LESS FUEL = MORE PROFIT SHARING For Cookeville Truckload driver TOM SAYMAN, the reason he is careful about fuel consumption is simple: it means more Profit Sharing for the future. “That’s where Profit Sharing comes from – it's controllable expenses like fuel, avoiding accidents and injuries, and things like that,” explains Tom, who has been with Averitt for a little more than four years. “When we all do our part to keep that down, there’s more available for Profit Sharing.” ARE THESE REAL NUMBERS? Tom – who is a member of our Driver Advisory Council – found out how many miles he was getting per gallon after a chance look at his dashboard. When he realized it was in the 8.3 range, he talked with Vice President of Corporate Transportation DANNY CROOKS at the next DAC meeting. “I won the truck assignment during the 2022 Driver Appreciation Week drawing – it’s a 2023 model – and no one else has driven it but me,” Tom recalls. “I asked Danny, ‘Is that accurate information? Because it says I’m getting overall 8.3.’ He said, ‘That sounds a little high. I’ll look into it.’” After some investigation, Danny found out that Tom was indeed an outstanding performer. “He said, ‘Your numbers are incredible. Your cruise control use is 55%, which is really high. Your moving miles per gallon is 8.27, which is high. If the entire Truckload fleet drove like you, the bottom line is we would have saved more than $1 million in fuel over the last 52-week period.’” HOW TOM MAKES IT HAPPEN Tom says our adaptive cruise technology is a win-win, so he uses it whenever it’s practical and safe to do so. “I like it because of the collision mitigation features,” he explains. “The system keeps me a safe distance from whatever is in front of me. The cruise control holds me back while going down hills – I set it back five miles below the target speed, and it holds me right at the target speed regardless of the
For TOM SAYMAN , saving on fuel costs means more Profit Sharing for him and the rest of the team.
load or grade. That’s a nice feature.” Tom also makes good use of our auxiliary power units, or APUs. “If I get to the customer and put it in the dock, I shut the truck off and turn the APU on,” Tom says. “About 90% of the time, it keeps up. Every now and then, the sun might be shining in the windows, so I close the curtain while I’m sitting at the dock.” Finally, Tom does some good old-fashioned trip planning. “For example, if I’m going through Atlanta and I know I’m going to hit there in the afternoon rush, I’ll stop prior to that – time permitting – and take a break,” he explains. “I’ll shut the truck off and run the APU for a bit to prevent idling. Going through there at highway speeds as opposed to stop-and-go, stop-and-go for all that time results in fuel savings.” The care that Tom exercises all boils down to one thing. “I’ve always operated my truck like I own it,” he says. “That way, I make sure it gets me home on the weekend.” Thank you, Tom, for the way you make the most of your fuel. Your efforts are an inspiration to us all, and they’re helping us secure a brighter future! T m
Make plans to attend a cookout near you! View more appreciation cookouts on the Events Calendar at InsideAveritt.com . UPCOMING COOKOUT EVENT SCHEDULE
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Aug. 27: Atlanta West Aug. 28: Atlanta East Aug. 29: Atlanta East
2-8p 2-8p 7-10a
Sept. 16: Memphis Sept. 17: Jackson TN Sept. 18: Nashville Sept. 19: Knoxville Sept. 20: Mercedes
2-8p 7-10a
11a-5p 11a-5p
2-6p
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE matters
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