck tires, causing increased friction, which increases the fuel that must be consumed to accelerate the truck. Therefore, your fleet will get better gas mileage if trucks are not overloaded.

Nearly 36% of the maintenance costs of truck companies is spent on tires. Routine inspection of your fleet's tire pressure can help to lower this cost. Unfortunately, tire pressure is an often-neglected step by maintenance teams who want to save time. However, this tedious process is absolutely necessary to save money on fuel.

Sunstate Equipment Co. offers tire maintenance, service and repair for all types of large trucks and heavy equipment in Arizona and Nevada. Sunstate's Tire Division offers total tire management services that will help you keep your fleet running at maximum capacity while minimizing your operation costs. Call 1-800-387-6078 to schedule an on-site fleet tire inspection - and start saving money on fuel costs. Need roadside assistance? Sunstate also provides onsite truck tire or equipment tire repair and replacement services to reduce downtime and get your trucks back on the road as soon as possible.

by: Kevin B. Harper

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