The Bullydog downloader is expensive. It can give you a return on your investment in as early as six months. Cat motors benifit the most from a horsepower increase than any other engine. Most will get .5 mpg to 1.0 mpg increase.
Other products with a quick RTI are:
Free flow muffler
Free flow air filter
Low rolling resistance tires.
The greatest and immediate thing you can do is improve your driving habits. Drive 57 mph to 60 mph. Progressively shift. Take your foot off the fuel pedal well before you get to your stop. Build speed before you get to a hill. Ease off the fuel as you crest the hill and let gravity help you build your speed back up on the downside.
I get solid 7's and even into the 8's for my mpg pulling a flatbed. A dry van properly set up can potentially get better.
I pay for my own fuel, fuel consuption is my greatest expense. By doing the above I save $20,000.00 per year over a driver who doesn't work hard at his fuel consuption. I loose no money by going slower, I don't loose loads. I get there with plenty of time to deliver or pickup my load. A driver who drives faster than me, does not get any more miles than I do. I might suggest, though hard to prove, that I get more miles. I stop less for fuel, I have less maintenace on my equipment. I still get in my 130,000 plus miles per year. My last couple of months with ATS I was delivering 1, 1.5 or 2 loads per week and was netting $4,000.000 to $5,000.00 per week. I will never believe a driver telling me driving faster will make me more money. In my experience, that is not even close to being true. There are those rare occaisions were driving a little faster we allow you to deliver a day early and to be able to get a reload and keep moving. Use your best judgement. My truck is governed at 127 mph, I rarely use it, but it is nice to have when needed.
