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The price of fuel is a major concern for business owners worldwide and can have a major impact on the bottom line of businesses of all sizes; whether they are large multinationals or businesses that only own a couple of delivery vehicles. The rises of the past few years look set to continue so savvy business owners and fleet managers are always looking for ways that they can economise. There are three key areas in which this is possible.
<h2>Improved Driver Performance is Critical</h2>
Educating drivers about methods for saving fuel is the best way to reduce operating costs. There are many techniques drivers can employ to realise significant savings. Some of them are as follows.
Driving too quickly can increase fuel consumption by as much as 35% in the case of a heavily loaded van. No other technique has the potential to save more money than getting drivers to slow down.
<h2>Fast accelerations and sudden deceleration also waste fuel.</h2>
Revving the engine unnecessarily and idling whilst waiting also contributes to fuel inefficiency.
Avoid warming the car up for long on a cold day. Modern vehicles do not require this to operate efficiently.
Employ good sense for the use of air conditioning. On the highway, opening windows causes drag and reduces gasoline efficiency. Drivers should run air conditioning in this situation. But when driving in stop-and-go traffic, drivers should roll the windows down to reduce operating costs.
<h2>Management Must Streamline Operations</h2>
Intelligent management of resources is another important way to streamline fleet operations and improve operating costs. Important steps to take include the following.
Choose employees with the right attitude, and train them when they start at your company in efficient driver behaviour so they know from the start what is expected from them. An effective way of ensuring that employees continue to operate ‘good’ driving behaviours is to have refresher courses at intervals such as every six months or annually. The best way to monitor employee driving behaviour is to install a vehicle tracking solution, as the data from these systems identifies instances of excessive speeding, braking and idling. It could be put into your employment contract that key performance indicators connected to driving efficiently will be monitored regularly.
It is also important to know where drivers are located at all times so you can direct the closest driver to an incoming job, and check that they are not using fuel you have paid for to do tasks not connected to the company. Vehicle tracking is an excellent tool to identify problems with vehicle misuse.
Proper fleet maintenance can save on fuel costs, identify oil leaks and other problems, and also save on repair bills. Tire pressure should be checked often. Snow tires should be removed in warm months because wide tires and deep treads can cause vehicles to burn more petrol or diesel.
<h2>Employ Gas Cards to Save</h2>
Gas cards are a great way to save as much as 5% at the pump. Some companies also offer fixed weekly prices that will not change if the price for gas rises in the period. Gas cards also allow fleet managers to better track fuel use and provide protection against fraud on the part of drivers who may find any number of clever ways to misuse cash advances for fuel purposes.