Driving tests

What is diesel exhaust fluid (AdBlue) and why is it used?

Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) helps heavy vehicle drivers achieve Euro-5 emission control standards by reducing the level of nitrogen oxides emitted. As the spotlight is turned on pollution caused by diesel vehicles, it has gained popularity due to European trucks

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Does your company need an idling policy for drivers?

Fuel costs are a significant expense in some industries. Every time an engine is idling unnecessarily (i.e. the engine is running but the vehicle isn’t moving or using it to power auxiliary equipment), fuel is being used for no purpose,

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Why is so much carbon dioxide produced when burning fuel?

It’s true: you burn a litre of diesel which weighs around 840g, but you end up with 2.64kg of carbon dioxide. Petrol is similar – 720g per litre, but 2.35kg of CO2. Why is this? It’s related to what happens

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Save fuel in your truck by reducing engine idle time

If you’ve seen a modern sleeper cab then you’ll know how luxurious they can be. It’s not uncommon for drivers that do long journeys to have a flat-screen TV, microwave, gaming console, refrigerator and laptop available to them. Keeping the

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Advantages of air suspension

Air suspension on trucks has huge advantages, and a few disadvantages. Most new trucks come with an air suspension option (if not as standard), and it’s available on trailers, too. If you’re considering air suspension on a truck or trailer, here

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Truck driver fuel economy tips: the ultimate guide

Trucking is competitive and, when you’re piloting a 30,000kg vehicle through cities, villages and rural roads, saving fuel can make the difference between a route being profitable and not. If you’re a driver and you can drive economically you are

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Fuel CO2 calculator: carbon dioxide emissions in kg

carbon dioxide emissions

The approximate CO2 per litre of diesel fuel is 2.68kg, and for petrol it is approximately 2.31kg. LPG produces around 1.51kg per litre. There is not much variation in this, even with new vs old vehicles; the main factor that

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Safe driving policy

How to create a safe driving policy Every company or entity that has employees, volunteers or contractors drive its vehicles or use their own vehicles directly for work purposes must have a safe driving policy. You can create your own,

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Should you stop your engine while waiting at a red light?

If you’ve got a modern car which automatically switches the engine off when you are stationary then you’ll know that this is to help you save fuel and to reduce pollution. The systems anticipate when you’ve stopped then restart the engine

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How to calculate fuel economy and usage

Manufacturers give a fuel economy figure for new cars in litres per 100km for urban, extra urban (i.e. higher speeds) and combined (a mixture of the two). This number is determined via a standardised test which, unfortunately, bears very little

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How are official fuel economy figures calculated?

Almost all car manufacturers compete for kudos and business by publishing their fuel economy figures and hoping that they are better than their competitors. Only supercar companies, where fuel economy doesn’t matter much to the owners (think Ferrari and Lamborghini),

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Should you buy a petrol or diesel car?

If you are choosing a new car or your first car your main choices (unless you really want to go all-electric) are petrol (including petrol-hybrid) or diesel. Let’s assume you’re not heading down the hybrid route at the moment and

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10 ways to improve your fuel economy

If you need to save some money, looking at how and what you drive can help. Most of us don’t drive in the most fuel economical way, but we look to try to buy a more fuel economical car to

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