Fuel savings vs equipment needs

[Humble2drive]

There seems to be differing opinions when it comes to cost vs benefit when adding certain items of equipment to a truck.

If the following items are optional, are they worth the cost?

Lift Gate: It would make me eligible for more runs; however, I have been warned that the xtra weight (800lbs?) would burn more fuel and offset the benefit.

Pallet jack: Again, more loads available, but doesn't it take up space and also add weight. Is floor space at a premium.

Dog: Eats, poops and keeps you from getting some loads. Guess I just answered that one. I'll get a dog calander.


Please give any opinions on these equipment options.

 

[wallytrucker1]

Depends where you work. At Landstar, liftgate,tag axle,pallet jk,blankets will all make you more $$$. Example"" After Katrina, the straight trk rate (w/liftgate) was 1100.. aday TO the trk.. I did 90 days, u do the math. Yes, unusual, but the better equipped u are, the better you will do. good luck

 

[ATeam]

It is very interesting, Humble2drive, to see you inject fuel economy into the traditional liftgate and pallet jack equipment cost/beneift question that rises from time to time here in the Open Forum. It is a sign of the times.

I don't recall anyone factoring in the extra weight of a lift gate as part of the cost/benefit tradeoff. 800 lbs on the tail end of the truck is not a big deal in most cases. But now with fuel at $4.00+, 800 lbs. is given some consideration.

I have never seen a chart that shows the impact additional weight would have on fuel economy. If such a chart is out there, it would be interesting to see.

Fuel at $4.00 a gallon is changing the economics and thinking of many expediters in ways fuel at $1.00 and $2.00 a gallon did not. Unpaid deadhead to a better express center is a different decision than it used to be; therefore, so is taking freight that goes to a slow area. Going home is more expensive than it used to be, which for some, may make the business less attractive than it once was.

Regarding the pallet jack and floor space, if pallets fill the truck, the pallet jack can usually be stored under one of them. You do not need extra floor space to store the entire pallet jack, juse enough to accomodate the wheels and handle that stick out beyond the pallet.

Crown is a pallet jack (hand pallet truck) manufacturer. They have a handy guide on their web site and an online brochure for spec'ing out a pallet jack. FedEx Custom Critical requires a narrow fork pallet jack. Narrow forks are needed to get through narrow doors in office buildings during inside deliveries and pickups.

 

[layoutshooter]

We will have a lift gate a pallet jack for as long as we are able to handle that kind of work. Those are tools that will make you money. They more than offsett the fuel costs. We have blankets, straps etc. Layoutshooter

 

[FIS53]

The fuel differencce for 800lbs is not there. I have found over 1000lbs for the fuel to be effected and usually it takes 1500lbs to notice. But that having been said in my search for another truck I've been politely told by the company that a tailgate lift will definitely earn the truck a lot more opportunities for loads... no ifs ands or buts. A pallet truck is of course another benefit in some deliveries so that is what I have to get as well.

So the basics of the business are... the more equipment you offer to handle a variety of loads, the more useful you are to the company and therefore to the customers. This translates into more opportunities for you to make money (which in these times you need every advantage you can get). So I'm off to mat-han, a company that sells pallet trucks and other goodies.

Rob

 

[greg334]

There is always a trade off in fuel economy and equipment in the truck.

Many don't think of it because the number are small (.01 to .1 MPG) but does add up in the long run.

It is like large fuel tanks, when filled they cost the truck mileage but when it reaches a point where the fuel has been consumed, the fuel mileage rises and when you fill up again, you don't notice the curve in fuel economy.

The balance of the weight of the truck on the axles can affect the mileage too. A life gate on the end may shift the weight to change the mileage, not just by adding weight.

800lbs is still a lot of weight, when you add this to the 20 to 50 blankets, the 20 straps, pallet jack and other assorted securment junk and moving stuff adds up.

Phil it has been thought of before and discusses off forum but because we are talking such small numbers, it was forgotten. I think the only one who would have a chart like the one you mention is the manufacture and I think that their days of real world testing with different types of equipment may be over with. Unless someone uses calibrated temperature compensated fuel flow meters, they will not have consistent results to produce an accurate chart. The above info I got was from DD.

 

[Broompilot]

[Pallet Jack: Would not do Expediting Without.

Time after Time called you have one (you know I do) Good other Truck in front of you does not, wana rent it to him. Do I have to answer?

Go to ABC Boston to Atlanta two pallets 600lbs total. 10 feet from inside door to dock, or get there and find out they have a pallet jack and I still get the extra just cause the broker did not ask or call ahead Atlanta arranged the load not Boston. Sometimes ya just gotta keep your mouth shut. And Smile all the way to Atlanta.

If thats cheating than color my spots. Cause I had the Pallet Jack and you did not.