Fleet managers from around the nation applied valuable fuel saving techniques to improve their mileage 33.6 percent to 40.5 percent during a "Fuel Economy Challenge" conducted by Isuzu Commercial Truck of America Inc.
The three-day event, which was a combination seminar and hands-on driving experience, was staged on a former runway at the El Toro Marine Air Base in California. Isuzu has conducted Fuel Economy Challenges around the world for several years. This is the first time the event has been held in America.
According to Mak Kawahara, ICTA’s president, "This event is an important part of Isuzu’s global commitment to meeting the needs of our customers and society through our "SEE" philosophy, which stands for Safety, Economy and Environment. A vital aspect of this approach involves reducing emissions and fuel consumption."
Areas covered in the seminar included vehicle running resistance, fuel-efficient driving techniques, exhaust brake usage, minimizing idle time, route scheduling and vehicle maintenance. After driving 2008 Isuzu trucks on a special course, the managers attended a training session and then drove the same course again, utilizing the techniques to reduce their fuel usage.
The 36 fleet managers attending the event represented fleets from diverse industries: truck leasing, landscaping, electrical contracting, plumbing, healthcare and food distribution.
Russell Cayse, Manager, Medium Duty Truck Acquisition for Enterprise Commercial Trucks, had attended a previous Isuzu Fuel Economy Challenge held in Japan. “I’m impressed that Isuzu has developed a program that provides fleets with benefits that aren’t necessarily related to sales,” he reported. “Enterprise is committed to reducing our environmental impact, and it’s encouraging to see our manufacturing partners sharing that commitment.”
Cayse added, “We invited some of our customers to attend this event because we knew they would learn some valuable fuel conservation techniques. With today’s high fuel prices, fleets are looking for opportunities to reduce costs. Our approach will be to help our customers train and motivate their drivers to conserve fuel with proper driving techniques.”
Other attendees also plan to start fuel economy programs based around training and incentives to motivate drivers. Victoria Dahlquist, Director of Fleet Operations for Valley Crest landscaping company, Calabasas, Calif., manages a fleet of 4,000 gas-powered vehicles operating in 21 states. "I personally improved my mileage by 35 percent at the Fuel Economy Challenge. We’re evaluating how we can implement Isuzu’s techniques on a system-wide basis. The savings could be very substantial."
Luis Ochoa, Vice President, DLC Resources in Phoenix improved his mileage 40 percent. He plans to develop a reward program with raffle prizes as incentives to motivate good driving habits. The largest commercial landscaping maintenance contractor in Arizona, DLC operates 160 vehicles and has an annual fuel bill exceeding $800,000. “We’re anticipating saving 10-20 percent at a minimum,” Ochoa said. “In addition, the same driving habits that save fuel also will help us extend our safe driving record which is currently over 2 million miles without an accident.”
Alan Cline, President/CEO of 1-800-Plumbing Inc. licenses the “1-800-PLUMBING” vanity phone number to independent local plumbers throughout North America. These firms utilize the phone number along with marketing and advertising tools to support their businesses. “Education is the key to what we do,” Cline said. “We plan to recommend that our contractors buy Isuzu trucks for their durability and then implement the fuel conservation techniques to minimize operating expenses.”
Isuzu low cab forward trucks are distributed through 205 Isuzu truck dealers and 350 GM W-Series dealers nationwide. Over 84 percent of all Isuzu-built trucks registered in the U.S. since 1984 are still on the road today.
For more information about Isuzu trucks and how to help your operation improve fuel economy, visit http://www.isuzucv.com or call toll-free (866) 441-9638.
