Isuzu takes straight job drivers to fuel saving school

IRVINE, Calif. — Imagine walking away from an OEM-sponsored event with some operational tips that yield a 35-percent saving in fuel consumption.

That’s what happened to Victoria Dahlquist, the director of Fleet Operations for a company called Valley Crest landscaping, here in the sunshine state. She manages about 4,000 medium-duty gas-powered trucks and attended an Isuzu-sponsored “fuel-economy challenge.”

P&D drivers can benefit as much as highway operators when
it comes to fuel saving techniques, as Isuzu demonstrated.

The three-day event, which consisted of seminars and hands-on driving experiences, took place on a former Air Force runway, and although Isuzu’s been operating fuel-economy challenges for several years, this was the first time it’s happened in North America.

Areas covered in the seminar included vehicle running resistance, fuel-efficient driving techniques, proper exhaust-brake usage, idle-time reduction techniques, route scheduling and vehicle maintenance. After driving 2008 Isuzu trucks on a special course, the managers attended a training session and then drove the same course again, utilizing the techniques to reduce their fuel usage.

Attendees reported afterward that they calculate savings of up to 40 percent, once they implement the ideas they picked up on the Airforce base.

Reports the landscaper Dahlquist: “I personally improved my mileage by 35 percent at the Fuel Economy Challenge.”

Isuzu low-cab forward trucks are distributed through 205 Isuzu truck dealers and 350 GM W-Series dealers in the U.S and Canada. Over 84 percent of all Isuzu-built trucks registered in the U.S. and Canada since 1984 are still on the road today, the company boasts.