Dashboard confidential

 

It ain't easy being green

 

By Dave Sweetman
columnist

 

Kermit the Frog made a career out of singing the refrain, “It ain’t easy being green,” and he was right.

Of course, when the lovable Kermit started doing his tune, the meaning was very different. It’s only been in recent years that we have been deluged with the terms “global warming,” “carbon footprint” and “hybrid technology.”

Personally, as a child of the ’60s, I have always shared a bit of the “Mother Earth First” attitude. I was recycling glass and paper before it became hip. Social consciousness should come from within because it’s the right thing to do, not because of a federal mandate or fear trumped up to sell newspapers or a political agenda.

I have a hard time buying into Al Gore’s revelation on global warming, considering the much revered former VP doesn’t always practice what he preaches.

That’s not to say there isn’t merit to bettering our lives and surroundings with better trucking habits. Much of what we can do stares us in the face every day, yet many choose to ignore it.

Fuel costs are our largest expense and our biggest challenge to staying profitable. There are steps for drivers to take to help deflect some of that expense, though. The number of trucks idling for no reason amazes me. At the fuel islands, several trucks are purring away while the drivers are pumping fuel.

On cool nights, when it’s great sleeping weather, some knothead often has to park his blue-fume-belching junker next to my open vents.

I understand the need when a co-driver is in the bunk or a pet needs A/C or heat, but in these cases none were visible. And no, I don’t go peeping into truck cabs. I’m making a blanket statement, visible from the ground.

On my present truck, the generator is an Onan with a smart setting. Running full time, the gen set uses about one quart of fuel an hour. On the auto or smart setting, it uses about half of that. Compared with idling the truck engine, which takes about a gallon per hour, the savings are huge.

My own personal quest to be more “green” was also a factor in spec’ing the truck with a new Cummins ISX engine with a diesel particulate filter.

I have been near the exhaust stack on my truck as it was running and can honestly say it smells cleaner and less polluting than previous engine exhaust. Not a scientific study, by any means, but I know what a clean diesel engine smells like (kids, don’t try this at home).

Of course, proper tire inflation, as well as wheel and axle alignment, are extremely important to good fuel mileage – and being green. And that means trailer tires, too.

Check tire pressure with a gauge and not just a tire thumper. Beating on your tires to check the air is like beating on your engine to check the oil. Use the gauge and do it when the tires are cool. Don’t forget to replace the valve caps to keep grit and road chemicals out.

The other day a driver asked me if I had any idea how to reduce his costs of filling his fuel tanks, and I can say that I do.

Take a tip from the eco-friendlies a few years back, who found that if you put a brick in your toilet tank, it would reduce the water flow, thereby saving you money.

So, using that logic, I can say that my new million-dollar idea is to market a brick with my name on it that you drop into your fuel tank. It won’t help your fuel mileage any, but by using enough bricks, it will cost less to fill your fuel tanks. You could even order the bricks green, just to keep Kermit and Al happy.

Happy trails. LL

 

Dave Sweetman can be reached at deeseldave@aol.com.