How to Manage Fleet Fuel Costs

As a fleet manager, you’re in charge of most of the cost-cutting and money-saving decisions that have to be made for your fleet, however tough or radical those decision might be. When it comes to keeping your team focused and committed to completing jobs on schedule, it can be hard to your attention to the bigger picture. Luckily, there are many basic ways to cut down costs on the job without going out of your way to implementing radical changes. Here are just a few ways to successfully manage a fleet while getting a handle on fuel costs.

 

Fleet Reduction

One of the simplest, quickest ways to cut costs is to reduce the number of cars in your fleet. The payoff, in terms of money saved, is almost instant, and the remaining cars in the fleet can be used to pick up the slack from the canceled cars. When taking into account each car’s value versus its output, always try and make a decision that will actually save money in the long run.

For instance, cutting cars might save a lot at first, but new costs could develop later through overtime or unexpected maintenance for other cars. As long as you have the number of cars you need to bring a job in on time, plus any extra vehicles waiting in the wings in case of emergency, you shouldn’t run into trouble in reducing your fleet’s total number.

Miles Travelled

Another quick way to reduce costs is to try and streamline your fleet as much as possible in terms of distance traveled. Certain mapping apps can be installed to always show the shortest route possible, and rescheduling certain cars to drive at less traffic-heavy times of night could result in major savings for the company overall.

When it comes to tracking your drivers’ movements and making sure that everyone sticks to the agreed upon route, a great option for fleet managers is to install fleet integration software in each car. These programs, which generally come with company-wide GPS and tracking capabilities, can keep tabs on drivers and make sure they follow the correct route. Many of these programs even offer fleet managers the ability to control certain car functions remotely, making for an even smaller margin of error.

Downsize

When it comes to the vehicles themselves, it never hurts to downsize. While larger trucks can carry more cargo, they also come with their own set of size-related problems. Large trucks often require special maintenance, specific highway routes, and other time-consuming problems related to the bulk of the equipment. While trucks are great for transporting large amounts of cargo across great distances, smaller cars can often do similar jobs in less time, more efficiently and with greatly reduced fuel costs. When it comes to certain fleets, the most logical thing is to skip large vehicles altogether and invest in a large number of smaller, more dependable cars with great gas mileage and low maintenance costs. Downsizing to a larger number of smaller, more efficient cars could be your best bet in terms of long-term savings.

Go Green

Searching for the best way to save money on gas and mileage usually always leads to one answer: Green energy. Hybrids and electric cars, while less likely to be built to the same scale as larger cargo-moving vehicles, can save huge amounts of money in gas alone. Additionally, cars with diesel engines also get great mileage and are low on harmful emissions. Having a fleet with even a quarter of its cars running on green energy could be the perfect way to cut costs up front while keeping up with newer, more helpful technologies in the long run.

Lower Fuel Costs

Whether you decide to pursue a more cost-efficient way of paying for gas, like switching to Quarles fleet fueling cards or decide to switch to propane or diesel engines. Saving money on fuel is one of the most sustainable ways to save money for the company. With the price of gas consistently rising, taking the extra step to manage your fleet’s fuel intake properly could help save millions over a span of years. Understanding the changes in the market when it comes to fuel is also a great way to keep ahead of price rises and costly trends. If you’re not sold on the idea of going green, at least start to consider alternative types of fuel for a handful of cars in your fleet.