Why NCI Trucks Have Great MPG
Driver Goldie Seymour says she was a little hesitant about her new truck at first since it was spec’d with an automated transmission. “I’m old school and had never driven an automated — not even in my car,” she says. “But I’ll tell you what— you can teach an old dog new tricks. I wouldn’t want to go back to a manual transmission.”
Seymour originally began driving for National Carriers as a company driver, then converted into National’s lease program. National Carriers, known T680s two years ago. The company’s latest purchases are specified with the 455-hp PACCAR MX-13 engine integrated with the Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated transmission.
Greater fuel efficiency and no guess work. According to Seymour, “Baby Blue,” as she calls her new truck, has 227,000 miles under the hood already. “It’s the quietest truck I’ve ever driven and it’s very smooth — a great ride,” she says. As a new owner-operator, Seymour says she’s getting fuel mileage in the mid-7’s to low 8’s “…depending upon what I’m hauling. Since I’m now paying my own fuel bills, those mileage numbers are important to me.” The Eaton Fuller Advantage 10-speed automated transmission improves Seymour’s fuel economy by automatically choosing ideal shift points appropriate for every condition of load and speed. “I was worried about how it would perform in the mountains of Pennsylvania and Tennessee, but it shifts on its own,” she says. The integrated electronics provide variable torque levels and proper skip shifting, so there’s no guesswork. Such precise use of engine revs and power can save 2-6 percent in fuel bills.
“When you get into big cities, you don’t have to fight the clutch when you’re sitting at a light,” says Seymour. “When I’m stopped, I’m not applying a lot of pressure on the brake pedal, so I don’t feel as tired at the end of a run. It’s more relaxing. Seymour, who has driven trucks for more than 40 years, concludes, “You couldn’t get me out of this truck with a crowbar.”
According to NCI President, Jim Franck, Seymour is another shining light behind the wheel of a National Carrier rig. “Goldie was named our 2014 driver of the year for good reason,” he says. “She exemplifies the “Elite Fleet.”
This article first appeared in POWERSHIFT magazine