The North American Council for Freight Efficiency is in the early planning stages of a regional version of its 2017 Run on Less fuel-economy road show.

The new event will focus on Class 8 trucks used in regional operations, remaining about 300 miles from base. The regional version of Run on Less is seen as an opportunity to demonstrate the best efficiency in the regional haul sector of the trucking industry. In the 2017 Run on Less event, seven long-haul tractors were able to average 10.1 mpg over three weeks.

NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth said the regional Run on Less demonstration will help map out technologies and vehicle specifications that improve fuel efficiency in regional-haul operations. It is also a response to the growth in the regional haul segment in the trucking industry.

“Today’s drivers want to be home more often, and fleets are shifting their operations in order to accommodate drivers’ wishes in light of the difficulty fleets face finding and retaining qualified drivers,” said Roeth. “We want to benchmark the efficiency of this growing market segment.”

Run on Less – Regional is still in the initial planning stages and details have not been set. NACFE is looking for input from the trucking industry on factors such as what duty cycles should be included, what metrics should be measured, and what the event should look like.

“Once we’ve better defined the parameters of the Run, we will be looking for fleets that are willing to participate,” said Roeth. “Right now we need to nail down the details and garner sponsorship for the event.”