How to Save Gas in Heavy Traffic

Fleet drivers and managers know that there’s not always a lot you can do to avoid sitting in heavy traffic. Whether you’re idling at the light, stopped at a train crossing, or caught in rush hour, stop-and-go driving kills your fuel economy. Fortunately, with planning and staying aware of road conditions, there are things fleet drivers can do to save gas in heavy traffic. Use these tips to do more to conserve gas, and use a fleet fuel card to maximize your savings on overall fuel expenses.

Standing Still? Shift to Neutral

Any time that your engine is running but the vehicle isn’t moving, you’re getting zero miles per gallon. Shifting into neutral drops the RPM, minimizing how much gas is wasted. Keeping the vehicle in drive drains fuel, which is made even worse when the air conditioning is running during the warmer months.

Avoid Left Turns

Making left turns doesn’t just increase your chances of getting into an accident. The time you spend waiting for the light to turn green or a gap in oncoming traffic is trashing your fuel economy. While the route that’s the shortest distance may seem the best for saving gas, in congested areas, it pays to avoid left turns.

Plan Your Routes for Off-Peak Travel

Whenever possible, schedule travel for evenings, early mornings, and other off-peak hours. This will reduce the traffic drivers sit in, lessening the time they spend idling and burning gas.

Watch the A/C Use

If you’re sitting in stop-and-go traffic, open up the windows and turn off the A/C. If it’s an especially hot day and an open window isn’t cutting it, roll the windows back up, but set the air conditioning to the recirculation setting, which reduces how much hot air is pulled in from outside needing to be chilled.

Avoid Over-Braking

Hard braking is just as bad for your gas consumption as hard accelerations. Hang back and leave some space in heavy traffic, which will allow you to use the vehicle’s momentum to slow on its own as you coast to a stop without a hard brake. When you slow down gradually, you also won’t need to accelerate hard when traffic starts moving again.

On average, fuel costs make up around 30% of your fleet’s operating expenses, which is why it just makes sense to save gas as much as possible. In addition to teaching drivers how to reduce fuel usage, a Fuelz Fleet Card can save you up to 15% on your overall fueling expenses. With over 50,000 fueling stations nationwide accepting our fleet card, drivers won’t waste gas trying to find a fueling station that meets their needs. Contact us or call 855-GO-FUELZ to start saving on gas expenses today.