Producing Better Gas Mileage For Trucks

Of the 15.5 million trucks on the road in the United States in 2006, over two million were tractor trailers.  Tractor trailers are the primary means for the transportation of food and most other retail goods and have been for some time.  These class 8 trucks accounted for nearly 140 billion of the 432.9 billion miles that the transportation industry logged in that year.  This industry consumed nearly 54 billion gallons of fuel for business purposes that year alone.  These numbers are astonishing and nearly four years old, before fuel prices rose to such unprecedented highs.  With these high prices affecting the transportation industry in such a powerful way, finding ways to create better gas mileage for trucks has become more important than ever before to both truck drivers and trucking companies alike.  The use of synthetic oil in diesel engines is one considerable way to greatly increase fuel economy in these class 8 trucks.

Scientists have created a significant advance in both fuel economy and vehicle longevity in the production of synthetic oils.  Synthetic oils last longer and withstand the extreme temperatures and frictions experienced inside engines better than conventional, petroleum based oils.  This is because they are chemically engineered in a laboratory to have a uniform molecular structure, and conventional oil is refined from crude oil, a naturally unstable substance.  During the refining process, the oil molecules created are of different types and sizes and accompanied by other harmful byproducts.  These byproducts will burn off during thermal breakdown and build up inside engines over time, creating deposits on vital, moving engine parts, and clogging engine passageways.  Synthetic oil experiences far less thermal breakdown, and with it's many added detergents and additives, actually cleans internal engine parts rather than slowly destroying them over extended drain intervals.  The increased and sustained engine performance generated from synthetic oil explains how this substitution will better gas mileage for trucks in the transportation industry.

The diesel engines in class 8 trucks must handle some of the worst stress of any of the vehicles on the road.  This is because these trucks rarely stop moving.  The substitution of synthetic oil for conventional, petroleum based oils in these trucks protects their engines and lengthens their life significantly.  Conclusive tests show how synthetic oil can extend drain intervals and inevitably better gas mileage for trucks, as well.  In searching for this imperative evidence, researchers for AMSOIL conducted multiple tests comparing their 3000 Series Synthetic 5W30 Heavy Duty Series Diesel Oil with many conventional diesel engine oils, using the same conditions and applications.  These tests all concluded that their synthetic oils increased fuel economy in class 8 trucks by 8.2%.  That significant difference equates to nearly 200,000USD in savings per year across a fleet of 100 class 8 trucks.  It is clear that substituting synthetic oils for conventional, petroleum based oils can play an important role for the transportation industry in dealing with the exorbitant fuel prices of late.