After the risen costs of crude oil towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, fuel prices have been on the increase due to growing energy demands, and for any fleet manager, fuel can be one of the largest expenses. This means overcoming unnecessary fuel costs is becoming more important to save money in fleet operations. The latest technology in fleet telematics and GPS tracking has become one of the most popular demands for any fleet managers, providing valuable insights into their fleet operations, aiming to reduce unnecessary driving elements that wastes fuel. So here are a few insights which you can gain from GPS tracking and fleet telematics, and other tips, aiming to reduce fuel costs:
Monitoring Speed
This is probably the most obvious one on the list. More speed equals more fuel – simple. But it would be very hard to monitor this without any sort of device that alerts you if one of your fleet drivers is speeding whilst sitting at your desk. Incorporating GPS tracking technology that monitors speed will significantly reduce fuel, especially if you have a large fleet. Monitoring speed will not only reduce fuel costs, but it will also create a safer environment for your fleet drivers, reducing the chances of having accidents from dangerous driving.
Track Engine Idling
Idling engines are one of the biggest contributors to fuel costs with larger vehicles tending to lose more fuel than smaller ones. Your fleet vehicles get ZERO miles per gallon yet still expend fuel when standing. Although some vehicles have stop-start features that turns off the engine when it comes to a halt, most fleet vehicles such as lorries and larger vans don’t yet have this feature compared to modern cars. Idling can also cause greater wear and tear in your engine overtime, resulting in higher maintenance costs. GPS tracking technology allows you to track whether your drivers are idling for long periods of time. This will give you an insight into the state of your fleet vehicles relating to fuel consumption.
Limiting personal use of your fleet vehicles
Are you noticing fuel expenses are through the roof on one of your fleet vehicles? Although certain usage polices may accept personal use of company vehicles, yours may not accept this. And of course, personal usage of fleet vehicles such as company vans will noticeably increase fuel costs. GPS tracking technology can detect this and alert you if one of your drivers is driving out of working hours. Make sure that you speak to your fleet drivers about the usage policies of your fleet vehicles and implement whether boundaries should be placed.
Remove unnecessary weight from your vehicles
Adding extra unnecessary weight can easily be when you’re working in day to day working hours. Checking your vehicle before journeys for unnecessary tools, heaving equipment and waste will significantly reduce weight and therefore, save fuel. As well as fuel, removing unnecessary weight will prevent undue wear and tear, extending the lifespan of your fleet vehicles.
Check tire pressure regularly
If ever one or more of your tires are slightly below the required pressure, this will cause the engine to work harder therefore, more fuel will be used. Think of it like you’re riding a bike with low tire pressure, you know that it can be a lot more exhausting for yourself if this is the case. Incorporating weekly or daily checks if you’re travelling long distances will make you aware if your tires are losing pressure more quickly than they should be.
Schedule Maintenance and Service Checks
This method is vital for your fleet operations. Not only will it reduce fuel costs, but also will ensure safety for your drivers and extend the lifespan of your fleet vehicles. This should normally be done every 3,000 to 5,000 miles that the vehicle has clocked in. Staying on top of fleet vehicle maintenance will also help you reach an extra hundred thousand miles in the long run. In other context, maintenance will verify whether your vehicles are running up to standards or not.
Incorporate the most efficient routes
If you’re not tracking the routes of your fleet daily, then you may not know if your fleet drivers are interweaving all over the area they are travelling. If they are frequently doing this, then this will significantly increase fuel costs. Incorporating fleet routes with GPS tracking technology will improve your overall operations, perhaps even integrating more customers because of less inconvenient driving. Our GPS tracking software lets you create routes that can be incorporated into your fleet operations, alerting you if a vehicle has taken a route that isn’t scheduled or listed.
Control your fleet operations with fleet telematics
Fleet telematics is going beyond simple tracking. Gaining insights into reducing fuel costs is just one of hundreds of amounts of data that you can analyse from fleet telematics. Telematics sit at the heart of numerous daily routines and can form the basis for modern digital workflows that makes fleet more efficient and less error prone. This means it will not only improve the efficiency and utilization of your fleet, but the management systems of telematics will create a less stressful environment for fleet managers and their employees.
