In every industry there are leaders—people who continue to strive to be the best. During NACFE’s first Run on Less event, we were lucky enough to meet three of them:
- Henry Albert of Albert Transport, Inc.
- Joel Morrow of Ploger
- Clark Reed of Nussbaum
All three were active during the 2017 Run sharing their successes and their challenges. As you may recall, drivers had to contend with two hurricanes and other significant challenges during the first Run on Less. I remember when we had all the drivers together just prior to the Run’s finale. There was a camaraderie between the drivers as they shared tips and tricks to get as many miles from a gallon of diesel as they could.
Since the Run, all three have all been vocal via various social media outlets about what they are doing now to become even more fuel efficient. Obviously, these guys didn’t just focus on fuel economy for the Run; they are committed to burning less fuel every time they get behind the wheels of their trucks.
See also: Next Run on Less seeks more fleets
Since the Run, they have all gotten new tractors and are putting up record high fuel mileage with those tractors and doing so in all kinds of challenging conditions—heavy loads, driving at posted speed limits, multiple stops with up to 18 pick-ups and deliveries in a single day. Not to mention navigating road construction, dealing with backups due to accidents, and handling whatever weather conditions they find themselves in.
And not only are they focused on driving efficiently, but they also are doing their part to help other drivers improve their miles per gallon. They regularly post on social media, sharing what they have learned and answering questions from other drivers. We hear them on SiriusXM and see them at various industry events. It almost feels like they are on a mission to make every driver move their miles per gallon up regardless of what the driver’s current fuel efficiency is—6 MPG or 10 MPG.
I challenge every driver out there to follow Henry, Joel, and Clark to see what they are up to, to learn from them about how to improve fuel economy, and to ask questions about how they can improve. Or even share their own success stories. I suspect those guys love it when other drivers post high MPG numbers.
There is that old saying about a rising tide lifting all boats. I think of Henry, Joel, and Clark as that tide. And I, for one, plan to continue to follow them to see just how far they can push the fuel economy envelope. I hope you do too.
Michael Roeth has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for nearly 30 years, most recently as executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). He serves on the second National Academy of Sciences Committee on Technologies and Approaches for Reducing the Fuel Consumption of Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles and has held various positions in engineering, quality, sales, and plant management with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.
