5 Fuel Saving Tips For Your Next Truck Rental

Posted on: 5 August 2016

Even with gas prices at record lows, fueling up a moving truck can give the average renter a rather unpleasant surprise at the pump. Fortunately, there's plenty you can do to stretch your MPGs a bit further and save a little money in the process.

Rent the Smallest Truck You Need

If you plan on saving fuel throughout your move, you might want to avoid renting the biggest moving truck you can get your hands on. The bigger the truck, the more dead weight you'll end up carrying around and the more fuel you'll end up burning through. Instead, you should base your truck choice around the exact amount of stuff you plan on carrying.

Properly Balance Your Loads

An improperly loaded truck can not only result in poor handling on the road, but it can also penalize you when it comes to overall fuel economy. When loading your moving truck, make sure you have 60 percent of the cargo loaded towards the front of the truck and 40 percent towards the rear. You'll also want to make sure the truck is evenly loaded on the left and right sides. This can make your truck more stable at speed and improve your fuel economy, as well.  

Make Sure Your Truck's in Good Shape

Maintenance is the key to getting great MPGs in a moving truck. Before leaving the rental agency with your truck, ask for the maintenance records and make sure that it has recent information about inspections, tune-ups and any repairs made to the truck. If the truck in question isn't properly maintained, don't hesitate to ask for an alternative vehicle, if there's one available.

Accelerate Smoothly from Stops

Putting the pedal to the metal from a standstill can cause your MPGs to plummet into the single digits. To keep this from happening, try accelerating away from stops as smoothly as possible, preferably while using as little throttle as possible. If you're on a downhill section of road, use that to build your momentum instead of relying on the accelerator.

Keep Your Speeds Low

Most rental trucks are optimized for travel at speeds under 60 mph. Traveling above those speeds can increase your truck's aerodynamic drag, which in turn causes your truck to burn more fuel just to overcome the increased drag. Whenever possible, you'll want to keep your highway cruising speed below 60 mph unless you need to make a pass or keep up with traffic.

To learn more, visit a website like http://www.elitetruckrental.com

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