With gas prices at more than $4.00 per gallon and still increasing rapidly, we’re likely to top $5.00 before the year is out.  For people who drive pickup trucks, SUVs, and other gas-guzzling fiends, this is really bad news.  Fortunately, there are things you can do to increase your pickup truck’s gas mileage — it won’t make it as efficient as, say, a Prius, but at least it’ll help.

Here are a couple of things you can do to get better gas mileage in your pickup truck:

1. Keep your truck in good condition.  Little things like regular oil changes, keeping tires inflated to the correct air pressure, and doing regular tune-ups on the engine all keep your truck in tip-top shape, which allows you to get the best possible gas mileage out of it.
2. Look into truck bed covers.  The bed in a pickup truck causes a lot of wind resistance — that is, the air blowing in and out of your truck’s bed as you drive slows you down, and you have to therefore use more gas in order to keep up your speed.  Covering your bed with a tonneau cover cuts down on this wind resistance, enabling you to improve your gas mileage.
3. Install other pickup truck accessories that increase gas mileage.  If you don’t want to invest in a tonneau cover, you can also decrease the amount of wind resistance by removing your tailgate and replacing it with a special net.
4. Avoid accessories that decrease fuel economy.  For instance, ventshades can actually make your gas mileage worsen by a mile or two per gallon.

With gas prices rising the way they are, a lot of people are considering trading in their pickup trucks and SUVs for more economical vehicles.  If you can’t or don’t want to do so, though, you’re not completely out of luck — you just need to be smart and maximize your gas mileage as much as possible!

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