Since bucket trucks first came into being, they have been powered by diesel-run internal combustion engines. In recent years, despite advances in technology, this has held true. The clear majority of bucket trucks still rely exclusively on a diesel engine for power to drive as well as to operate the hydraulic lift. Recently, however, as fuel costs continue to rise, engineers are re-imagining the traditional design, giving birth to the new hybrid bucket trucks.
A hybrid bucket truck has two distinct types of engines. When you lift the hood of a hybrid bucket truck, you’ll find a diesel engine that looks exactly like the one you would find under the hood of a traditional bucket truck. This standard diesel engine powers the transmission of the truck for [...]
Diesel fuel is definitely the life’s blood of any utility fleet. It is what keeps your trucks going. Without it, you would be out of business.
Commercial carriers consume over 38 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually. If you’ve been paying attention to the rising cost of diesel fuel, you can probably imagine just how many dollars that translates to. Diesel fuel is one of the biggest expenses of any company that operates heavy trucks. In fact, fuel expenses can account for as much as 25 percent of a company’s operating costs. Fuel is expensive, but it is necessary.
The cost we pay at the fuel pump is largely out of our control. Consumers have watched fuel prices rise and fall like a wild roller coaster ride over the past several years. There is nothing we can do to influence the price of a gallon of diesel fuel.
There is something we can control, however. [...]
