2020 Canadian Truck King Challenge Fuel Study

For the seventh year in a row the Canadian Truck King Challenge has produced a fuel economy report that comes out of what we call “real-world” testing. And, we are proud to say that the Ministry of Natural Resources has once again supported us in collecting, analyzing and bringing you, the Canadian truck buyer, this fuel data.

So, what is “real-world” testing?  First off, the Truck King “real-world” method is the polar opposite of what the government does. They test vehicles in a laboratory on a stationary dynamometer which simulates on-road driving to measure fuel consumption.  This computer controls a “simulated” drive that lasts about 20 minutes and tries to cover city/highway/stop & go and idle conditions.  The results they get are what’s shown on those black and white window stickers you’ll see on all new vehicles. As a consistent method this works and the results are a good guideline.

There is another way of doing it though and that’s our way.  Real drivers – actually driving; while the fuel data recorders work in the background as the judges drive and evaluate this year’s entries. Which for 2020 were the mid-size trucks on offer.

This is how we do it.   Each one of the new trucks we test is driven empty on-road by five different judges over the same 20-km test route.  Then these judges drive the same trucks while towing a trailer, and then again while hauling payload.   In other words, they are doing exactly what a Canadian truck owner does on a daily basis.

What makes our method unique is that it takes the human element into consideration.  Judges drive the loop over and over; changing up drivers each time. Of course, everyone drives differently and so do the judges, this adds a dose of reality to this real-world test. These are the numbers we report.

All the stats are measured using a FleetCarma C5 logger. These units plug into the OBD port of the vehicles and obtain both standard and proprietary signals required for energy analysis.  The company, FleetCarma, then produces an average of all those loops, by all those judges, in each condition.

This is the seventh year we have produced the real-world fuel report. Previous year’s results can be found on our website.  Just one more word on the results you’ll see.  Each year the Canadian Truck King Challenge tests the newest trucks made available to us. Some years we skip certain classes and sometimes certain makes/models/powertrains are simply not provided by the manufactures.

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