With fuel prices at an all-time high, saving on fuel is more important than ever. However, fuel is the lifeblood of any fleet business, so what can we do? Fleet fuel efficiency is a significant topic of conversation right now, and with proper fleet management practices, fleets can find fuel savings. Let’s learn about fleet management best practices for fuel efficiency and how we can achieve savings, even in these times.
Tools to Use to Reduce Fuel Expenses
Luckily, technology has advanced in the past few decades to help us with these unprecedented times. What tools can we use to help us reduce our fuel use? Let’s break them down.
- Telematics: Telematics helps you reduce fuel costs in two significant ways. What you’ll need to focus on is driver behavior. In particular, speeding and idling are the culprits to watch. For every five miles per hour that your drivers speed over 50 miles per hour, you end up paying an additional $0.20 per gallon of gas. For every hour your drivers spend idling, a truck wastes about 0.8 gallons of fuel. Cutting down on speeding and idling can save your fleet significantly on fuel.
- Route Planning Software: The entire point of route planning software is to get you to your destination in the most fuel-efficient way possible, regardless of how many stops you have on the way. This technology detects where they may run into delays like traffic, construction, school zones, and more where fuel may be wasted. It also increases efficiency by ensuring you have just the right amount of vehicles on the road, so you’re not wasting resources.
- Maintenance Alerts: Vehicles that are running efficiently do not waste fuel. However, if there are malfunctioning parts, you might run into issues where your fuel is just going down the drain. Fleet maintenance software from Azuga has a feature called scheduled maintenance. If your tires aren’t properly inflated, you’ll get an alert so you can fix the problem immediately. It also helps you keep your regular maintenance appointments, preventing your vehicles from falling into disrepair. One aspect you must pay particular attention to is your tires. Tires that aren’t adequately inflated or aligned require more effort to travel.
- Driver Safety Programs: If your drivers are constantly slamming on the accelerator or hitting the brakes, it can hurt your gas mileage and create an unsafe environment for all drivers involved. Luckily, telematics and fleet safety software and programs improve your drivers’ behavior on the road and save your business money on fuel.
Start Saving on Fuel!
If you’re looking for all the tools mentioned here, look no further than Azuga! We have everything mentioned in this article and more to help you save on fuel costs in these dire times for fleets. Learn more by trying out a demo with one of our experts
