2012 386 Peterbuilt Shift Points And MPG

I just purchased a 2012 Peterbuilt 386 today. It has a 10 speed Eaton fuller transmission. I want to hear from any o/o about what the best shift points are for fuel mileage are and what the results per gallon were. Thanks for your input.

How long have you been driving trucks Jonathan?

Honestly, it depends on the motor. Every truck has its sweet spot that it likes to run at, so it's kind of trial and error to figure it out. Cat motors are a bit more high strung and like being wound up but suffer on the fuel burn. Cummins and Detroit seem to like that 1,200-1,300 rpm cruising range.

How long have you been driving trucks Jonathan?

What does that have to do with anything old school

What does that have to do with anything old school

Well, it has a lot to do with my purpose for being in this forum, and a lot to do with Brett's intention of operating this whole thing in the first place. You see, it is our main goal and desire to help people, especially new people, make a good start in an industry that has a long history of chewing up and spitting out newbies who jump in here without the knowledge of how things work in this business. I would like to help you make a good start if you are new to all of this.

I simply asked the question because your first question in here seemed to leave out so many of the important variables to giving you a proper answer, that the question itself seemed to scream out to me "hey I'm new at all this, and I don't know what I'm doing!" Then your response to my question kind of confirmed my fears. Now, maybe I'm wrong, and I sure hope I am, but... if you are kind of new to all this, and want to come clean with us, then we can certainly help you out.

Jonathan I've owned a lot of trucks, and my personal opinion on being an owner operator is that it simply isn't worth the risks involved anymore. There was a time past that being an owner operator was a pretty decent gig, but times have changed, and the economics of truck ownership are dismal at best. Have you ever wondered why all these mega carriers are constantly running ads saying they are looking for Owner operators? Well the simple reason they want them is because they have been running these numbers in an actual experiment on a daily basis for years. They have come to the conclusion that the biggest hole in their bucket is the ownership of the trucks. That is why they all want to lease out there trucks or just sign up owner operators to move their freight.

Most owner operators run their mouths about how they are making a killing, but they can't blow that smoke up my back side. I got into a discussion just the other day at a lunch counter where a lease operator was trying to convince a company driver that he should be leasing a truck. I listened silently to the discussion until he made the claim that he was making about five or six thousand a week! That is when I gently stepped in with a pen and paper and started asking him questions about his expenses - you see I knew the right questions to ask so that I could prove his earnings statement was completely false. When we finished our little encounter, the company driver thanked me, because he discovered that he was doing better than the lease operator!

By the way some of the important things you left out of your original question are what make of engine you have, what horsepower, and what the rear end gear ratio is in your tractor. All of these things carry a large amount of weight in the answer to your original question.

Jonathan, there is no reason to take offense at my question. There are very few truckers out here who would be as willing to help you make a good start at this than I am. I spend a great deal of time, whether it is in this forum or at the lunch counters at truck stops, helping guys to "see the light" on how to make it in this very tricky business.

Not to mention what trailer, what load, how heavy, what aerodynamic package. There are a lot of things that effect your average mpg. I suspect that if you don't want to provide information when asked then no one here will be able to help you much. You get what you put into it. Old School could surely help you but if you want to cop an attitude then its best to just move along. Contacting Peterbilt for the information you seek may be your best bet.

Phil

Jonathan want to know:

I just purchased a 2012 Peterbuilt 386 today. It has a 10 speed Eaton fuller transmission. I want to hear from any o/o about what the best shift points are for fuel mileage are and what the results per gallon were. Thanks for your input.

I'm not an o-o. I've been driving for Swift since February. I'm not an old fart in the Trucker sense of the word. But I drove a KW 760 with the Eaton from Swift. I shifted by sound and feel. When the engine sounded right and my butt ("seat of the pants" stuff) felt right (don't laugh here!), I shifted. That worked up and down. I floated most of the time. So, if you want "shift points", ride along and you can watch the tach. My point here is that manual shifting is much more than those numbers. The other factors count, too. For an experienced driver it's much easier to listen and feel rather than watch the tachometer move between the 10 and the 15.

If you want MPG, which as a company driver I'm not all that too much concerned about, I can't help you.

The way you asked the question gave Old School (and me) a sense that you are a new driver. If you have read through the Trucking Truth forum much before you asked your question, you would know that many of the leadership really get concerned when a new driver is thinking owner op. Usually new drivers don't have much business or even truck experience, and they are about to bet their financial life on this new adventure.