As diesel prices continue to hover near $4 a gallon, it’s more important than ever for fleets to get the most out of every last drop of fuel purchased at the lowest possible cost. Many methods are available to keep fuel costs to a minimum — some obvious, some not so much. Although most fleets are pursuing some fuel-saving strategies, few would score 100 percent for using every practical method.

Truck and engine manufacturers continue to innovate in the improvement of fuel economy, but the low-hanging fruit in this realm is long gone. Any gains at the factory level will only amount to fractions of a percent, so beyond a bit of guidance in proper spec’ing, most of the burden of improving fuel economy rests on fleet managers’ shoulders.