PROSTAR®+ DRIVES CARRIER BACK TO INTERNATIONAL 342011-10-05T17:29:00Z2011-10-05T17:29:00Z17654364sss3610511911.0000PROSTAR®+ DRIVES CARRIER BACK TO INTERNATIONAL Driver comfort has always been a priority for Tennessee-based truckload carrier Milan Express. But after five years of roller coaster fuel prices, the company’s president John Ross decided to make a fundamental change in how he specs his trucks. With fluid economy taking center stage, he turned to the International® ProStar®+ with the MaxxForce® 13 engine.“We determined that we’re in an era of high fuel prices,” says Ross. “So now we’re definitely spec’ing our trucks for higher fuel mileage. That’s what led us to look at the ProStar+.”Founded in 1969 by John’s father, Tommy Ross, Milan Express began with one tractor and one straight truck. The company now runs more than 400 power units and carries goods for clients like Briggs and Stratton and Wal-Mart. Their service area is primarily in the Midwest and Southeast.While the company has always had good results from International trucks, in the 2000s Milan Express began incorporating vehicles from other OEMs into its fleet. “With the changes in emissions standards, we wanted to see what else was out there,” Ross says. Now, as the carrier seeks the best possible fluid economy—the total consumption of diesel fuel and DEF, the urea-based solution required for competitive trucks using SCR technology to meet 2010 emissions—Ross is wholeheartedly returning to the brand he’s always counted on.“We are moving back to International,” he says. “We plan on being primarily an International fleet. That’s where we’re headed.”The road back began early this year at Volunteer International in Jackson, Tennessee, when the dealer equipped Milan Express with two brand-new International® ProStar®+ trucks. According to Ross, sales professionals from Volunteer took the lead in helping spec the demo trucks for maximum fluid economy. Along with the lighter yet still plenty powerful MaxxForce 13 engines, the dealer recommended Eaton® UltraShift® automatic transmissions.“Experienced drivers might be able to get better fuel economy with a 10-speed transmission. But new drivers who aren’t as savvy can often burn more fuel,” Ross says. “We found that the automatic transmissions helped us separate the driver part of the equation from the fuel side.”Ross also chose the full aero package, incorporating side skirts and farings to help boost fuel efficiency. He initially considered going without the aero features, hoping to save some money on the sticker price, but in the end decided the investment was well worth it over the life of the trucks.Once the new ProStar+ trucks were out on the road, Ross ran them against comparable vehicles from other manufacturers and found that the “ProStar+ far exceeded their products,” he says.“We were getting in the neighborhood of 7.1 to 7.3 mpg when we started this program,” he says. When pulling lighter freight, the numbers were even better. Fully loaded trucks, whose routes took them through the mountains of North Carolina and East Tennessee, were getting in the 6.8mpg range.“Those trucks got over a mile-per-gallon better fuel economy than our fleet average,” says Ross. “It was impressive.”Obviously a number of factors influence fuel economy, most notably driver behavior. But knowing that his trucks can be spec’d in such a way to deliver those numbers brings Ross peace of mind at a time when there isn’t much of it to go around. “We need to train and hire the best drivers and offer fuel incentives. But to know we’re capable of that fuel mileage is exciting,” he says.Milan Express recently placed an order for 50 trucks—some with automatic transmissions, others with traditional 10-speeds for his veteran drivers. Ross hopes to double that order next year. “We feel the ProStar+ gives us the best of both worlds: Over the life of that truck we feel we’re going to get a low operating cost, but we can also give a premium product to our drivers,” he says.The lightness of the ProStar+ with the MaxxForce engine, which can add up to 400 or more pounds in weight savings versus the competition, was also a major factor in the purchase decision: “We have some accounts where the cargo doesn’t take up all the space on the trailer, but they maximize every pound. The more trucks weigh, the less we’ll be able to haul.”In this economy, hauling less—and making less money—is not an option. Successful fleets are choosing trucks spec’d to do more with less weight and less fuel—and equipped with next-generation engines built specifically for the challenges of today’s operators.“The aerodynamics and the automated transmissions were a factor,” says Ross. “But you have to attribute [the fuel economy numbers] to the engineering of that engine. You’re not going to get those kind of fuel numbers unless the engine was a major part of the puzzle.”For more information on the International ProStar+ and MaxxForce 13 engine, visit: International TrucksFor more information on Milan Express, visit: Milan ExpressAll marks are trademarks of their respective owners.