Can the choice of a heavy-duty engine oil really make a difference to a fleet operator’s bottom line? We hear that question a lot. The short answer is yes, but the more important question is how does the oil make a difference. It’s not just about saving money. Yes, a high-quality lubricant can help control operating expenses like maintenance and oil drain intervals. But more importantly, an oil should be able to help you optimize your fleet to generate more revenue and higher profit margins, minimizing downtime and keeping more vehicles in service for longer stretches of time.

Consider the example of Ecology Auto Parts. With a fleet of some 625 trucks, Ecology is the country’s largest transporter of bulk waste, recyclables, and “green” or biological waste. The company also operates a ship container drayage service to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Most of its trucks are diesel powered, but the vehicles in its drayage business run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Switching to the Industry’s Only Ultra-Low Ash Oil

In 2023, Ecology chose Chevron Delo^® 600 ADF as the preferred engine oil for its entire fleet. Chevron launched Chevron Delo 600 ADF back in 2019 to address the issue of ash formation in diesel particulate filters (DPFs). Ash buildup is largely caused by unburned metallic additive components in the engine oil. Left unchecked, ash clogging can impede DPF performance and cause backpressure, which drags down fuel efficiency. At the very least, ash accumulation leads to frequent downtime for costly DPF cleaning, repair or, in some cases, full replacement.

Chevron Delo ADF 600 was the first and still is the only ultra-low ash heavy-duty engine oil. Chevron’s patented OMNIMAX^® ultra-low ash technology uses a unique, non-metallic additive chemistry that reduces sulfur ash content to 0.4%, or 60% lower than the standard 1% in CK-4 oils. The results are fewer DPF cleanings and lower maintenance costs, longer equipment uptime, and significant fuel economy improvement.

“We’ve been able to extend our oil drain intervals from 30,000 to 40,000 miles,” says Greg Evans, Ecology’s fleet director, “and our DPF cleaning from 250,000 to 400,000 miles. Even the spark plugs in our CNG engines last longer.” Ecology has conducted extensive testing and monitoring of its fleet to validate the performance of Chevron Delo 600 ADF. Based on those results, Greg is confident that Ecology could potentially push those intervals out even further, meaning less time in the shop and more time on the road.

One Oil for Mixed Fleets

Chevron Delo 600 ADF offers another big advantage: CNG compatibility. In 2023, the industry’s leading CNG engine manufacturer, Cummins, certified Delo 600 ADF for use in its CNG engines. That means a mixed-fleet operator like Ecology can service its entire fleet with a single engine oil. Many industry experts believe that mixed fleets of different engine and fuel types will likely be the norm in the near future, as operators acquire new equipment designed for stricter emission limits. Fortunately for Ecology, they can take advantage of CNG to help lower their carbon footprint without adding to their maintenance headaches. “Using one oil means we don’t need multiple tanks,” Greg says. “There’s no risk of misapplication, and it reduces our inventory and labor expenses.”

Ecology Transportation Services has experienced first-hand the impact that Delo’s innovative, ultra-low ash engine oil can have on fleet performance and the company’s bottom line. “Multiplied across a fleet of over 600 units,” Greg concludes, “the gains in uptime and reduced operating expenses have made a big difference for us.”

To hear directly from Greg himself, watch this 1-minute video.