Do you know which is the top expense for most fleets today? You guessed it, it’s your fuel cost. On average, fuel makes up around a third of a fleet’s running costs. Because this cost impacts the bottom line of so many of our customers, we compiled five easy ways to cut on a fleet’s fuel bill:
1. Thoroughly analyze your fleet needs
Take time to do a full all-round working knowledge of your entire fleet including vehicles, drivers, customers, processes, systems, spend and regulations. Ask yourself questions such as:
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Is your fuel purchased wholesale or at the pump?
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What kind of vehicles are best for your operations?
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Where and how are your fleet vehicles driven?
2. Your driver behavior makes a difference
How your drivers behave behind the wheel massively impacts how efficient your vehicles are. Speeding, irregular gear changes and hard braking can have a negative impact on fuel economy. Reducing speed is an easy way to cut costs.
3. Properly plan your routes
A vehicle can use a quarter of a gallon of fuel for every 15 minutes it idles so planning ahead can potentially lead to big savings. From assessing driver routes to analyzing the best places to refuel your vehicles, telematics can play an important part in effectively managing journeys and choosing the best routes. The ability to track and monitor vehicles helps avoid congestion where possible or prevent unnecessary journey overlap.
4. Regularly maintain your fleet
Keeping your vehicles in prime condition can help to reduce fuel costs. As an example, a car with under-inflated tyres can use 3% more fuel than one with the correct pressures. Ask your drivers to carry out daily walk-round checks of their vehicles to look out for issues such as under-inflated tires. Making sure that vehicles are fully serviced and maintained is also a big help in controlling fuel spend.
5. Keep track of any fuel irregularities
Fuel fraud is not as uncommon as you may think – discrepancies in mileage for vehicles or sudden increase in fuel spend needs investigating. A fleet fuel management system, such as Advantage Fuel Center, can play an important part in showing you of any irregularities in fuel costs, supporting a prompt and efficient investigation to quickly determine the cause.
As you turn your attention to your fuel costs, consider if the energy efficiency of your fleets is still working for you. A switch to alternative fuel choices such as electric or hybrid vehicles could deliver those essential cost savings without any loss in performance.
