Proper Equipment Use in Transportation Management - Research Paper Example

Transportation Management Introduction In the contemporary scenario, people are mostly concerned about following a trend where they could be able to act with utmost consciousness both socially as well as environmentally. It is believed that people in today’s society have also become quite aware about the importance of any sort of resources and the fact that they are not unlimited and will come to an end one day or the other. In this regard, people living in the society have the need to emerge with new ideas and techniques to able to use resources of any kind in the most responsible manner further ensuring proper utilization of the same. This might be a beneficial prospect for the entire contemporary society. Moreover, it is also believed that in the present day context public consciousness is one of the most vital elements, which is associated with any particular domain including the society, the business and the lives of individuals among others (Sharma, 1992). Thesis Statement From the above depiction, it is apparent that any kind of resources are quite vital for the long-term existence of the human beings. Contextually, this particular paper will evaluate the potential of reducing fuel cost by using trucking equipment that is more efficient and socially conscious by proposing at least five processes or rules. Discussion It is believed that with the rising prices of the resources such as petrol and other fuels, there has developed a need to emerge with alternative options in order to deal with the challenges of fuel inadequacy in the future context. However, individuals also hold perceptions that emerging with methods that ensure fuel efficient operations of vehicles might also be a potential measure for dealing with the decreasing level of fuel resources in the contemporary scenario. Contextually, certain procedures or policies will be evaluated with regard to the use of fuel in trucks further ensuring reduction of the cost of fuels through using efficient and socially cognizant equipment. There are various processes that can be determined with regard to reducing the fuel consumption of vehicles which are highlighted and explained in a detailed manner hereunder. Proper Equipment Use The first step that can be adopted in this regard will be proper use and maintenance of the equipment used in the vehicles which will include tires, engines and other parts of vehicles. The type of tires that is being used in the vehicle is directly interlinked with the fuel efficacy of the vehicles. It is known that heavy trucks or any other vehicles consume more fuel in comparison with small light-duty vehicles. This is because of the difference in tire rolling fuel consumption amid the two sorts of vehicles. It is known that the light duty passenger vehicles use low rolling resistance tires while heavy duty trucks mainly implement high rolling resistance tires which are deemed to consume greater amount of fuel. Contextually, it can be determined that the trucks must use low rolling resistance tires to ensure fuel efficiency in their operations. It is known that the low resistance tires used in light-duty vehicles result in 5%-15% fuel consumptions while the usual tires used in trucks result in the consumption of 15%-30% of the fuels. Therefore, implementing the strategy will enable the trucks of Peregrine Trucking Co. to reduce their fuel consumption by more than 1% which will be considered as a beneficial prospect. Again, replacing the traditional process of dual tires with one super single tyre will also save fuel consumption of vehicles as the weight of the vehicles will get marginally reduced along with the reduction in the rolling resistance. Furthermore, with the use of low resistance tires, the pressure on the engines also gets decreased which will again act towards reducing the fuel consumption of the vehicle. Additionally, the use of aerodynamic equipment also eases the pressure from the vehicle engine and enables utmost fuel economy (U.S Department of Energy, 2013). New and Advanced Rigs Implementation of new and advanced rigs might also be a potential measure to deal with increasing fuel consumption by Peregrine Trucking Co. It is believed that proper establishment of trailer/tractor within the new rigs will also add extensive fuel economy of the vehicles. This can be justified from the fact that minimizing the gap amid the trailer and the tractor by 18 inches i.e. from 60 inches to 42 inches, the fuel consumption is also deemed to get reduced by 1% to 2.5%. Besides, operating the trucks with ‘full-cab roof fairing’ might also help in reducing the fuel consumptions of the trucks by 15% further ensuring utmost fuel economy of the vehicles. It has also been analyzed that pulling a low-height trailer like that of a tanker will add maximum spacing in the flat or mid roof of the trucks which not only increase the aspect of resistance but it will also result in low oil consumptions (Paccar Inc, 2014). These aspects should be taken into consideration by the management of Peregrine Trucking Co. to ensure better and improved performance of the trucks and consequently the overall business. Fleet Operating Rules Certain predetermined rules of fleet operations might also potentially reduce the fuel consumptions of the trucks of Peregrine Trucking Co. It has been analyzed that fuel economy of the fleet can be attained through ensuring informed choices of equipment, proper specing of the trucks and ensuring effective training for the drivers to operate the vehicle in a fuel efficient manner. Another important measure that is a vital rule in the operations of fleets is proper and continuous management. In this regard, proper selection of the engines and its settings is also an important measure to ensure reduction fuel expenses for Peregrine Trucking Co. Selecting the right engine with appropriate amount of energy deliverance capacity will also ensure optimum fuel performance. An appropriate example in this context will be the use of ‘automated mechanical transmission’ which will result in 5% less use of fuels in the trucks further enhancing fuel efficacy to a considerable level. Furthermore, another crucial fleet operating rule is the use of ‘shallow rib tires’ in the trucks which can save 6% to 14% of the fuel consumption of the vehicles (Paccar Inc, 2014; EPA. 2012; Berman & Wang, 2006). Proper Maintenance of the Vehicle It is believed that proper and time-to-time maintenance of the vehicle might also be a potential measure for Peregrine Trucking Co. to ensure fuel efficiency in the vehicle. For instance, a dirty oil filter of the truck will certainly impact its fuel economy. Contextually, monitoring as well as timely replacement of the oil filter will be able to decrease 10% of the fuel cost. Tyre pressure is another aspect that needs to be checked on a continuous basis. It is believed that inappropriate tyre pressure will hamper 3.3 percent of the fuel economy of the vehicle. Using the right gasoline is another significant measure for ensuring fuel efficacy in the vehicle. Again, the management of Peregrine Trucking Co. must also emerge with a measure to ensure that its trucks carry appropriate weights so that maximum fuel efficiency could be attained which will further work towards improving the performance of the entire business (Piotrowski, 2014; Dhakry & Bangar, 2013). Driving Efficiency Fuel efficiency of the vehicles is also largely dependent on the approach of the drivers and their driving attitude. Efficient driving can ensure upto 20% of the fuel efficacy. It is believed that aggressive driving consumes greater level of fuel in comparison with the approach of smooth driving or driving under a particular speed limit. Observably, driving under the speed limit of 65 mph rather than 75 mph will save 13% fuel while driving under the speed limit of 55 mph will ensure 25% of fuel saving (State of California, 2014). Monitoring and Control of Vehicles From the above analysis, it is quite apparent that proper management of the trucks will ultimately ensure the attainment of maximum fuel efficacy of the vehicles further affirming the prospect of improved organizational performance. Contextually, the management of the company i.e. Peregrine Trucking Co. should be involved in continuous supervision of the operations of its trucks. Monitoring the maintenance of the tyre pressure, supervising the status of the air filters, evaluating the delivery patterns of the trucks in terms of weight carried and depicting the driving attitude of the drivers are a few of the approaches that the company can take up in order to attain fuel efficacy and monitor fuel consumption of its vehicles further assuring reduced cost of fuel for the business (Caris et al., 2008). Recommendations and Conclusion From the overall analysis, it can be recommended to the management of the company that it will need to be more aware and updated with the latest developments in the automobile sector in terms of technology. Contextually, they will need to adopt latest technologies such as enhancing the design of the vehicles and using modern tires with low resistance to ensure fuel efficacy of the vehicles further reducing the fuel cost of them. Hence, it can be concluded that attaining fuel economy of the vehicles is crucial and can only be ensured with the adoption of certain measures which are determined extensively in the paper. References Berman, O., & Wang, Q. (2006). Inbound logistic planning: minimizing transportation and inventory cost. Transportation Science, 40(3), 287–299. Caris, A., Macharis, C., & Janssens, G. K. (2008). Planning problems in intermodal freight transport: accomplishments and prospects. Taylor & Francis, 31(3), 1-31. Dhakry, N. S., & Bangar, A. (2013). Minimization of Inventory & Transportation Cost of an Industry”-A Supply Chain Optimization. International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, 3(5), 96-101. EPA. (2012). Economic Analysis for Final Effluent Limitation Guidelines and Standards for the Airport Deicing Category. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/guide/airport/upload/Economic-Analysis-for-Final-Effluent-Limitation-Guidelines-and-Standards-for-the-Airport-Deicing-Category.pdf Paccar Inc. (2014). PacLease guide to fuel efficiency. Retrieved from http://www.paccar.com/environmental/FuelEfficiency_PB_R4.pdf Piotrowski, E. (2014). How to get better fuel economy. Retrieved from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy/how-to-get-better-fuel-economy1.htm State of California. (2014). Consumer driving tips. Retrieved from http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/consumer_tips/ Sharma, K. (1992). Resource utilization and development. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre. U.S Department of Energy. (2013). Vehicle parts and equipment to conserve fuel. Retrieved from http://www.afdc.energy.gov/conserve/equipment.html Read More