The following article is so true when dealing with older established companies or the individuals that run them or are using the product to be replaced. Think about the situation you probally are in or have runned into tell if it isn't the same thing.
Is your truck to big for the job? It could be costly!
When I was a service manager of a heating installation company, I had a pickup truck for all of the hauling it was thought I would be doing. Well the reality is that I seldom hauled much of anything that weighed more than a couple hundred pounds. My Chevy 2500 had the mid size V8 and got around 10 MPG when I wasn’t in 4 wheel drive – or around 99.99% of the time. While the engine had plenty of power it was really much more truck then the job called for.
If you are like most companies and haul less than 1,000 lbs there are a number of trucks that will save you serious money. Trucks like the Ford Ranger that will haul 1,164 lbs which is probably more than most people really need.
Look at this cost of fuel comparison between a 2005 Ford F150 and a 2011 Ranger.
Cost to Drive 25 Miles
$6.77
$3.95
Fuel to Drive 25 Miles
1.79 gal
1.04 gal
Cost of a Fill-up
$88.69-$121.77
$57.99-$68.22
Miles on a Tank
328-450 miles
367-432 miles
Tank Size
26.0-35.7 gal
17.0-20.0 gal
Annual Fuel Cost*
$4,059
$2,371
Based on 45% highway, 55% city driving, 15000 annual miles and a fuel price of $ 3.79 per gallon . Use Your Gas Prices & Annual Miles
Images and information was taken from FuelEconomy.gov
Think you really need the full size truck?
Today companies are looking to save money on fuel, have the right vehicle for the job and help the environment. The new breed of pickups are sure fitting this bill with technology in the V6 engines that simply crush what we used to think was good performance. In 2000 the Chevy 1500 offered a V6 that was 180 HP which was an upgrade from the 120 HP 4 cylinder. Today there are V6 engines that have more power than most V8′s of the past while delivering twice the mileage.
New offerings from both Ford with their Eco Boost twin turbo V6 and the Chevy Silverado Hybrid are setting new standards of what we can expect a truck to do.
The Ford Eco Boost has a 3.5 liter V6 that makes 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque and will carry 1,760 pounds of payload in the “regular” version and over 3,000 pounds with the HD package. All while getting 19 MPG on 87 octane fuel.
Not to be outdone the new Chevy Silverado Hybrid features an electric/gas combo with 332 HP and 367 lb-ft of torque and will carry 1,553 lbs of cargo while getting over 20 mpg.
While I could go on about the features in both of these trucks – like electric steering, converting brake energy to battery power – let’s just say we are finally being offered real options on how we haul light loads.
By replacing our older vehicles with new technology and really sizing them to what we need we can dramatically reduce the amount of fuel we burn. Advanced Technology. Old-School Work Ethic.
