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Driver Advice • 4 min read

Fuel-saving tips for truck drivers

Created: 16. 08. 2024

Updated: 10. 10. 2024

Vehicle fuel economy is one of the most important aspects affecting the costs of transport companies. It’s vital to understand how to improve fuel efficiency, both as a manager and as a driver. At SNAP, we aim to provide professional support for everybody involved in freight – so we have prepared a list of tips that can help with fuel efficiency on the road.

Why is fuel economy so important?

To fully understand the importance of petrol fuel efficiency, it’s worth considering the role that fuel costs play in transport companies’ budgets. According to various reports, the cost of fuel can be responsible for between 25% and 35% of the spending of fleet operators. Using fuel-saving tips can considerably reduce costs, allowing for a major part of the budget to be freed up for other investments.

Another aspect of why it’s worth fuel consumption is ecology. Despite electric vehicles slowly taking hold in freight, most fleets still consist mostly of trucks equipped with regular combustion engines. With transport accounting for one-fifth of global pollution emissions, fuel-saving tips can help not only you and your company but also the planet as a whole.

Fuel-saving tips from SNAP for drivers in the UK and Europe

To help you combat rising costs and reduce pollution emissions, we’ve prepared a list of tips for achieving optimum fleet fuel efficiency. These are based on actual experience and recommendations from trusted industry partners – you can be sure that implementing our tips will have a major effect on your fuel economy.

1. Slow and steady wins the race

Even though it might be tempting to try getting to your destination as soon as possible, it’s important to consider speed limits while driving. The current limits have been in place since 2015, setting the maximum speed on single and dual carriageways to 50 and 60 mph, respectively, and 70 mph on motorways. Importantly, vehicles over 7.5 tonnes (with the weight calculated using both the car truck weight and the weight of the goods) have more restrictive speed limits, including 60 mph on motorways. It’s well documented that driving steadily and keeping under the limits helps with vehicle fuel economy – what’s more, it helps avoid speeding fines and sharply reduces accident risk.

2. Learn about fuel economy

To fully understand your driving style’s impact on transport costs, you need to know about the intricacies of fuel economy. MPG is the most common unit used to measure fleet fuel consumption. The calculation is fairly simple, but the units can be confusing, with most petrol stations across the UK and Europe selling fuel in litres. One UK gallon is equal to 4.546 litres. Most current vehicles provide MPG statistics on the go, so you can easily monitor your fuel usage while driving.

3. Brake less and drive at a steady pace

A calm driving style can do wonders for truck fuel economy. Use engine braking wherever you can, maintain a safe distance between you and the other cars, and most of all – use common sense on the road. Stay alert to quickly identify any situations that might require you to slow down and adjust the speed accordingly to keep safe and reduce fuel usage at the same time.

4. Drive on higher gears when possible

Another aspect that you need to consider is how the engine works – higher gears mean fewer revolutions per minute, resulting in less strain for the motor. Unless you’re going downhill or reducing the gear to overtake, try to stay in top gear whenever possible. This is one of the most important driving techniques to save fuel.

5. Take care of your truck

Look after your vehicle and it will look after you. Maintain your vehicle regularly, stay on top of oil levels and tyre pressure, and control the engine efficiency. These driving tips to save fuel can go a long way, and delay repairs and other maintenance work. An often overlooked aspect of fleet fuel economy is correctly inflated tyres, which can decrease fuel usage by as much as 2 per cent.

6. Plan your route and keep informed about road conditions

Planning your route in advance can help you avoid taking wrong turns and adding unnecessary miles to your trip. This is often done automatically by your satnav device, but you also need to stay informed about any potential detours and bad road conditions to further optimise your route.

7. Keep aerodynamics in mind

What’s often missed when giving tips for saving on fuel is the effect of air resistance on fuel usage. At higher speeds, even having your windows open can be detrimental to the gas economy. Aerodynamic losses can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20% – this point is definitely worth keeping in mind while driving.

8. Use the most fuel-efficient trucks

This tip is geared more towards fleet managers, but it’s smart to remember this as a driver, too. While it’s hard to pick out the single most economical truck, there’s definitely no shortage of fuel-efficient trucks on the market – especially among newer models. Trucks with good MPG are a vital asset to any transport company. While in some cases, the upfront cost of the best MPG trucks might be higher than an alternative that uses more fuel, the savings become evident over longer time periods.

9. Turn off your engine when idling

Especially when leaving the motorway and getting to your final destination, which might be in a city, you can often find yourself in a situation where you’re stopped in traffic, even for longer periods. In such cases, it’s worth turning off your engine for a while. Even the best fuel-efficient trucks still benefit from this – at the same time, you can reduce emissions and decrease noise levels.

10. Use trusted solutions to help you out on the road

Finding a parking spot or a good place to fill up your gas tank can add many unnecessary miles to your route. To speed up the process, you can use TMS (Transport Management System) software – the SNAP platform is available for both fleet operators and drivers. Available features include the SNAP Parking module which allows you to find truck stops and depot parking facilities - saving you time and fuel.

Summing up – drive steadily, consider the aerodynamics, use the right vehicle and leverage SNAP Account features

How do you achieve optimal vehicle fuel economy? There are many ways to decrease fuel usage – from keeping a calm and steady driving style, through using the most fuel-efficient trucks available, to taking care of aerodynamics and truck maintenance. You can also achieve great results by leveraging features available on the SNAP Account platform, such as SNAP Fuel and SNAP Parking.

Our solutions are currently helping over 185,000 drivers across all of Europe, helping more than 8,500 fleets save on fuel costs. Spending on fuel can account for 25–35% of a transport company’s expenses – apart from economic advantages, petrol efficiency is also vital for the planet as it helps reduce emissions.

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ponedeljek 02 december 2024 • Driver Advice

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DRIVER CPC CHANGES

Susie Jones

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sreda 18 september 2024 • Driver Advice

CLEAR VISION AHEAD: THE IMPORTANCE OF EYE CARE FOR TRUCK DRIVERS

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četrtek 29 avgust 2024 • Driver Advice

A TRUCK DRIVER’S GUIDE TO BUDGETING

Susie Jones

As a truck driver, you are used to travelling long distances and working anti-social hours which can often mean added expenses. But how do you save money as a truck driver? Tracking your expenses and managing your money can be difficult, but we’ve put together some handy tips to help you budget. Taking the time to prepare for the journey can save you money and give you peace of mind. • Supplies: Work out what items you will need to ensure you don’t have to fork out on expensive items whilst on the road. • Food: Preparing your food may be a simple trick but an effective one when it comes to saving the pennies. Eating out is often expensive and sometimes unhealthy, try making your meals in your cab. Having a microwave and fridge in your cab will make meal-prepping that much easier. Check out our tips for staying . • Journey planning: Planning the most efficient route can save you money on fuel and unexpected toll charges. Knowing where you will be stationed for the night and booking in advance can make your journey more cost-effective. Download our to find truck parking near your transit route. The hardest but the most effective tip. Create a monthly or weekly budget that you can stick to and keep track of your expenses. There are many ways to set out your budget, you could write your expenses in a monthly calendar, jot them down in a notebook, or use an app to assist you. has an extensive list of apps that can help. Investing in an inverter will give you the ability to run small appliances. Having a fridge to keep items fresh, an electric griddle for cooking, and a coffee machine to make your cup of joe just how you like it will stop you from spending a fortune. Say goodbye to expensive fast food and hello to home-cooked meals for half the price. A cost that you can’t avoid. However, there are many ways that you can save on it: • Tyre pressure: Underinflated tyres will reduce your fuel economy, so it’s important to regularly check them. • Reduce idling: Stop the engine if you know you’re going to be stationary for a while. An hour of idling can burn roughly a gallon of fuel. • Use cruise control: Cruise control can reduce unnecessary acceleration and deceleration. • Drive in a higher gear: This will maximise fuel efficiency as travelling at high speeds in lower gears can consume 45% more fuel. • Air conditioning: It can increase your fuel consumption by up to 0.4 miles per gallon. If possible, travel with the window open before resorting to air con. In addition to these tips, offers a sustainable, transparent pricing structure and discounted rates at our partner company, Certas Energy’s refuelling locations. Some employers will offer their drivers reward programmes to assist them with saving money. Items such as a discount on food, drink, showers, and cleaning facilities can all help with saving. Additionally, if you are a SNAP customer, we’re able to offer you food vouchers at participating truck stops. Whether it’s getting in touch with family via video call or streaming your favourite shows, having the option to hook up to the WiFi can save you a substantial amount. Solely using your phone’s data can get expensive and can leave you with an unexpectedly high bill. Most truck stops will offer WiFi for drivers, and you can always find out which truck stops offer this on our page. This is often down to the individual, as with any job you will have aspects you find difficult that others wouldn’t. Long hours, time spent away from loved ones, and a sedentary lifestyle can make the job tough. On top of this, you will have to deal with external difficulties such as road congestion, tight scheduling and sometimes working overtime. 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Overall, qualifying as a Class 1 HGV driver can set you back just under £2,000. However, it’s important to state that once you have obtained your licence, you will be on a decent salary, have job stability, get to travel and gain a sense of community within the trucking world. Budgeting as a truck driver can be challenging but is essential if you want to manage your finances. Keeping track of your expenses, setting a budget, and sticking to it will help you save money. The above tips will give you a great starting point in encouraging you to get into healthier financial habits. How do you save money when you’re out on the road? Share your tips and tricks with us at SNAP.