Choosing

lighter-weig

ht tractor and trai

ler components can reduce truck weight by thousands

of pounds. Red

ucing 3,000 pound s from a heavy truck c ould save b etween 200 an d 500 gall ons of fuel each y

ear, el imina ting f

rom 2 to 5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emission s annuall y.


## What is t he chall enge? Truck fuel consumption increases w ith the weight of the vehicle. Many truck components are t ypically made of heavi er material, suc h as steel. H eavier trucks re quire mo re fuel to accelera te and to cl imb hills, an d may reduce

the amount of cargo tha t can be carried.


## What is t he solut ion? Every 1 0 percent drop in truck wei ght reduces fuel use betwee n 5 and 10 percent. Generall y, an empty truck makes up a bout one-third of the total weight of the truc k. Using aluminu m, metal alloy s, metal matrix c

omposites, and other lightweight compon ents w here a ppropriate can red uce emp ty truck weight (know n as “tare weight”), improve fuel efficiency, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Most truck manufacturers offer lightweight trac

tor models that are 1,000 or more po unds lighter th an comparable models. Light er-weight models combine different w

eight-saving op tions that may incl ude:
! Cast aluminu m alloy wheels can save 4 0 pounds each for total savi ngs of 400 pounds
! Aluminum ax le hubs can save over 120 pounds compared to ductile iron or steel
! Centrifuse brak e drums can save nearly 100 poun ds compa red to sta ndar d bra ke drums
! Aluminum cl utch housing ca n save 50 pounds compared to iron cl utch housing
! Compos ite fr ont axle leaf spring s can save 70 p ound s co mpar

ed to stee l sp ring s
! Aluminum cab frames can save hundreds of pounds compared to standard ste el frames

! Downsiz ing to a small er, lighter-we ight engine can sa ve over 700 pounds

Truck trailers offer additi onal optio ns for weight savings. Li ghtweight compone nts that can red uce empty traile r weight by 2,000 pound s or more may include:
! Aluminum roof po sts can s ave approximatel y 75 poun ds
! Aluminum floor jo ists can sav e about 300 pounds
! Aluminum uprigh t posts can save approximatel y 600 pou nds
! Aluminum hub s and wh eels can save about 900 pounds
Lighter-weight

alternative materials ca n co st more. Acco rdin g to t ruck reta ile rs, l ighter-w eigh t tru ck tractor s cost a bout $ 2,0 00 more than comparable standa rd model s. Trai ler ma nufactur e rs report

a similarcost

premium. Therefore, use of lighter-w eight truckoptions i s more common in freight applicati ons thatare weight -sensit ive , li ke heavy-goods and refrigerated foods. However, vi rtually a ny truck fleet could employ weight s avin g strategi es.


## Th e re su lts a re in

. . . Trim ming 3,000 pound s from a heavy truck (about four percent of its l oaded wei ght) with l ighter-weight components coul d improve fuel economy by up to 3 percent and savebetween 200 and 500gal l ons of fuel each year. Savi ng this much fue l wo uld e limin ate betwe en 2 to 5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissionsper year. Trucks th at empl oy mor e wei ghtsaving options w

ould save more. In addi t ion, in weight-sens itive ap plications
, lightweight components can allow mor e carg o and incr eased pr oductivit y.



## Next st eps When specifying new trucks, tr ucking fleet s should consider the lightest-weight compon ents that will suit t he applicati on and w here appropria te, buy li ghter

weight versions of st a ndard truck models. One manufac tur er, for example, offers a day-cab tractor thatweighs2,100 pounds less than the base model. Another manufacturer offers a 1,200 p ou nd l ighter version of

a popular sleeper model , intended for dry and liq uid bul k h auler s as wel l as other w eight sensiti ve opera tions . Mos t truck ma nufactu re rs and deale rs can provide additional information on weightsaving opti ons.