A trucker will be back on the road in August after taking 6 months off to try to increase the efficiency of his big rig to 11 MPG.
Driver Michael Niss of East Dundee, Illinois, will use his own truck, which he named “Faith” as a rolling lab to test both existing fuel efficiency equipment and technologies and some energy efficiency tweaks of his own design.
Miss calls his start up Breaking11 and plans to use his rig as a mobile billboard to raise awareness. He will also be blogging and using social media to help fans follow his progress.
What is Niss’s secret? According to the Breaking11 brochure, Niss “believe(s) we have the recipe to fight the negative effects of friction. This friction is found between the road and tires, within the engine and with the air itself.” The brochure also boasts that Niss has a secret concoction of 27 ingredients that he believes will help him hit the 11 MPG mark.
Niss claims that in his third year of driving (and first year as an owner operator), he was able to use his efficiency tweaks to up his MPG from 6.4 to 8.1. He said that he was able to accomplish this by reducing drag and by changing tires, lubricants, and air filters along with installing a custom nose and aluminum wrap on the underside of his truck. He also credits driving between 62 and 64 MPH.
Niss says that he’s not interested in making money now. His focus is on helping other drivers get more for their diesel dollars, but he admits that he hopes some companies will hear about his efforts with Breaking11 and become a benefactor.
Sources:
Chicago Tribune