The battle to earn the CDL is over, but the fight to crown a fuel efficiency champion is just getting started. In CDL school, fuel efficiency was never discussed. It was safe operation of the truck all day, every day. While that’s still paramount once you’re licensed and on the open road, efficiency is the responsibility of the driver.
So, can the latest and greatest fuel-efficiency focused technology overcome experience? That’s what we put to the test when new CDL-holder and Fleet Equipment Content Director Jason Morgan gets behind the wheel of Purple Haze, a hyper fuel-efficient Volvo VNL spec’d by Joel Morrow, chief executive officer of Alpha Drivers Testing and Consulting. Joel is saddled with a mid-90s Volvo VN with a unique transmission and tasked with beating his own fuel-efficient spec.
Can a new truck driver, with relatively no miles under their belt, but armed with the latest trucking technology win in the end?
Click above to watch the latest episode of the Fuel Efficiency Faceoff: The New Driver challenge to see how it starts, and then stay tuned for next week to see how it ends.