Posted:
April 11, 2008
Editor’s note: This story appeared April 9 in the on-line edition of SMUD’s Employee News Network. It is reprinted with permission.
Most SMUD employees feel the bite of soaring fuel prices every time they fill
up their cars.
But it’s nothing compared to what the District faces as
it attempts to keep more than 1,100 of its vehicles on the road.
SMUD expects its fuel bills—gasoline, diesel, biodiesel,
ethanol and propane—to top $2.5 million this year, up a staggering 25.6% from
the $1.99 million it spent in 2006, said Brian Smith, superintendent of
transportation.
SMUD’s fleet ranges from monster diesel-powered line
trucks that get approximately 4 miles per gallon to neighborhood electric
vehicles that require no fuel at all. Also in the mix are gas/electric hybrids
like the Toyota Prius, propane-powered vehicles such as fork lifts, riding
mowers and pickups, and SUVs, sedans and pickups that run on ethanol or
gasoline.
In all, the SMUD fleet averages 9 miles per gallon while
gulping down some 840,000 gallons of fuel a year.
Smith said his group has been speaking with different
business units about ways to trim fuel consumption. Given the District
mandate to cut operations and maintenance expenses by 5%, he has a receptive
audience.
Solutions range from getting more workers into a single
vehicle for a trip to a job site, to making sure drivers check their tires
regularly for proper inflation.
Hybrid bucket trucks on order
Phil West, director of Distribution Services, said he’s
eager to find ways to control fuel costs. “We’re under great pressure to make
sure we meet our budgets and vehicle costs are a big part of that,” he said.
Among his efforts is getting a better sense of what equipment is required at a job site before dispatching crews. For instance, if SMUD could determine that no jackhammers are needed for a certain repair, it wouldn’t send out a flat-bed truck with a compressor in tow. “That’s the kind of thing we need to look at,” West said. “We need to get better at assessing the work that needs to be done and communicating that to our crews.”
But technology, as well as planning, also comes into
play. Transportation and Distribution Services, for instance, have worked
together to order five 60-foot aerial-lift hybrid trucks, which are expected to
have 40% better fuel mileage than current diesel models.
Smaller SUVs do the job
Scott Flake, manager of SMUD’s Power Generation division,
has taken a different approach. Power Generation had just taken delivery of
four new Chevy Tahoe SUVs, the standard type of vehicle requested by his work group.
When Flake questioned managers about the need for such big, gas-hungry
vehicles, they decided there might be better options available.
Flake said his group contacted Transportation and
returned the Tahoes to Smith’s group. “Brian thought we could go with
some smaller SUVs or some hybrid SUVs that would meet our needs while reducing
fuel consumption,” Flake said.
He said one reason Power Generation is rethinking it’s
need for powerful SUVs, is because snow-clearing crews in the Upper
American River Project do such a good job that most SMUD vehicles
don’t need the high ground clearance the big SUV’s provide.
Meter readers pitch in
Meter readers, too, are moving toward more fuel
efficiency, said Carl Whitley, a supervising meter reader.
His department already has about 30 meter readers using
bicycles on their routes, and another 10 who use kick-scooters to go from house
to house. In addition, he’s encouraging the readers to carpool to their
routes, and a few are getting to their assigned areas using public
transportation.
Tips for saving fuel:
SMUD’s transportation department is encouraging drivers
to use these fuel-saving tips:
·
Keep tires properly inflated. You can increase fuel
efficiency by up to 3.3% if tires are kept at the correct pressure.
·
Empty the trunk and the back seat of unnecessary gear.
An extra 100 pounds reduces fuel economy by 1 to 2%.
·
Don’t drive aggressively. Jackrabbit starts, hard
braking and exceeding the speed limit all reduce fuel economy. Don’t forget
your Smith System keys. Anticipating stop lights and maintaining a greater
following distance will reduce the number of times you have to slow down. That
can add up to improved fuel mileage and reduced maintenance costs.
·
Use the highest gear possible. Particularly in
automatic transmission vehicles, always keep the gear selector in drive.
·
Avoid excessive idling. If you have an extended wait at
a drive-through window, train crossing or at a construction zone, turn off your
engine. Keeping it running gives you zero miles per gallon.
·
Consider when to have windows down. When driving in
town, keep windows down for ventilation, but when on the freeway, roll up the
windows. Drag caused by open windows at freeway speed reduces gas mileage more
than using an air conditioner does.
·
Plan your trip to avoid congestion and minimize the
distance you travel.