I bought this 2021 Freightliner Cascadia, with fuel economy definitely in mind. Not saying I will be running 50mph and looking for the lightest loads possible so I can boast about unrealistic numbers, but to cut fuel costs over where I was in my previous truck. That Previous truck was a 2015 Kenworth T660 (Glider) with a 12.7L Detroit (500 horsepower, 1650 torque). The previous truck had a lifetime average of 7.1mpg. Fuel economy was definitely not the only reason I went to the new truck, but I clearly expect to see better numbers.
The new truck is a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia. Specs are as follows:
All of my fuel purchases are going to be documented via Fuel Gauges at letstruck.com. I will update this if I ever decide to use another tracking system, but I am very happy with what they offer. I will also be tracking DEF on the same site. If you are a member at letstruck, you can view either at any time via the following two links. First link is fuel mileage, Second link is DEF.
As of today, we are just over 3000 miles into this journey, and fuel economy is averaging 7.08mpg. The number would be better, but has been pulled down thanks to one really bad day and a tank average of 5.76.
DEF economy is starting off at 189.79, and to be totally honest, I'm not even sure where that number should be.
Since this is all starting off in the middle of winter, I am optimistic that the numbers will be much improved as the weather warms up. Time will tell. I also have quite a bit of APU time factoring into the numbers in the beginning because the truck was parked for about a week after the initial fill up as I got the inside set up, and also due to getting an initial APU coolant leak addressed which meant a couple of trips to ThermoKing and some additional time sitting and running the APU before and after the repairs.
I will add screenshots from letstruck occasionally since not everyone uses their service, as well as note any changes made to the truck to attempt to increase fuel economy.
As with the last truck, I will run a fuel additive. In the old truck, I ran Primrose. I am a big believer in their product, and I may go back to it at some point with this truck, but for now I will be using Hot Shots Secret in the 2021 Freightliner Cascadia. I did some short term testing with Hot Shots Secret with the previous truck, and was impressed with the results. I can't say it was better than Primrose, but the ordering process is much easier with Hot Shots Secret. That said, I won't get bogged down in fuel additive talk here, simply fuel economy.


The new truck is a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia. Specs are as follows:
- 505 Horsepower
- 1750 Torque
- DT12 Overdrive
- 2.85 Rear End Ratio
All of my fuel purchases are going to be documented via Fuel Gauges at letstruck.com. I will update this if I ever decide to use another tracking system, but I am very happy with what they offer. I will also be tracking DEF on the same site. If you are a member at letstruck, you can view either at any time via the following two links. First link is fuel mileage, Second link is DEF.
As of today, we are just over 3000 miles into this journey, and fuel economy is averaging 7.08mpg. The number would be better, but has been pulled down thanks to one really bad day and a tank average of 5.76.
DEF economy is starting off at 189.79, and to be totally honest, I'm not even sure where that number should be.
Since this is all starting off in the middle of winter, I am optimistic that the numbers will be much improved as the weather warms up. Time will tell. I also have quite a bit of APU time factoring into the numbers in the beginning because the truck was parked for about a week after the initial fill up as I got the inside set up, and also due to getting an initial APU coolant leak addressed which meant a couple of trips to ThermoKing and some additional time sitting and running the APU before and after the repairs.
I will add screenshots from letstruck occasionally since not everyone uses their service, as well as note any changes made to the truck to attempt to increase fuel economy.
As with the last truck, I will run a fuel additive. In the old truck, I ran Primrose. I am a big believer in their product, and I may go back to it at some point with this truck, but for now I will be using Hot Shots Secret in the 2021 Freightliner Cascadia. I did some short term testing with Hot Shots Secret with the previous truck, and was impressed with the results. I can't say it was better than Primrose, but the ordering process is much easier with Hot Shots Secret. That said, I won't get bogged down in fuel additive talk here, simply fuel economy.








