‘Tis the season of road trips and with road trips comes the unfortunate necessity of spending money on gas.  Why not take some gas saving tips from the one of the largest fleets in the country, the United States Postal Service!

Since 1899 when they tested their first electric vehicle the United States Postal Service has been environmentally friendly.  Today they operate with more than 44,000 alternative fuel-capable mail delivery vehicles across the country, including, ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas and electric.

With 214,000 vehicles traveling 1.2 billion miles each year the U.S. Postal Service knows a lot about vehicles and how best to save fuel. “The Postal Service is building a culture of conservation that benefits our workplace and the communities we serve,” says Emil Dzuray, acting Chief Sustainability Officer. “We believe the tried and true tips our letter carriers use to conserve fuel when delivering mail can also help motorists…year round.”

With that in mind here are the USPS’ effective fuel conservation tips for all motorists:

• Use air to save fuel – Underinflated tires can increase fuel consumption by as much as 4% and lead to excessive tire wear. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

• Don’t idle – Idling uses at least a half gallon of fuel per hour and releases excess carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere.

• Drive the speed limit – Speeding is dangerous and, at highway speeds, fuel economy drops for every one mile per hour over the speed limit.

• Make gradual starts and stops – Quick accelerations consume more fuel than gradual starts.

Not only can these tips help regular drivers conserve fuel they are also part of the USPS comprehensive strategy to meet its goal of reducing vehicle petroleum use by 20% by 2015.