Blog Post from American Trucking Associations
Extreme Hypermiling to Save Fuel not the Answer
February 18, 2009
Written by: Brad Stotler
Every January, newsstands are filled with magazines that suggest ways to lose a few pounds before summer or reduce stress at work in the coming year. These "improve your life" issues typically offer readers some good advice but unfortunately one suggestion in this year's U.S. News and World Report's "50 Ways to Improve Your Life in 2009," instead could ruin it.
In the issue, suggestion No. 40 discusses ways to increase your vehicle's fuel economy by encouraging readers to "Try to Hypermile Drive."
Hypermiling advocate Wayne Gerdes recommends that motorists inflate their tires to the number of pounds per square inch listed on the tire side-wall instead of the number in the owner's manual. That's wrong. Tire manufacturers mark tires with the maximum allowable inflation pressure, not its recommended operating pressure, which can differ when the identical tire is placed on different vehicles.
Following Mr. Gerdes' advice to inflate tires to maximum pressure could cause poor tire wear, poor handling, and ultimately a wreck. Congress enacted the TREAD Act in 2000 in response to fatal crashes caused by tire failures. This law mandates that the vehicle manufacturers provide the consumer with proper tire pressure and load conditions for safe operation.
Moreover, other "advanced hypermiling" techniques that are mentioned, such as shutting down the engine while the car is in motion and tailgating a semi-truck, are even more dangerous. Shutting down the engine while the car is in motion not only kills power brakes and power steering, but also risks locking the steering wheel, and tailgating a semi-truck in an attempt to draft can cause catastrophic results at any speed.
The American Trucking Associations has asked hypermilers to stop recommending this very risky behavior and it is irresponsible for U.S. News and World Report to tout these unsafe practices. Instead of risky hypermiling techniques, ATA encourages individuals to use other methods mentioned in the article that save fuel and do not threaten the safety of drivers, such as slowing down, eliminating jackrabbit starts, reducing engine idling, and using cruise control.
In fact, the trucking industry trains its drivers to use these techniques, buys expensive equipment to reduce idling, and has asked the federal government to require that trucks have their speed governors set at 65 mph or below. At present, many companies speed governor their trucks at 60 mph or below to help fuel efficiency.
Please visit Trucksdeliver.org to find out more about the trucking industry's efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.
In the issue, suggestion No. 40 discusses ways to increase your vehicle's fuel economy by encouraging readers to "Try to Hypermile Drive."
Hypermiling advocate Wayne Gerdes recommends that motorists inflate their tires to the number of pounds per square inch listed on the tire side-wall instead of the number in the owner's manual. That's wrong. Tire manufacturers mark tires with the maximum allowable inflation pressure, not its recommended operating pressure, which can differ when the identical tire is placed on different vehicles.
Following Mr. Gerdes' advice to inflate tires to maximum pressure could cause poor tire wear, poor handling, and ultimately a wreck. Congress enacted the TREAD Act in 2000 in response to fatal crashes caused by tire failures. This law mandates that the vehicle manufacturers provide the consumer with proper tire pressure and load conditions for safe operation.
Moreover, other "advanced hypermiling" techniques that are mentioned, such as shutting down the engine while the car is in motion and tailgating a semi-truck, are even more dangerous. Shutting down the engine while the car is in motion not only kills power brakes and power steering, but also risks locking the steering wheel, and tailgating a semi-truck in an attempt to draft can cause catastrophic results at any speed.
The American Trucking Associations has asked hypermilers to stop recommending this very risky behavior and it is irresponsible for U.S. News and World Report to tout these unsafe practices. Instead of risky hypermiling techniques, ATA encourages individuals to use other methods mentioned in the article that save fuel and do not threaten the safety of drivers, such as slowing down, eliminating jackrabbit starts, reducing engine idling, and using cruise control.
In fact, the trucking industry trains its drivers to use these techniques, buys expensive equipment to reduce idling, and has asked the federal government to require that trucks have their speed governors set at 65 mph or below. At present, many companies speed governor their trucks at 60 mph or below to help fuel efficiency.
Please visit Trucksdeliver.org to find out more about the trucking industry's efforts to improve fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.
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ATA's post about the US News and World report article received quite a response from the hypermiling community.
One blog contributor stated this about the US. news and world report article: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19897&page=3
"If I were providing editorial advice on this statement or the US News & World Report article, specifically on drafting, I would word it as such, "while drafting trucks will provide fuel savings, it is extremely dangerous and not worth the risk. Hypermiling advocates have come out against drafting* and we encourage them to continue advocating against this risky practice in favor of the other, safer methods mentioned in the article."
The discussion and other hypermiling info can be found at: http://www.cleanmpg.com
Hypermilers DO NOT CONDONE DRAFTING! It is a dangerous practice more prone to cause problems than give better gas mileage. On top of that, it violates SEVERAL other rules of hypermiling:
1. MAINTAIN SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE. Most of the time, hypermilers are driving slower than the pace of traffic (we do the speed limit in a 65 zone as opposed to 75-85 mph). We brake more gently as well, so we need more room to stop. Thus, we back off other traffic.
2. WATCH AHEAD FOR TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGES. If you are drafting a truck, you cannot see stop lights ahead of you - the truck blocks the view. Conditions can't be anticipated if you can't see ahead.
3. BEWARE OF ROAD HAZARDS. If you can't see the open road in front of you because you are drafting, then you can't see any potholes/objects/ice/surface changes/etc. So we stay back to be able to better read the road.
Very bold and thoughtful indeed, ATA.
Safety and fuel economy on the road are of paramount concern to all real Americans.
This Mr. Gerdes maintains a web site at
In order to fully inform the public, PLEASE make available to the public a list of the specific URLs, with quotes, wherein Mr. Gerdes recommends these specific dangerous practices —
(1) that motorists inflate their tires to the number of pounds per square inch listed on the tire side-wall
(2) shutting down the engine while the car is in motion
(3) tailgating a semi-truck
If at all possible an informed and appropriately credulous public will see that such practices are made a matter of public record.
THANK YOU ATA! ! !\