5 Tips for Decreasing Fuel Spend
Fuel is the most costly and inescapable expense in any fleet’s budget, taking up just about 70% of it. Trying to find ways to cut costs and maintain fleet fuel expenses is an ongoing challenge for managers. However, combining technology advancements and best practices can help overcome these obstacles. Following these five tips can save your fleet thousands in fuel costs!
1. Find the Lowest Prices
Almost all drivers on the road today have access to websites or apps that can direct them to the lowest fuel prices in their local area. Even fleet fuel card providers offer smartphones apps that can provide this information. But how much money does this really save?
Here’s an example from Duluth, Georgia. The lowest price in the area is $2.21 per gallon, while the average price nationwide is $2.47 per gallon. If a truck with a 25-gallon tank needs to fill up 4 days a week, the price can vary from $276.25 to $308.75. That’s $32.50 in savings a week, $130 a month, or $6,760 a year!
2. ‘Slim’ Down Your Fleet
Fleet vehicles carry various cargo from materials, people, products, and paper, and the more a vehicle weighs, the more fuel it takes to move it. There’s often unnecessary weight that can be avoided. For example, some drivers bring golf clubs or bikes to use recreationally in their free time. All of these items add up and affect the truck’s weight. Reducing the truck’s weight means burning less fuel and reduced fleet costs.
3. Limit their Idling
Fleet managers have drivers make service calls to various places where they’re probably going to sit idle. A commercial driver delivering a product will leave the car idling while the delivery is made. If drivers can reduce the amount of idling, they can stop wasting fuel.
4. Combat Slippage
What is ‘slippage’? This term refers to dollars in fleet fuel expenses that aren’t used on fuel. Most convenience stores sell items like food, beverages, tobacco products, and fuel. Drivers can either choose to pay at the pumps, or they could go inside and buy snacks and drinks in addition to their fuel. But how can this be stopped? A good place to start is using “fuel-only” cards to prevent the purchase of non-fuel products.
5. Stay Inflated
Tire drag should be the only contact to the road. The resistance they create can drastically impact your fuel efficiency. Most tires today are engineered to minimize resistance and keep water out from under the tread so you don’t hydroplane.
These are five ways that fleet managers can immediately save on fuel. Looking for more ideas to save? Fuelz is the industry leader in fleet fuel cards built by a petroleum company. We offer purchase controls, exception alerts, and discounts that can keep you up-to-date! Contact us today to get started, or call 1-855-GO-FUELZ to speak with a specialist.
