Sustainability at Scale: SkyBitz customers Save 61 Million Gallons of Diesel Annually
By Carolina Ruiz • Published March 23, 2022 • 5 minute read
Studies show motor carriers that use trailer and cargo monitoring systems can significantly reduce fuel consumption. This not only preserves the environment but also saves truckloads of money with average diesel prices near $5.00 per gallon. In the process, fleets conserve an even more valuable resource — drivers’ time.
The average trucker emits 223 tons of carbon
Medium and heavy-duty trucks are responsible for 23% of total greenhouse gas emissions from all vehicles, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Every year, the average trucker drives about 120,000 miles and each truck emits 223 tons of carbon dioxide. To put that in context, the volume of one ton of carbon is equivalent to a small house.
Fleets that participate in the EPA SmartWay program voluntarily share results for strategies that work for reducing carbon footprints. Those strategies fall into three categories:
● Switching to alternative fuels or alternative energy sources. Most trucks on the highways still use diesel fuel, but alternative fuels such as natural gas and renewable diesel have significantly less carbon and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
● Improving fuel efficiency. Fleets are using new vehicle designs and powertrains to conserve fuel as well as advanced technologies to monitor equipment and driver performance.
● Improving operating practices. Fleets are using technology to increase fuel efficiency by optimizing routes to reduce mileage. Trailer tracking systems can reduce mileage and fuel by giving dispatchers and drivers precise location and status information of assets before they arrive to pick up loaded or unloaded assets.
With SkyBitz, trucks drive 75 fewer miles each month to locate trailers
Motor carriers that use trailer telematics solutions from SkyBitz operate approximately 200,000 trucks and collectively track more than 600,000 trailers and intermodal containers.
The fuel-saving benefits of the technology come from instantly locating trailers and knowing in advance before fleets dispatch drivers, which assets are available and ready to be picked up.
Analysis of customer data by SkyBitz shows that fleets average 75 fewer miles driven per truck each month to locate trailers. By using trailer telematics, SkyBitz customers significantly reduce the number of “misses” where they assign trailers to drivers, only to find out when drivers arrive that assigned trailers are not completely loaded, unloaded or road-ready.
Scenarios where drivers “miss” assigned trailers waste time and cause drivers to go longer distances to find suitable trailers.
Customer data shows that using SkyBitz technology eliminates two misses per month per trailer, and each time saves 30 miles, on average. Across the customer base, the improved efficiencies and increased productivity from using trailer telematics result in 396 million fewer miles and 61 million fewer gallons of diesel fuel used annually.
Get more with image technology
Besides saving time and fuel by reducing trailer misses, trailer telematics help fleets increase revenue and decrease costs. The technology automates “yard checks” for trailers at each location and reports idle times and other key metrics that help managers identify unused or underutilized assets to put back into circulation.
Fleets also use trailer telematics data to analyze lane volumes, freight patterns, and trailer pools at each location to reassign trailers to locations where they are needed more to maximize utilization and capacity.
Smart cameras for trailers are a recent development that can further increase revenue and maximize fuel savings.
SkyBitz SkyCamera, powered by Compology, installs quickly at the roadside rear of a trailer. It scans the full length of the floor and reports trailer fullness in terms of the percentage of the cube and floor space utilized.
The SkyCamera information and supporting images provide fleet managers with the certainty of the loaded or unloaded status of trailers and report the percentage of capacity that is available to help with matching equipment to loads. Monitoring trailer fullness information can also help fleets determine if they can better utilize available trailer capacity.
Also Read: How to use Telematics Data with Shippers to Improve Capacity Issues
Conclusion
Environmental sustainability is an ongoing concern, but any strategy that fleets use to reduce emissions must also make financial sense. Fuel savings and revenue growth opportunities from trailer telematics deliver both environmental and financial paybacks, making the technology a smart and sustainable investment.
Contact SkyBitz today to save fuel and reduce emissions with the industry’s most reliable and longest-lasting trailer telematics platform.
