Extended oil drain intervals reduce fleet maintenance costs 

According to Kyle Neumann, the VP of maintenance for Foodliner and Quest Liner, the brand switched to Citgard 700 MFE Synthetic Blend after working with Citgo for an extended period. Neumann’s focus was on potential cost savings from more than tripling his current oil drain interval (ODI) rather than fuel economy. This was because the brands’ tanker trucks already rack up considerable idle and PTO time. 

The potential cost savings Neumann was hoping for quickly became a reality. 

“When we went from a 24,000-mile (90-day) oil drain to 48,000 (180 days), we cut costs by more than $300 per truck,” Neumann said. “Then when we extended to 72,000 miles, the savings doubled.”

And the savings continued to grow, with Neumann’s team extending to 90,000 miles. 

According to Neumann, the brands’ maintenance practices have changed in a few ways with this new oil. Trucks are brought in for dry PMs at 45,000 miles (170 days). Oil sampling is now important during the dry PMs and wet ones at 90,000 miles.

In addition to the cost savings, Neumann revealed how the oil change helped with maintenance and the brands’ technician workforce.

“With the tight technician workforce we have today, I have to take a look at anything I can do to drive efficiency and capacity in our shops,” Neumann said. “We’re essentially doing one wet PM a year now. That has had a huge impact on our shop throughput because technicians have more time for other services.”

You can read the original article from Wartgow and FleetOwner, a Fleet Maintenance affiliate publication, here.

How longer oil drain intervals lower fleet cost per mile 

As Wartgow explained in an article for Fleet Maintenance earlier this year, research from the North American Council of Freight Efficiency (NACFE) shows that lower-viscosity oils with less internal resistance to flow will reduce mechanical losses, thereby reducing fuel use. Switching from 15W-40 to 10W-30 often results in a 0.5-1.5% fuel economy improvement. When switching to an FA-4 10W-30, fleets can see another 0.4-0.7% improvement. 

Despite these potential benefits, NACFE claims that adoption of lower-viscosity engine oils remains low, approximately 20% industrywide. This is likely because lower-viscosity synthetics and synthetic blends often cost 30-40% more than conventional 15W-40s. Fleets have to weigh the costs and benefits of their oil options, paying special attention to the potential impact on cost per mile (CPM).