2015 Fuel Management Trends
As the tech world is exploding, with an awards show made for Silicon Valley types called “The Crunchies”, that parrots the Oscars and rolls out their own green carpet; it’s about time we see the fruits of this advanced technological age inspire the ho-hum world of fleet fuel spending.
Enter the world of fuel management of 2015; a roster of the latest and greatest tech, or advanced processes that are helping to make machines run better, or save fleets money.
Anti-Idling Tech
In Columbus, Ohio, SUV’s were made off-limits to city fleets, until its police department had to find new wheels after Ford’s termination of the Crown Victoria. Nothing but an SUV could match the automobile’s size. The solution to the stand-off between the city’s green anti-SUV policy and the department’s needed utility was the installation of a $3,000 dollar anti-idling technology, the GRIP Idle Management System and Espar heater. This technology was projected to save a yearly $3,500 on the fuel cost in each vehicle, with a five-year savings of $14,000 on each SUV. Columbus installed them in 90% of their police fleet.
Aluminum Tech
When gas prices are low, people buy more vehicles. Next, the question arises, regarding which truck to purchase. Adding to this query are advances in the development of aluminum trucks, such as the 2015 Ford F-150, which has increased the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, and industry-wide advances in the way engines are manufactured. Ford’s newest full-sized pickup trucks are actually 700 pounds lighter than the F-series, which makes a significant impact on pump prices – upwards of 20 miles. The downside is that when there is an accident, repair costs are higher for a truck made of aluminum.
Fuel Card Tech
Finally, one of the best ways to save on gasoline is to monitor the way your fleet gets it. You can do that with a fuel card. When you adopt a fuel card you can manage your fuel expenses using sophisticated software that allows you to block purchases, and to keep an eye on how every one of your drivers spends fuel allotments.
Green Reviews
Last financial year, the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland helped save 350 local businesses 850,000 pounds, or $1,294,550 dollars with reviews of their transport systems. Finding similar outside organizations that specialize in free or low cost reviews of fleet transport can save them significant money.
For heavy duty fleets, gas saving tactics and powertrain upgrades, smarter maintenance, aerodynamic solutions and driver education all work together to equal significant savings.
And while not technical, you can also try the most cost effective solution of all:
Use Virtual Reality to Pick Your New Vehicle
When selecting new vehicles, there’s a lot of time spent test driving. Imagine if you could do that without ever getting into a vehicle. Now you can with virtual reality test drives. But better than collecting new vehicles, is this exceedingly non-tech option….
Getting Rid of Vehicles
This is the surest way to lower your fleet costs. Even though the remainder of your fleet is going to be taking on more of the slack, this is less than the cost of sustaining entire vehicles. Another way is to check your maps and routes to find ways to cut mileage.
Once you add all of these advanced methods together (except the last one, which is just straightforward), you’ll be in a great position to save significantly on your fleet expenses.
