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Fuel Fill Up Today: $700… Fuel Fill Up In 1971: $68!
Can you imagine (or do you remember) paying $0.34/gallon for diesel fuel? That was the average rate in 1971, which is around $1.50/gallon in today’s dollars. Forty years later, retail fuel prices average around $3.50/gallon. What has Averitt done over the last four decades to deal with those skyrocketing costs? One avenue we’ve taken is to purchase fuel in bulk, which saves us valuable dollars when we fuel up at one of our service centers. That’s an advantage our team didn’t have in 1971, and it allows us to have greater control on one of our largest annual expenses (nearly $161 million in 2010). As technology has evolved, Averitt has been able to reduce our fuel consumption and improve our miles per gallon ratings as well. In 1971, a highly efficient commercial vehicle topped out at 5.0 mpg, with the average well below that mark. Today, we employ technologies like auxiliary power units (which allow us to reduce idle time), more efficient engines and advanced route-planning software to achieve an average rating of 6.1 mpg, with some individual tractors getting as much as 8.0 mpg or better! Of course, technology isn’t the only factor in improving our mpg. Simple steps we take every day, like maintaining proper tire pressure, using cruise control as often as possible, and staying in top gear for long stretches, make a world of difference. We can’t control the price of fuel. But our team has always been dedicated to reducing our costs and improving our efficiencies so we can continue delivering the best service in the industry while remaining competitive. That’s been our goal for our first 40 years, and will stay that way for the next 40!
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Celebrating 40 years
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