When it comes to a typical fleet’s running costs, fuel is the biggest expense and makes up about ⅓rd of the total expenses. Hence, it makes sense to think of saving up on costs by reducing fuel consumption or usage especially when your business involves a fleet of vehicles. The prices of fuel keep fluctuating and there’s not much you can do about it, however, you can take certain measures that can keep the fuel consumption under control. You can add up to significant savings with the help of fleet management solutions.
What are the ways to reduce fuel consumption?
When you have efficient fleet management software in place, you can analyse various parameters and also monitor the inefficiencies. Here are some of the ways you can reduce fuel consumption with the help of fleet management technology:
Driving Behaviour
Checking your driver’s behaviour while he is on the road can help you in so many ways. With a GPS tracking device, you can easily keep an eye on your driver’s behaviour. For instance, if he is taking a longer route, you can advise them to take an alternate route to avoid excessive fuel consumption. Fleet managers will also be notified if the vehicle is not in motion, and hence they can encourage the driver to turn off the engines so that there’s no wastage of fuel when idling.
Talk to your drivers if they are overspeeding or hard braking as these can negatively affect the fuel economy. This may sound very basic, however, it could save a lot of money in the long run. Drivers are usually not much concerned about fuel wastage hence, companies can also plan on having an awareness program so that drivers are pushed towards achieving positive change.
Manage your fleet efficiently with LocoNav’s Fleet Management Solutions!
Assign Nearby Vehicles
Implementation of the tracking device allows you to track your fleets in real-time and you can easily monitor the location of each vehicle. With the fleet management software, you can use the ‘Nearby Vehicle Locator’ feature and assign the vehicle which is nearby to your client’s site. This way, the pickup process is smooth as well as more fuel-efficient which leads to potentially big savings. Similarly, telematics can play a major role in finding the best route possible and checking if there’s any traffic on roads as almost a quarter of a gallon of fuel is wasted if the vehicle gets stuck in traffic even for 15 minutes.
Regular Fleet Maintenance
When your fleet undergoes regular maintenance, it not only increases the lifespan of the vehicle but only influences the fuel efficiency of that vehicle. For instance, you need to keep a check on your fleet’s tires as when the tire pressure is less than 40%, this increases the fuel consumption to almost 8%. Hence, it is so important to retain pressure at the correct level. Besides this, you should also check the air filters, motor oil or any other issues in your fleets. When you keep your vehicles in good condition, it automatically reduces fuel costs. You can make use of fleet management solutions for preventive maintenance of your fleet.
Decrease Weight Load
It is recommended to limit your cargo to carry only what is required and needed. People overlook how crucial it is to keep the fleet light and to cut down on a vehicle’s overall weight. When the cargo carries the extra load, this enhances the aerodynamic drag which reduces the fuel efficiency. Hence, try keeping your fleet light by removing the external cargo container when not required.
Keep a Tab on Your Vehicles
Logically, when your vehicles are always on the road, you will have a high fuel bill. Thus, it becomes important to check where your vehicles are and what they are up to! When you keep track of your vehicle using fleet management technology, you get updates in real-time about the vehicle. For example, you can check if your vehicle goes outside the authorized area and then an action can be taken. Thus, you can make sure that you are only paying for genuine fuel purchases and there’s no discrepancy in between with the help of fleet management technology.
Quick Read: Fuel Theft: Affecting Your Business More Than You Realize
Quick Read: Electric Vehicles: The Future of Heavy-Duty Transportation