Good maintenance pays for itself

Keep your truck or bus in good mechanical condition to save on fuel and operating costs over the long term. As a bare minimum, check: 

  • air, fluid and exhaust systems are free of leaks 
  • fluid condition and levels, including engine and transmission 
  • brake condition 
  • tyre pressure, wheel and axle alignment. 

 
Checklist for buses(external link)  

Checklist for trucks(external link)

Heavy vehicle tyres designed and constructed specifically to reduce rolling resistance can improve fuel consumption by up to 3%.

Goodyear New Zealand | 2024

  • Check tyre pressure

    Save fuel and make your tyres last longer by keeping all tyres correctly inflated. A 10psi difference in an axle tyre’s pressure set can cause a 1–2% increase in fuel use. Ask your tyre provider about devices to help you maintain tyre pressure and choose the one that suits you. 

  • Check wheels are aligned

    Even a one-degree misalignment on an axle set could increase fuel use by 5% and reduce the life of the tyre by as much as 25%. Watch for signs such as wear on the tyre shoulder, or uneven wear over the tyre tread. 

Make sure the engine size is right for the job — every additional 5hp can increase fuel consumption by 2%.

New Zealand Transport Agency | 2024

Improve aerodynamics to save fuel

As heavy vehicles pick up speed, they need more energy to overcome drag. If your fleet includes heavy vehicles with average speeds over 70km/h, these measures could translate to fuel savings of up to 10%. 

  • Cover empty tipper trucks with a tarpaulin when on the road — 3% fuel savings. 
  • Place load close to the cab on flat deck trucks — 3% fuel savings. 
  • Mount a cab roof deflector so it passes over the front edge of the body or load. 
  • An adjustable deflector is best for trucks that carry loads of different heights or travel empty at times — 1.2-2.4% fuel savings. 
  • Use fairings to direct air away from the side gaps between cabs and trailers. 

Before you invest in modifying your vehicles, ask others in similar operations what worked for them. Run a trial with 4 vehicles — 2 fitted with aerodynamic features and 2 without — and measure the difference. Swap drivers to account for different driving styles. 

Reducing peak speed by just 8km/h saves 10–15% in fuel consumption. 

The future of trucks | OECD, 2017

Train staff to drive smarter

Improve efficiency in one day 

Drivers who are trained to drive efficiently not only save their businesses money, they’re safer and happier too. Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving New Zealand (SAFED NZ) is a comprehensive one-day driver training course for heavy vehicle drivers. You can train drivers in-house or use external driver trainers. 

Keep it smooth 

A heavy vehicle uses 20% less energy to move at 90km/h than 100km/h. Drivers save more fuel and emissions by maintaining an average speed, rather than speeding up and braking. 

Drivers often feel less tired and stressed when they reduce sudden stops and starts, and report shorter trip times. 

Improve your driving style(external link)

Stopped for 3 minutes? Switch off 

An idling diesel heavy vehicle uses 2 litres of fuel an hour. By turning off the vehicle, you can save up to 5% of your fuel bill — worth into the thousands of dollars a year. 

Modern diesel engines only need to idle while air pressure builds. It makes sense to leave the engine running for short stops, but if a driver expects to park for more than 3 minutes, just switch off. 

Fill up with biofuels 

Sustainably produced biofuels produce fewer net greenhouse gas emissions than diesel or petrol. 

All diesel vehicles can safely use B5, which has 5% biodiesel, and many can use a 7% blend (B7). Buses and trucks can use higher blends such as B20 and up to B100 (100% biodiesel), if some steps are followed. Check with your vehicle or engine manufacturer and with a knowledgeable specialist about the blend that's suitable for your vehicles. You may need a written contract with the supplier to show you understand what you’re buying. 

You can switch between biodiesel blends and regular diesel at any time — it’s no problem to mix them in your tank. 

Biofuel 

Shut cab windows on the motorway 

Opening cab windows at higher speeds causes drag that can increase fuel consumption by as much as 7%. Air conditioning has no significant impact on heavy vehicle fuel economy, so it’s the more efficient way to keep cool on the motorway.

Your journey to energy efficiency starts here

EECA, the organisation behind Gen Less, has a heavy freight pathway that provides free tailored tools and resources to businesses using heavy freight vehicles.

They also have an energy efficiency checklist to help you make small improvements to fuel efficiency, route changes, driver training, and maintenance. 

 

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