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Old dogs new tricks
Page 9
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Barry Proctor has been on a Mercedes-Benz driving course and is convinced that even veteran drivers still have something to learn about saving fuel...
There's an old saying about teaching old dogs to suck eggs, or teaching your grandmother new tricks or something like that. I'm here to tell you its a load of old tripe. Everybody has a driver in their fleet who has been behind the wheel for 20 years or so and thinks there is nothing you can teach him about the haulage industry. But look at his fuel returns and you'll probably find that he's bumping along at about 7mpg and that's money wasted. Not just anyone's moneyit's your money and it's coming off your bottom line.
The reason for this ranting is because I went on a driving course the other day and it taught me a new way of looking at the world behind the wheel. Mercedes was my tutor at its Wentworth Park site near Barnsley, andlspent two days getting to know the ins and outs of its Actros tractor unit. I thought I knew this truck pretty well, but I was in for a surprise.
There's such a wealth of technology lurking beneath that three-pointed star it can call up your mpg, set the cruise control or the speed limiter, set your alarm for the morning and probably make your tea and toast, Even my drivers who have been on Actroses for up to nine months still don't know all their intricacies.
"I'm publishing my fuel figures so my drivers have something to beat Getting one over on the boss is a great motivator..."
One thing that surprised me was the way they were driven for optimum fuel returns: set the limiter at 52mph and you see a difference of around 2mpg. OK, you arrive at the destination five minutes later, but the fuel saving more than compensates for it.
People might point to the loss of your driver for two days while he is on the course. But assuming he's going to be driving the same truck for the next four or five years, you're going to get those lost hours back several times over.
Now l'm back at base I've decided to start courses here for my drivers based on what I've learnt. And as an incentive to do well I'm going to publish my fuel figures so they'll know what they have to beat. Getting one over on the boss has always been a great motivator.