In this edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast, drop in with three operators for a panel discussion held at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month. The discussion was aimed at showing all the ways these three have done what once might have been unthinkable -- get to, and pass, the 10-miles-per-gallon mark in a Class 8 tractor-trailer hauling freight. 

They included a man longtime Overdrive readers will well be familiar with -- 2007 Overdrive Trucker of the Year Henry Albert, running independent and as a longtime participant in Freightliner’s Run Smart program real-world-testing new truck and diesel technologies built toward boosting efficiencies. Albert was joined by owner-operator Joel Morrow and driver Clark Reed, the latter also part of the longtime Freightliner initiative. The trio fielded questions from Mike Roeth, a leader with the North American Council for Freight Efficiency: http://nacfe.org 

(As Roeth notes in the podcast, Albert, Morrow and Reed were all part of NACFE's initial Run on Less campaign in 2017 -- find more about that and subsequent Run on Less efforts via https://runonless.com/ )

Questions centered on 10 different areas of fuel-economy improvement possibility, all to show how they add up to hitting that 10-mpg mark. Among what you'll hear about: Aerodynamics, of course, at which owner-operator Henry Albert has certainly excelled. Manufacturers' big strides in engine downspeeding, which yields maintenance dividends in the end for those persnickety emissions systems. Automated manual transmissions to help in the cruise RPM adjustments that come with significant downspeeding. 6x2 configurations, mechanical drag reduction generally, idling, speed, route planning, and much more. 

Think you can’t get there? Think again -- with the right practices, and the right equipment, as these and other operators have shown, it's certainly possible.

How owner-operator Steve Kron got there, for instance: in a 2001 International no less: https://www.overdriveonline.com/overdrive-extra/article/15295717/how-steve-kron-took-his-2001-international-above-10-mpg

Paths to 10-plus mpg in a Class 8 diesel tractor with aero, downspeeding, more

The Overdrive Radio podcast is produced by Overdrive magazine, the Voice of the American Trucker for 60-plus years. Host Todd Dills -- with a supporting cast among Overdrive editors, contributors and others -- presents owner-operator business leading lights, interviews with extraordinary independent truckers and small fleet owners, and plenty in the way of trucking business and regulatory news and views. Access an archive of all episodes of Overdrive Radio going back more than a decade via this link: http://overdriveonline.com/overdrive-radio