Report of St. Louis Truck Fuel Economy Demonstration

<div class="htmlview paragraph">The Regular Common Carrier Conference (RCCC) representing the trucking industry and its suppliers in cooperation with and with the assistance of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the U.S. Department of Transportation conducted a demonstration of the use of a test procedure recently adopted by the RCCC and the SAE. The procedure known as “Short Term In-Service Vehicle Fuel Consumption Test Procedure-Type I” is designed to evaluate “add-on” type fuel saving devices on trucks used in the evaluation. Operational techniques of a truck operator may also be evaluated by the Type I procedure.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The demonstration was a major cooperative undertaking of the trucking industry and its suppliers. Nine for-hire motor carriers, five private motor carriers and six leasing firms furnished 26 pairs of trucks, which collectively covered more than 12,500 miles during the two-day evaluation program. Fuel saving devices used came from 15 manufacturers plus a special lubricant furnished by a major oil company.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Supervision and administration of the demonstration was done by a committee of the Regular Common Carrier Conference which was aided at the site by additional volunteers from both private and for-hire motor carriers, truck manufacturers, engine manufacturers, technical representatives of government agencies, university faculty members, and members of the trade press.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The major program objective was to demonstrate the practical use of the test procedure as an effective yet simple method for evaluating in their owner operations those fuel efficient devices being offered for sale to motor carriers.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The Type I test method is capable of very accurate measurement of fuel use when procedures are followed. Some of the devices tested experienced operational difficulties, causing rejection of their results in the tabulations which follow. Though the Test Committee recommends some minor changes in the data collection forms used in the procedure, the operational factors were entirely validated.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">Had time permitted, the Test Committee is entirely confident that the operational difficulties experienced in the testing of the devices where the data had to be rejected could have been corrected by a repeat test. The Committee feels that the procedure and the method of data recording provides certain internal controls which were also demonstrated by the fact that questionable data could be identified for rejection. Many of the rejections were attributed to the fast pace of the two-day demonstration, rather than to any shortcoming of the Type I procedure itself.</div> <div class="htmlview paragraph">The time, effort and money spent in the planning, conduct, and publicity given to the demonstration showed the very real concern of the trucking industry and its suppliers for the need to operate trucks on the highways in a manner which will conserve the nation's fuel supplies.</div>