Mack Truck Gets Better Fuel Economy

Mike Geho, an owner-operator of a 1997 Mack CH613 truck and AMSOIL Dealer from Metz, West Virginia, says that he has always been looking for ways to operate his truck more efficiently. Geho, like most owner-operators, looks to get the lowest cost per mile when operating his truck, but he says that the best choices also offer long term benefits.

“Proper maintenance is essential to success in trucking,” Geho said. “Smart truck owners use the very best maintenance practices to protect their equipment. And considering which oil to use is often a very important decision.” Geho says that he prefers synthetics to conventional oils because of the many benefits such as a constant viscosity in high and low temperatures, low volatility and superior friction reduction for better fuel mileage.

But Geho believes that by-pass filtration combined with periodic oil analysis is an even greater way synthetics can save truckers money. “When I began investigating engine oils,” Geho said, “my main focus was on extended drains. I have been driving over the road for the last nine years, and the last six as an owner-operator. I understand how valuable time can be. Naturally, saving time by operating with extended drain intervals appealed to me.”

Geho took the time to compare many different diesel engine oils. He checked to see which could lower his cost per mile by increasing fuel economy and reducing time and money spent on maintenance and engine wear. After comparing many brands, Geho chose AMSOIL synthetic motor oil.

Geho has been using AMSOIL Series 3000 5W-30 Synthetic Diesel Engine Oil along with an AMSOIL Dual-Guard By-Pass Filtration System in his truck for three years. His truck had 176,000 miles on it when he began using synthetic oil. At that time he also installed his by-pass filtration unit.

“At the time I bought this truck,” Geho said, “the company I am leased to bought a number of identical trucks for their fleet. All of these trucks have been operating under the same conditions (environment, type of hauling, distances travelled) since that time. The trucks also have a dash-mounted digital display indicating lifetime average fuel economy. To date, my tractors average is 6.78 mpg and the company trucks range from 5.8 to 6.2 mpg. The difference between my 6.78 and the fleet average of 6.0 is over 11 percent. I attribute this significant savings to running AMSOIL motor oil in my truck, while the others in the company do not.”

Geho changes his full-flow and by-pass filters on a regular basis, and he also samples his oil at 20,000-mile intervals to monitor the oil’s condition. He started this maintenance practice at 176,000 miles and has not changed the oil in his engine since. His truck now has 412,000 miles on it, and 236,000 of those miles have been put on while running the original AMSOIL diesel engine oil. And Geho probably won’t be changing the oil soon, because a recent analysis report from Oil Analyzers INC. reports that the oil is suitable for continued use.

Geho wants other owner-operators to know that this type of maintenance practice has many benefits.“Most operators could experience savings of at least two cents per mile,” Geho said, “which would be $2000 to $5000 per year. That’s not including the savings in fuel and disposal costs of oil and filters. These are just some of the positive effects that using synthetics can have on the environment as well as your bottom line.”