We recently honored drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, with many fleets hosting events acknowledging the contributions drivers make to their organizations. It is good to recognize the vital role drivers play in the trucking industry.

In addition to seeing that goods get delivered on time, drivers play a critical role in the freight efficiency of a fleet. I think another way to show drivers just how much we appreciate them is to get them involved in efforts to improve the fleet’s average MPG.

Every fleet has drivers who consistently exceed the fleet-wide MPG average. I have heard them described as BOBs—Best of the Best. Try engaging with those drivers to understand what they are doing that allows them to eke every extra tenth of a mile out of a gallon of diesel. What are they doing differently or better than other drivers in your organization?

Sit down with them and ask them which of the fuel-efficiency technologies you have invested in are working and which are not. Or ask them what they would like to see spec’d on the truck that would allow them to be even more efficient.

Talk to them about any tips or tricks they have developed over the years of driving that result in them consistently achieving high MPGs when they are behind the wheel. Of course, there are the basics—slow down, avoid rabbit starts and hard braking—but given the conversations we’ve had with drivers during interviews leading up to our Run on Less demonstrations, I know there are little things some of these high MPG drivers are doing that can be shared throughout the fleet to raise the average MPG of the entire fleet.

You can honor these top-performing drivers by offering them positions as driver trainers or driver mentors, allowing them to pass their mastery of high MPG driving on to the next generation of drivers.

Diesel fuel is teetering at a national average of around $7 a gallon today, and at that price, the difference between top-performing drivers and less efficient drivers can be the difference between being profitable and operating at a loss.

Drivers are professionals. Honor them by treating them that way and incorporating their input into the best ways to improve your freight efficiency. Hitting the high MPG mark matters more now than it has at any other time in the history of trucking.