For years, so many athletes tried and failed to run a mile in less than 4 minutes that people began to say it was physically impossible. Prior to the 4 minute barrier being broken, the world record for a mile was 4 minutes and 1.3 seconds, set by Gunder Hagg of Sweden in 1945. Due to the psychological challenge faced by the athletes, several runners committed themselves to being the first runner to cover a mile in less than 4 minutes.

On May 6th, 1954, Roger Bannister of Harrow, England broke into the 3 minute zone with a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. Many people used his story to demonstrate the power of positive thought. The fact is it wasn’t just positive thought, it was his unique training which propelled him to success. Of course, he believed that he could break the record as did many other runners of that time. In fact, his record only stood for 46 days.

With the amount of coverage that the 10 mpg gets from the trucking media, 10 mpg has become trucking’s 4 minute mile. Reaching 10 mpg for me has been an ongoing challenge for the last 4-5 years. I’ve been able to attain fuel mileage in excess of 10 mpg on many individual driving days. However, I’ve never been able to average 10 mpg.

On Thursday, March 14th after traveling 1,438 miles in 2 ½ days, I hit the 10 mpg goal on a normal fuel run. I could have traveled much farther before fueling however I stopped in Meridian, MS where I normally fuel on this particular route. The exact fuel mileage was 10.053 mpg as calculated from figures at the fuel pump. This corresponded with the fuel mileage gauge in the dash of my 2014 Cascadia Evolution.
The details of the route are as follows: I began in Lafayette, LA to Laredo, TX and finally refueled in Meridian, MS. The GVW was between 60-65,000 lbs. and the only difference from my normal operation was the cruise speed which was set at 63 mph instead of 65 mph.

I attribute the success of reaching 10 mpg to the advanced aerodynamics of the Cascadia Evolution, the new Detroit DD15 engine/DT12 transmission and the many aerodynamic devices added to my trailer to enhance fuel efficiency. The tractor is the most valuable player in this battle with the air as it’s literally at the front line of this fight. By having the air flow smoothly across the tractor, it allows for maximum benefit from the aerodynamic devices which have been added to the trailer. The benefit comes from the airflow being less turbulent than it would be from a lesser aerodynamic tractor.

Below, check out many of the new features of the Cascadia Evolution.


Comments (9)

Henry Albert

Henry Albert is the owner of Albert Transport, Inc., based in Statesville, NC. Before participating in the "Slice of Life" program, Albert drove a 2001 Freightliner Century Class S/Tâ„¢, and will use his Cascadia for general freight and a dry van trailer. Albert, who has been a trucker since 1983, was recognized by Overdrive as its 2007 Trucker of the Year.

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Henry excellent write-up and congratulations for this milestone. It is great to see a history that remind us all that the Pro Driver is still a central part on achieving great fuel economy. No doubt technology is enabling but is extraordinary people that achieves extraordinary things like breaking the 10 MPG w/o being in a so call SuperTruck

May 01, 2015 10:05:12 AM

Congratulations Henry. Maintaining a fuel mileage average is so difficult, so many factors have a negative affect. The only constants are the driver and the truck itself. Keep up the good/ hard work!

April 29, 2015 12:08:13 PM

Good for you Henry! I've been really working my number lately now that we're getting away from winter diesel up here in the north. I did hit 10.47 loaded on run from Toronto to Arlington, TX by running 58 mph with 32500# load on a dry van with just my wheel covers on the trailer (no side skirts). But like you I'd love to do that on a more regular business.

April 28, 2015 11:28:46 AM

What an exciting story Henry! I am sharing this on our social sites and hope many owner-operators are inspired by this achievement!

April 23, 2013 11:56:01 AM

Congrats Henry!! I've been waiting.

March 19, 2013 5:09:20 AM

Congratulations Henry!! I knew you would break that barrier. It was never "if" but when.

March 18, 2013 9:26:11 AM

No, I haven't read that book. It will be interesting as this truck becomes a little more broken in how often it breaks 10. To me what Popejoy did became and still is a standard. He was not a world class runner his best mile was 3:55.8. What was so remarkable about Popejoy was to run so near his best on a consistent basis. Now that Henry has broken the barrier-can anyone else follow. I am sure as heck gonna try-fuel is rising up over $4 again. So-as impressive a technological break through as this is-I just want to keep my money in my pocket.

March 18, 2013 5:27:25 AM

Jeff have you ever read "The Perfect Mile?" by Neal Bascomb? It talks about how Roger Bannister and John Landy as they both raced to break this barrier? AWESOME BOOK of strength of character and never giving up. Great Job Henry as you knew you would get there and you did the same and John and Roger where able to get there. A great analogy.

March 17, 2013 9:10:37 AM

GREAT ANALOGY-As a miler myself (4:48) the Bannister story has always been a favorite of mine. 10 mpg is a benchmark that that I did not think could be reached with a loaded trailer. But-now Henry Judge Ken Popejoy is your new goal. "Kenny" ran a sub 4 minute mile-in 4 consecutive meets. Congrats!

March 17, 2013 7:13:43 AM