Profit is usually the yardstick of business success, and without it, you are bound to close shop. Since you obtain profit by deducting expenses from income, it makes sense to keep the operating costs at a minimum to maximize your returns.
When your business involves managing a fleet of vehicles, one expense you will never miss from your income statement is fuel consumption. Therefore, below are tips on how to reduce fuel consumption with fleet management for optimal returns.
Scheduled Maintenance
Regular fleet maintenance not only increases the lifespan of your car but also impacts your fleet's fuel efficiency. For this reason, ensure that you check your fleet's tires and retain pressure at the correct level. When the tire pressure goes below 40% of the recommended level, fuel consumption increases by 8%. You must fix other problems promptly, including changing the motor oil, air filters, and faulty parts. The general rule is to check the tire pressure monthly and change air filters after every 12,000 to 15,000 miles.
Monitored Driving
It is necessary to keep an eye on your drivers whenever they are on the road so you can advise on the routes to take to avoid excessive gas consumption. Besides, because most fleet management companies offer a GPS tracking service, you can immediately be notified when a driver exceeds a specific speed limit and in which location.
You will also get an alert when the vehicle is not moving, thus encourage your drivers to turn off the engines. Since most businesses offering home services prefer large cars, you should know that size matters in fuel consumption; larger vehicles waste more fuel when idling. Modern engines require less gas when starting yet idling for as little as 30 seconds uses up more fuel than that consumed when restarting the engine.
Use Nearby Vehicles
You can implement real-time tracking using GPS and live mapping software and get to know the location of each vehicle whenever a client needs assistance. Consequently, you can dispatch the driver nearest to the client's site. Additionally, such fleet management software tools enable you to plan the driver's route; ensure that you pick smoother roads because they are more fuel-efficient.
Make Use of Cruise Control
Cruise control comes in handy in long stretches of highway driving. Natural Resources Canada collected data that showed fluctuating between speeds uses up 20% more fuel than locking in a certain speed on your cruise control. That being said, the simple press of a button can save you up to $2 of gas per hour, which collectively is quite a considerable amount of savings for your fleet.
Reduced Weight Load
As much as you want your drivers to be prepared for anything when they are on the move, limit their cargo they carry to only what they need. Even if your vehicle does not have composite body parts to cut on the vehicle's overall weight, you can do your part by keeping your fleet light. When you load cargo on the roof, you increase aerodynamic drag, which lowers fuel efficiency. Therefore, whenever you do not need an external cargo container, remember to remove it.
With these five tips to reduce your fleet's fuel consumption, all that remains is getting the fleet management company that will help implement them. At Wilmar, lowering expenses is our primary objective regardless of the number of vehicles in your fleet. We offer a fleet optimization analysis that includes actionable recommendations, benchmarking, fleet mix evaluation, and fuel costs. Pay us a visit today at our headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and let's get started on the journey to maximizing your profits. Contact us now.
