Estimating Fleet Fuel Consumption for Vans and Small Trucks

A fleet fuel consumption model for commercial vans and small trucks is developed based on a survey, completed by truck drivers in the normal course of their duty. The model uses engine displacement, vehicle mass and average speed to predict fuel consumption for petrol and diesel trucks. It explains 77.4% of the variance for diesel and 86.3% for petrol trucks respectively, with the mass term dominating the regression. The model was found to predict within 1–20% of the actual fuel consumed by three instrumented trucks undergoing a controlled series of tests. As a fleet model, it represents an inexpensive and simple tool for monitoring vehicle and traffic changes.