You start a business to make a profit. One way of making profits is to reduce what goes to expenses. Cutting fuel costs is one way to reduce trucking expenses. Trucknews.com points out that the fuel prices have been so volatile. At the same time, there is massive pressure to reduce operational costs while keeping the environment clean for the rest of the world. Being efficient with fuel is crucial. It does not matter how efficient. Even the little amounts count, especially since most fleets have many vehicles. Fuel has been a central cost for most companies. The price fluctuations have a significant impact.
How can carriers cut on fuel costs?
There are several ways that carriers can cut fuel costs. The solutions include some of the simplest things most drivers would already know. Simple methods are known to most people, but they choose to ignore them. They revolve around how drivers handle their trucks while in transit. If the fleets enforce them, it is a good place to start, not only to cut fuel costs but also to improve environmental efficiency.
Monitoring Fuel Usage
The first method is quite straightforward. The fleets must ensure that they have a way to monitor fuel usage. The records must be real-time. They should also capture all the necessary data. At any given time, a fleet should know how much fuel a driver uses or even wastes. They should also know how much fuel is used during idling hours. Monitoring utilization is the first place to go when trying to cut this cost. It helps minimize fuel usage on a large scale.
Do away with harsh driving behaviors.
Sometimes it is just as simple as gently driving the trucks. High torque burns more fuel. At a driver level, one of the avenues of fuel wastage is aggressive braking after rapid acceleration. Why would one accelerate so rapidly only to brake suddenly shortly after? Drivers must learn to ease off the gas and coast where applicable. Fleets must educate their drivers on the importance of gentle acceleration and braking. To make it work even better, fleets should provide the same data to drivers so that they can understand how they have been handling their trucks. It encourages them to be more efficient.
Analyze driving behavior data.
Fleets should not just collect data from the trucks. They should just not show it to their drivers. They should go the extra mile and analyze the info they collect from the trucks. They should understand how individual driving behaviors impact fuel efficiency. Analyzing the data allows fleets to deploy trucks with a lot of bearing. They will understand how to handle both city and highway trucks. Understanding the data allows fleets to make informed decisions. The same decisions make them more efficient with fuel.
Reduce unnecessary idling
Idling is also a major source of fuel loss. When it comes to trucks, idling for even just 15 seconds wastes a lot of fuel. It would be even better if a driver could instead power off the truck and restart it. In cold places, instead of idling, drivers can start the truck and drive at low speeds to warm up the engine. The engine should run only when necessary. In places, for example, during a lunch break, drivers must power off the truck to minimize fuel use from unnecessary idling, which is common.
Practice Sustainability
Sustainability should be in the DNA of any business for it to be successful. It must be a priority for all the fleets. Sustainability enables fleets to remain competitive while also being efficient in their operations. The first place to start is to cut off fuel waste. It is just one of the many ways a fleet can be efficient in its day-to-day operation. Trucking is about minimizing wastage to maximize income. That is what sustainability and efficiency are all about.
