Transportation is a key element in our economy and in our lives today. Fuel is the key element in transportation. In 1944, General Eisenhower, in command of Allied forces in the Mediterranean, confirmed this belief. By ordering the persistent bombing of the oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, he crippled the German army's transportation. These oil refineries produced 60 percent of Germany's crude oil. No army can operate without the tanks, trucks and trailers to haul supplies and troops and these can't operate without fuel. Hitler's army lost its power when it had to resort to horse-drawn wagons for transportation.

At the time that I'm writing this article, fuel prices have dropped more than 30 percent in one month. Our reserves are at an all time high. For the trucking industry, this means reduced operating cost. Nonetheless, every gallon of fuel saved by the operator of a truck is money on the bottom line for the trucking company. Good driver training is important — progressive shifting, less idling time and "slow down"! As the speed of our truck increases, the wind resistance becomes a major factor in our fuel consumption. For fuel conservation, I must mention again the new RODI Power Systems engine. Their four-cylinder 450-horsepower diesel engine has all the power needed to get the load to the job. Once on the job, the engine can idle on two cylinders. The empty truck can then return for another load on two cylinders. This saves both fuel and wear on the engine.

As we travel down our interstate highways, we are never out of sight of trucks hauling products or materials from one location to another. It is a bit different from 1905 when Jack and Augustus Mack started manufacturing trucks to compete with the horse-drawn wagons. Statisticians report that highway traffic will double in 20 years. This concept can be truly disconcerting when we creep over a hill today and see a mile of red taillights ahead. What will this be like in 20 years? The I-Pass, also known by other names, whereby a vehicle passes through a tollgate without having to stop to pay a toll, has become a great time saver. Modern technology of traffic information or Automotive Telematics can be very helpful for instant access to safety and navigation on the highway. Alternate routes during traffic tie-ups are available now by many devices including voice activated systems. GPS systems now keep track of our entire fleet of trucks. Unscheduled delays along the route or at the loading and discharging sites are instantly detected.

In selecting trucks and trailers for hauling construction materials, we must consider:

• Type of material to be hauled. Sand, gravel and loam will require different hauling equipment than rock, asphalt, concrete, and sod.
• Distance to be hauled. How many trucks of what size will it take to balance the spread of loading, hauling and unloading equipment?
• Haul road conditions. Here we must consider traffic conditions, load limits, hours of operation, and local restrictions on roadways. Haul road maintenance on construction sites is a key to efficient operations.
• Available hauling equipment. Should we hire a trucking firm, rent trucks or adapt our own hauling equipment to the job at hand?
• Restricted hours of operation. Residential areas may restrict the hours of operation and commercial areas may require nighttime operation hours only.

To determine the costs, as always, our own cost records are the best source. When I was a contractor, we always started hauling cost estimates with a rule-of-thumb: Cost/Unit loaded plus Hauling Cost/Unit/Mile. From this basis, we can make adjustments for all the items listed above.

Let's go to the construction site. We think of off-highway hauling units more along the line of heavy construction equipment rather than trucks. The huge rear-dump trucks we see in quarries and the bottom-dump trucks on earthmoving projects are a whole different breed. Darwin said that it's not the strongest or the most intelligent of the species that survive, but the one best adapted to change. New to the market of off-highway trucks is the Komatsu HM400-1 articulated dump truck. It can carry up to 40-ton loads at speeds up to 35 mph. When you sit in the "control room" of one of these trucks, you'll see what changes have been made. Automated engine control, air conditioning, comfort seating, all-wheel drive, adjustable suspension, and a long list of other features. They have truly adapted to the change in expectations of the buyer.

Here are some more options available in today's competitive off-highway truck market :

• Torque converters that can lock up all gears for better fuel economy.
• Automatic electronically controlled transmissions for easy gear shifting and traction-controlled differentials for efficient all-wheel drive.
• Oscillating frame that, in combination with the high-flotation tires and the controlled traction differential, distributes the power equally to each wheel.
• Independent front and rear chassis. This takes the oscillating frame one step further in keeping all the wheels on the ground with equal pressure.
• Stronger lighter truck bodies with greater load capacity and improved turning radius.
• Air-ride suspension for a smoother ride both fully loaded and empty.
• Replaceable cylinder liners. This is a quick and easy scheduled maintenance operation that keeps our trucks on the road with minimum downtime.
• Engine valve brakes. These create a backpressure on the engine when the accelerator is released increasing safety and saving on brake linings. This is not a new technology but its use has increased in recent years.

Next time you're driving down the highway, try counting the number of different types of trucks and trailers. True, most are semi-trailers hauling freight, but then we have pickup trucks, concrete mixers, fuel tankers, refrigerated trucks, low beds hauling equipment, dump trucks hauling aggregate and asphalt concrete, flat beds hauling sod, and we could go on and on. These have all adapted to our changing times and must continue doing so to stay in business. Future adaptations may be greater fuel economy or perhaps another fuel.

For more information please go to acppubs.com or call (800) 486-0014.