Getting the Most Out of Your Fuel

With ever rising fuel prices, being fuel efficient is becoming increasingly important for independent lorry drivers and businesses across the UK.

Many different factors can affect your fuel consumption. Factors such as:

• Condition, age and spec of your lorry
• Equipment and load that you are towing
• Traffic congestion
• Weather (fuel consumption can be up to 10% poorer in winter months than in summer)

By following these few helpful tips, you will be able to save money in the long term and make your fuel go further.

1.     Keep up to date on your MPG - make sure you keep up to date information on your trucks fuel consumption by recording your mileage and fuel use. This way you can pinpoint areas for improvement.

2.     Drive at an economical speed – fuel consumption is directly proportional to the speed of your truck. Reducing your average motorway speed by just 5mph can significantly reduce your fuel consumption

3.     Avoid unnecessary braking – by looking at what’s ahead, you can save fuel by avoiding hazards that may cause you to have to slow down. By braking unnecessarily, you waste energy due to losing momentum and you will be using extra fuel to get back up to speed.

4.     Turn your truck off when you are stationary – leaving your engine idling wastes fuel and increases engine wear. An idling truck can use up to 2 litres per hour so if you are stationary in a layby or stuck in traffic turn off your engine to save on fuel costs.

5.     Check your tyres are correctly inflated – under inflated tyres can significantly increase fuel consumption and decrease tyre life due to your truck having to cope with the extra drag. Keep your tyres inflated to the required PSI stated on your tyre wall. 

South Korea completed a deal with Abu Dhabi which allows them to develop oil fields in the United Arab Emirates. This includes stakes for one billion barrels and they should secure the energy reserves while the oil price is increasing. South Korea is reliant on oil imports which they tried to decrease in the last few years. The actual deal will be finalised next year and should raise the amount of South Korean owned oil imports to 15% of consumption. Part of the deal is also to allow the storage of six million litres of Abu Dhabi crude oil in Korean storage facilities for free.

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