Ryder's RydeSmart product is one of many ideas the trucking industry has come up with to try to reduce fuel costs as the price of diesel flirts with $5 a gallon.

Here are some others:

• Aerodynnamics. A sleeker truck

• Speeds. Driving slower means better gas mileage.

• Software. Fleets are using increasingly complex computer programs that calculate the most efficient route possible and minimize time without paying loads

• Engine idle. Drivers often leave their trucks on while stationary so they can get air conditioning while they sleep, for example. But that can use a lot of fuel. Now more truckers are buying small diesel generators called auxiliary power units, which use less fuel, for use during down times.

• Tires. A new technology called ''super singles'' could replace pairs of side-by-side tires with a single, wider tire. Experts say this could cut fuel consumption by 3 percent.

Source

Back when I was in college, a company was working on what would today be called a hydraulic hybrid for in town trucking. It was a truck with a diesel engine and hydraulic motors to brake and assist with acceleration during the stop and go traffic of urban trucking.

I wonder what ever happened to that effort.

I'm not so sure about this...