Frozen Food Express lowers top speed of its trucks

At the end of the first quarter of 2008, FFEX had 2,029 trucks in service, 1,485 of which were company operated.

The Trucker News Services

6/2/2008

DALLAS — Frozen Food Express Industries Inc. reports it has reduced the maximum speed of its company-operated truck fleet from 65 to 62 miles per hour in an effort to mitigate the impact of rising fuel costs. FFEX expects that most of the independent contractors who provide it with trucks will take similar steps to reduce their expenses.

“This is a decision we’ve been contemplating for quite some time, and we simply have to take some definitive action, as many other carriers have already done, to offset costs that are rising faster than our ability to deal with them,” said Russell Stubbs, senior vice president and chief operating officer. “Independent studies have found that for each mile-per-hour that a truck reduces its average speed, we can expect a 1/10th of a mile increase in that truck’s average miles-per-gallon. This three mile-per-hour decrease in maximum speed can save up to 1,000 gallons of fuel, per truck, per year.”

At the end of the first quarter of 2008, FFEX had 2,029 trucks in service, 1,485 of which were company operated, Stubbs said, adding that the company is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership.

This will be an enterprise-wide effort across the FFE Transportation Group (FFE Transportation Services, American Eagle Lines, and Lisa Motor Lines brands) and customer service will not be impacted by this speed reduction, according to a company news release. This action is one of several to address rising fuel prices, including enterprise-wide fuel consumption efforts, equipping tractors with anti-idling control devices and modifying equipment specifications to ensure the most aerodynamic fleet possible.

“These are difficult operating times, and carriers and shippers alike have to be adaptable to change in this type of environment,” Stubbs said. “As a transportation community, it is absolutely essential that we continue to explore new ideas and work together in collaborative efforts to find creative solutions.”

Frozen Food Express Industries Inc. is a publicly owned motor carrier specializing in core offerings of temperature-controlled transport of products and perishable goods including food products, health care supplies and confectionery items. FFEX also offers services in brokerage, logistics, and dedicated hauling.