GP Transco Builds Fuel Savings Through Truck Specs, Solar and Driver Coaching

For GP Transco, a tenth of a mile per gallon can matter when it’s multiplied across tens of millions of miles. The Joliet, Illinois-based carrier has built fuel efficiency into truck and trailer specifications, driver training and pay incentives, with savings helping fund raises and bonuses for employees.

That approach links equipment decisions to day-to-day operations. Aerodynamic features are specified before new trucks and trailers arrive, solar panels help reduce overnight engine restarts, and coaching focuses on driving habits such as idling and acceleration. The aim is to lower fuel use while keeping equipment manageable for technicians and comfortable for drivers.

Efficiency built into equipment orders

GP Transco operates 500 to 600 power units, almost all Freightliners, and more than 1,200 trailers. Its dry van network covers the lower 48 states and Canada. The tractors are specified with FlowBelow wheel covers and fairings around the drive axles. Trailers receive Transtex Top Edge kits to reduce rear drag, as well as side skirts.

The fleet has moved those additions into its purchasing and delivery process. Earlier installations were handled internally; now, aerodynamic equipment is specified through manufacturers or installed before delivery. Solar panels, for example, are fitted at the dealer during pre-delivery inspection. New equipment can begin hauling freight without first going through GP Transco’s shop for those installations. Some trailers, Gorno says, start work before returning to company headquarters.

Standardizing the fleet has also simplified maintenance. GP Transco previously ran a wider mix of makes and models, but has consolidated primarily around Freightliner. Familiar equipment gives technicians a more consistent platform to service and helps simplify parts inventory. “It's not a mystery every time we look at a new truck,” says Alex Gorno, the fleet’s vice president of maintenance.

Aerodynamic parts still face the hazards of regular operation. Fairings and wheel covers can be struck, but Gorno says the fleet hasn’t encountered a recurring, systemic damage problem. Because the equipment is common in the industry, parts are available for repairs on the road or in-house. Some components are designed to break away when hit, limiting damage to nearby parts. “If the aero devices, if the wheel covers get hit, they come off,” Gorno says. “It’s kind of a break-free technology. So it's not going to take the wheel with it, it's not going to take the bumper with it.”

Solar panels reduce overnight restarts

The fleet’s solar program began with a limited pilot a couple of years ago. GP Transco installed Merlin 500W solar kits on a small number of tractors, mounting the panels across the roof fairing. Their power helps maintain battery charge while a driver is on a break, reducing the need to restart the engine overnight.

Drivers reported fewer restarts. Gorno recalls examples of overnight restarts dropping from four to one, and from three to two. Those reports helped the company decide to expand the installation. GP Transco equipped the rest of its 2024 trucks and its 2025 trucks with solar panels.

This year, the fleet has also been piloting lithium batteries to extend the time trucks can support hotel loads without an engine restart. The goal is to keep heating and cooling, refrigerators and other equipment running during driver breaks while using less fuel. The solar and battery work targets the same operational need: supporting drivers’ comfort during rest periods while reducing engine use.

Coaching and pay connect drivers to fuel goals

Equipment is only one part of the program. Fuel efficiency features prominently in GP Transco’s two-day driver orientation, which covers idling, acceleration and anticipating braking. Coaching continues afterward. When performance trends point to room for improvement, the company reviews them with the driver, discusses changes and sets a plan to track progress.

Fuel economy and idle percentage also feed into the company’s Elite score, which combines multiple driver metrics. Drivers who meet the program’s criteria qualify for a bonus based on the miles they drove in the previous month. Getting idle percentage below a specified threshold can earn additional cents per mile. A leaderboard adds competition, while the mileage-based bonus gives drivers a direct financial reason to take part.

Gorno says the broader efficiency effort also helps GP Transco afford a separate, fleetwide driver pay increase of 5 cents per mile. Savings can support office staff raises and bonuses as well. For the maintenance department, small efficiency improvements become more consequential when spread over a large fleet and a high annual mileage total.

Gorno says higher diesel prices have shortened the payback period for efficiency investments, though GP Transco continues to see value when fuel prices ease. He encourages fleets beginning their own efforts to start with established equipment and approaches with a track record, while leaving room for pilots once they have the capacity to assess new technology.

“If you're just getting into it, I would not pilot,” he says. “I'd go with the standard and see what has already worked and has been proven.”

He also cautions against dismissing modest gains. An improvement of 0.1 or 0.2 mpg may sound small, but Gorno says annualizing it across 40, 50 or 60 million miles can create room for downstream benefits. For GP Transco, the practical measure is not any single device or coaching session. It’s whether the combined gains lower operating costs while supporting the people who move the freight.