Drivers Are Not Slowing to Conserve Fuel
Recent travel on the Interstates confirms that people aren’t slowing down much, if at all, since fuel prices shot up. That includes truckers, who are still in a hurry to get where they’re going with what they’re carrying and never mind that speed ruins fuel economy.
Another explanation comes to mind after snooping about truck stops and highway rest areas. Engines are idling, consuming fuel and flinging fumes into the air, as drivers snooze or talk on a pay telephone.
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Or does it? Although the laws of physics still decree that higher speed requires more horsepower, which burns more diesel, poor fuel efficiency did not follow the rise in speed limits in the mid-1990s.
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Turning off the engine is an idea for conserving costly fuel. But this is one message drivers don’t want to hear and managers have difficulty enforcing.
