May 2008, Work Truck - Feature

Gas vs. Diesel

By Sean Lyden

ARTICLE TOOLS        | E-MailPrint RSS

Send an e-mail to a colleague Please fill out the form below to send a link to this story to your colleague.
Your Name:	Your E-mail:
Colleagues' E-mail (Separate each address with comma):
Message: (Max. 500 chars.)
Enter the verification code as it is shown below without spaces. (Not case-sensitive) Enter Code: What's this? Image Code Verification Automated programs can't "read" the code you see in the box: only humans can. When you enter this code, it ensures that your order is going to a real person. If you don't see an image, make sure your browser is set to display images and try again. If you're not sure what the code is, make your best guess. If you're incorrect, you'll get another chance to enter a different code on the next screen. Close
CANCEL

3. Truck Class and Manufacturer

Depending on the truck class and/or manufacturer, the gas engine may not be an available option.

Take, for example, the medium- duty low-cab forward (LCF) market. Isuzu (along with the Chevy and GMC-badged cabovers) offers the 6.0L gas engine on Class 3 and 4 trucks (NPR and NPR-HDs). In comparison, the Ford LCF offers diesel only. However, when moving to Classes 5-7, the Isuzu cabovers offer only diesel.

Therefore, truck size and make determines gas engine availability. If gas is not available, the decision is made. It’s diesel. If a gas alternative is available in the truck class you’re considering, run an analysis to determine which engine is most suitable.

Gas many be the more economical choice for vehicles that will run 25,000 miles or less annually.

4. Body/Equipment Requirements

Consider this scenario. You’re running the truck less than 20,000 miles per year and not pulling a trailer. The manufacturer offers a gas option, and you plan on cycling the truck within five years. Slam dunk for the gas engine, right?

Not necessarily. What body and equipment are you putting on the truck? Is a power take-off (PTO) provision required? This adds a new wrinkle to your analysis.

Here’s why. In many cases, the gas engine and its compatible transmission do not offer a PTO provision. If your truck equipment requires a PTO, contact the truck manufacturer’s rep to confirm the gas truck availability. This will save time and headache up-front, should the gas engine prove incompatible.

5. Warranty Terms and Conditions

As you evaluate operational costs between gas and diesel, be aware of the differences in factory warranty coverage and length. This impacts exposure to risk of unexpected repair costs.

For example, let’s say you’re comparing the gas and diesel versions of the Isuzu NPR cabovers to use as in-town delivery trucks. The factory warranty on the diesel engine is three years/unlimited miles. On the gas engine, it’s three years/36,000 miles.

If you’re operating the truck more than 25,000 miles per year, you’ll run out of warranty on the gas truck within 18 months. Whereas, with the diesel, you have an additional 18 months warranty left.

However, if the truck is running only 10,000-12,000 miles per year, the two warranties are essentially equal — three years.

Another consideration is availability of extended warranties, which can reduce repair risk with gas, if the gas engine proves more suitable in relation to the other factors. In the Isuzu example, a four-year/75,000 mile extended warranty is available at additional cost.

The Bottom Line

Clearly, gas engines offer a significant initial cost advantage compared to diesel. And yet, with diesel, you gain fuel economy savings and greater longevity, translating into potential lower cost of ownership.

There’s more to the gas-versus-diesel question than initial cost and fuel efficiency. When you take a more comprehensive view of the question and analyze exactly how you operate your trucks, you’ll uncover the answer that best fits your fleet. WT

[ Request more info about this product/service/company ]

Request More Info Fill out the form below to request more info regarding the company/product/service featured in the story.
* Name:	Company:
* E-mail:	Phone:
Preferred contact method: EmailPhone
I would like info on the following:
Enter the verification code as it is shown below without spaces. (Not case-sensitive) Enter Code: What's this? Image Code Verification Automated programs can't "read" the code you see in the box: only humans can. When you enter this code, it ensures that your order is going to a real person. If you don't see an image, make sure your browser is set to display images and try again. If you're not sure what the code is, make your best guess. If you're incorrect, you'll get another chance to enter a different code on the next screen. Close
CANCEL