Lighten The Load And Save Money

There’s a good chance that many of the trucks you see rolling down the highway — and maybe even some of the trucks in your own fleet — are riding a bit lighter than they did even a few years ago.

Advances in materials technology, tighter regulations around fuel economy and a growing interest in efficiency have helped spark a surge in the market for lightweight truck components. More manufacturers are swapping out steel for alternatives like aluminum, carbon fiber and plastic composites.

According to a panel of experts who spoke at the Work Truck Show’s Green Truck Summit earlier this year in Indianapolis, more work truck buyers are making the switch — and looking for other strategies to get their fleets in top shape.

“It’s becoming more and more popular and more and more people are seeing the benefits of lightweighting and right-sizing their chassis,” said Omar B. Sandlin II, vice-president of business development for the U.S. operations of Drive Products, a Canadian truck equipment supplier. “It goes to the bottom line of the chassis, overall maintenance and the total cost of ownership – you get a lot more lifespan out of the truck.”

Firms scramble to cut costs

Over the last decade, much of the fervor around “lightweighting” grew out of two new realities: increasingly strict environmental standards, and an economic recession that sent many companies scrambling for ways to cut costs.

Gregg Peterson, principle materials engineer at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, has been exploring some of those trends in his work with Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, or LIFT, a government-funded agency that helps manufacturers make the transition to lighter-weight materials. He’s led studies on lightweighting strategies that have revealed major possibilities for people who want to push the envelope.

In one example, Peterson and his research team figured out they could make a vehicle a full 40 percent lighter with a comprehensive approach that went as far as eliminating paint. And while he knows most manufacturers and truck buyers aren’t willing to go that far, he said many are interested in smaller steps that will cut costs and avoid regulatory headaches.

“The reason that the NTEA (the Association for the Work Truck Industry) is looking at lightweighting is because they are now up against some fairly tough fuel economy regulations,” Peterson said. “And for every 10 percent mass reduction, you get a six to seven percent increase in fuel economy.”

Look at “mass decompounding”

When he works with companies trying to meet those goals, Peterson encourages people to think about how changes to one part of a truck might impact savings elsewhere on the vehicle.  In a truck with a boom bucket, for example, he’s looked at taking the boom out of the form of the truck to make the entire vehicle lighter — which means that other things could be smaller, like the tires. Another truck might be able to go from a tandem rear tire to a single rear tire, allowing for more trims elsewhere.

“We call it mass decompounding,” Peterson said.

In the U.S., where President Donald Trump has already taken some steps toward rolling back environmental regulations, it’s not clear if equipment manufacturers and fleet managers will face the same tight standards in the future. But Peterson said he expects that the momentum shift toward lightweighting will continue, even in a looser regulatory environment.

“Fuel economy now is one of the top reasons for a purchase decision for an automobile or light truck,” Peterson said. “Certainly in the heavy truck industry, fuel economy with the huge number of fleets out there becomes a very large economic consideration.”

Cost for products made with lightweight aluminum, or other lower-weight materials, remains higher than those made of steel. But in recent years, the gap between the older and newer products has narrowed, Sandlin said. In general, he said, aluminum now runs about 15 to 20 percent higher than steel.

Lighter products easier to sell

That cost difference remains an issue, but Sandlin said lightweight products have become an easier sell. Echoing Peterson, he said more buyers are concerned with fuel efficiency. But in the years after the economic downturn, more were also thinking seriously about buying products with a longer lifespan.

“I don’t see (the costs) coming down ever, and they shouldn’t,” Sandlin said. “Aluminum is superior: it never rusts. Steel will rust, and aluminum will ding just like a steel body will, but it’s corrosive resistant.”

Sandlin said sometimes he wins over skeptic buyers with a challenge: just buy one truck with an aluminum body along with others made of steel. He’ll offer to take a picture of both versions on they day they are sold, and tells the buyer to compare the two types of trucks six months or a year later.

“When you look at the life expectancy of when rust is going to happen — and it will — aluminum can take that all day long,” he said.

Sandlin and other advocates of lightweighting point out other potential savings, too. Less weight on the truck means less stress on tires, brakes and transmissions. Scaling down by a full truck class can mean that those components are cheaper. And for drivers and mobile mechanics, going light can come with enhanced safety: a lighter vehicle can stop more quickly and lighter components are easier to lift and maneuver, making on-the-job injuries less likely.

Analyze what you’re hauling

Amy Dobrikova, president of Intelligent Fleet Solutions and a board member with the Green Truck Association, said fleet managers could find similar benefits by thinking differently about how they use any type of vehicle.

One strategy: a top-to-bottom analysis of what you’re hauling around in your trucks — and getting rid of anything that’s not helping to get the job done. A lightweight vehicle overloaded with tools and equipment defeats the goal of efficiency, she said.

“You don’t need every little component based on your job for the day,” she said.

Finding cost or fuel savings can also start by adjusting your approach when outfitting a new addition to your fleet. In her work with fleet managers, Dobrikova said she’s found room for improvement when it comes to balancing goals and expectations.

“It’s speccing (trucks) with lightweighting in mind,” she said. “A lot of times they go by the lowest price. But in reality when you look at the overall cost, you’re saving money by having a lighter-weight component.”

Lightweighting can also be a matter of using the right software. While many fleets have telematics systems in place to track speed and other performance measures, Dobrikova said companies can also consider software programs that take that data and help the driver reduce idling time, or take other automatic steps to help the truck run more efficiently.

“The lightest weight thing you can put on a vehicle is software,” she said.

Erin Golden is a writer based in Minnesota.