Fuel efficiency is on everyone’s mind since diesel and gas prices have remained relatively high over the last few months with no signs of significant dips ahead. Truckers have several tips and tricks for keeping your mileage low. Here are a few ways you can save fuel on the road:

• Observe the speed limit and use cruise control. Speeding is one of the main culprits to poor fuel mileage. For every mph over 50, you will decrease your mileage by 0.1 mile per gallon. Sudden acceleration and deceleration will also decrease fuel economy. As often as you can, put on the cruise control and keep a steady speed.

• Keep truck accessories to a minimum. You don’t want to add any more weight than necessary. Chrome and other accessories will only increase the burden on the truck’s engine.

• When starting out from a stop, short-shift in the low-range gears between 1,100 and 1,200 rpm. Watch your boost gauge and keep it steady.

• Perform routine maintenance on your truck as often as possible. This is another major culprit that will keep your fuel economy low. Check tire pressure often, replace fuel and air filters, and use a quality synthetic when changing engine, transmission, and axle oil.

• Use a good GPS. GPS systems can now reroute you around traffic and detours to find the safest, quickest way possible to your destination. Often you can avoid hours of traffic with a better route. And you won’t spend precious minutes driving around if you get lost.

• Avoid idling. Take a few minutes to warm up your truck and then get going. Minutes idling will add up to lots of fuel cents burned.

• The amount of air under your truck can decrease fuel mileage. There are special designed pieces you can place under your truck as well as on the roof of it in order to cut the amount of resistance you are driving against.

• Consider buying a lighter truck. If you haven’t purchased your truck yet, always consider a semi that isn’t loaded down with extra parts and accessories. Every extra pound will impact your fuel economy.

Obviously, any way you can lighten the load or the stress on your truck can result in less fuel usage. What special steps do you take to reduce your fuel consumption? Have you heard of any new ways to save fuel costs you can share?

The trucking industry ended on a positive note in 2012, with an increase in trucking volumes.

The American Trucking Association said truck tonnage in December was 121.6, an increase of 2.8 percent from the previous month, following a 3.9 percent gain in November.

This was the first monthly gain for the seasonally-adjusted (SA) truck tonnage since January and stopped three months of declines representing a cumulative drop of 4.6 percent. The ATA also noted that consecutive increases in November and December “were by far the best gains of 2012,” which bodes well for 2013.

For the calendar year 2012, SA tonnage was up 2.3 percent, following a 5.8 percent gain in 2011.

Overall, the trucking industry experienced a strong resurgence in 2012.

Many truckers, as well as trucking companies, made it through tough times by being well-capitalized, organized, and well-operated.

Another bright spot of 2012 was the transportation bill. In July, Congress approved legislation that combined a two-year transportation measure with bills to extend subsidized student loans and revamp federal flood insurance.

Taxpayers for Common Sense said that the bill extends federal highway, rail and transit programs for 27 months, authorizing $120 billion in spending, financed by the existing 18.4 cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and the 24.4 cents-per-gallon diesel tax, as well as about $19 billion in transfers from the Treasury.

The bill retained a controversial requirement for electronic onboard recorders to track driver hours of service, which is something the FMCSA is currently working on.

Another big piece of legislation passed in December was the Military Commercial Drivers’ License Act of 2012, which makes it easier for service men and women to obtain a CDL. Nearly everyone in the trucking industry, including motor carriers and drivers, came together to support this act.

2012 also saw the cell phone restriction law come into full effect. Under the final rule posted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the organization that regulates the trucking industry, interstate truck and bus drivers are prohibited from using handheld cell phones on the road.

Drivers will face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualification for multiple offenses. States may suspend a driver’s commercial license for multiple convictions of state or local cell phone violations.Companies that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a maximum penalty of $11,000.

According to an article on TruckingInfo.com, FMCSA said research shows that using a handheld cell phone while driving requires a commercial driver to take several risky steps beyond what is required for using a hands-free phone, such as reaching for the phone. Drivers reaching for an object are three times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event, the data shows. Dialing a cell phone increases the risk to six times.

How did your 2012 compare to the overall national results? Are you optimistic about 2013? How do you feel about the ban and penalties for hand held cell phones? Let us know!

Fuel cost is one of the most significant expenses transport companies must pay, which is why mpg tips and fuel efficiency are so important. Every owner operator driver should understand and implement the various ways to save fuel and cut back on gasoline expenses. Here are eight ways to improve your mpg.

Keep your speed near 55 to 60 mph whenever possible. This is the ideal speed for the best fuel efficiency. For every mile per hour you travel above about 60 mph, your fuel economy decreases by 0.1 mpg. That means if you drive 65 mph for 100,000 miles, and gasoline costs $2.50, you end up paying $2,000 more than if you were to drive 55 mph.

Shift within the range of your engine’s “sweet spot.” Try to shift at times that deliver a smooth ride, which will help you identify the “sweet spot.” This is important because if you shift too early, you don’t take advantage of the torque. Shifting too late forces the rpm’s to climb, which wastes fuel and puts extra stress on the engine. Try to drive 90% of your trip in the highest gear to optimize fuel efficiency.

Don’t idle the engine. An idling engine delivers 0 mpg! Excessive idling does not improve your mpg and can actually shorten the life of the engine by 20%. If you know you are going to be away from your truck for more than 5 minutes, turn off the engine to conserve fuel.

Use the cruise control. This feature reduces fatigue, because using the cruise control lets you stretch and shift around in your seat. It’s also a great way for owner operator drivers to increase fuel efficiency. The electronic system senses the need for speed corrections better than you do and makes minor adjustments that conserve fuel.

Drive smoothly. Hard breaking or strong acceleration wastes fuel and forces the engine to work harder. Both circumstances will end up costing you more money in the long run.

Eliminate out-of-route miles. Your goal should be to drive less than 10% out-of-route miles for every delivery, since these miles off your route consume fuel.

Keep your tires inflated. When your tires are inflated properly you improve your mpg. On the other hand, for every 10 psi of under-inflation, fuel efficiency is decreased by 1%.

Have your rig aerodynamically treated. Aerodynamic upgrades are significant for improving fuel economy when you travel above 50 mph. For example, when traveling at 65 mph, aerodynamics decreases the required horsepower of your truck’s engine by 30 to 35, thus saving fuel.

To learn more mpg tips, or for more information about becoming an owner operator driver with Greatwide, be sure to connect with us on LinkedIn. Then, see what truckers are discussing on Facebook and Twitter.

If you have any other great tips on how to improve gas mileage, please let us know in the comments below!