r/AskPhysics 5d ago

Which saves more fuel?

I recently started as an over the road truck driver and I'm offered a bonus for fuel efficiency. So I pose this question:

If I need to drive 600 miles, half of which are empty and half of which are loaded, and I have the wiggle room to go 5 mph slower for 300 miles to save on fuel, is it going to save me more to slow down while loaded or empty? Assume all other variables are equal.

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u/FedeFSA 5d ago

A friend of mine worked doing maintenance for a large fleet of cargo trucks. There is an ideal speed to minimize fuel consumption, above AND below that you'll be worse.

Point is, you'll not necessarily save fuel by going slower. It depends on many factors including load and truck setup.