Are you a fleet manager who wishes to regulate and conserve fuel among your drivers? Are you worried about the rate at which your fleet’s drivers are using fuel? Are you looking for help on how to manage fuel consumption within your fleet?
If yes, then sounds like you could use some tips on how to cut back on your fuel costs. One of the proven ways of doing so is to switch to UK fuel cards.
That being said, fuel conservation is an important part of keeping your business afloat because, for a fleet manager, a lot of money is spent on fuel.
Therefore, it is very critical to see to it that fuel is used sparingly by your staff so that your fleet can be more profitable and stable.
In this well-researched article, you will learn how to conserve UK fuel, why and what you and your fleet drivers need to do, so that you use less fuel for your day to day business.
Fuel Saving Tips For The Fleet Manager
Getting A Fleet Fuel Card
Having a top UK fuel cards helps to control fuel expense by limiting the grade of fuel purchased together with other items. Also, there are fuel card reports that you can easily access online so that you can be able to identify fuel purchases that are out of the ordinary, and that are not for fleet use.
This can help you to know whether or not a driver is buying fuel to satisfy their personal needs, rather than the fleet’s needs. Additionally, these reports can help you to monitor the refuels that occur during the weekends, and those that occur too frequently.
Ensure The Car Tires Are Inflated Properly
As a fleet manager, you need to ensure that the tires of your car tires are well inflated to the right pressure because it helps to conserve fuel in your fleet.
So, you are advised to provide every one of the drivers in your fleet with a tire gauge so that they can always ensure that their car tires are properly inflated at all times. Advise your drivers to always check the vehicle’s doorpost sticker to know the minimum tire inflation pressure.
Research has proven that one underinflated tire, even by as little as 4 to 5 psi below the manufacturer’s recommended pressure level, increases the vehicle’s fuel consumption by ten per cent and with time, it might reduce the tire’s tread life by 15 per cent.
Monitor Preventive Maintenance From Time To Time
The proper time to time maintenance helps to increase vehicles fuel conservation. A vehicle that is not properly serviced and maintained often wastes fuel, hence increasing costs.
For example, a dirty filter tends to clog the engine’s air supply, hence causing a higher fuel-to-air ratio, therefore, increasing the car’s consumption of gasoline.
Also, maintenance includes you shifting to energy conserving oils for your fleet, with a viscosity grade that is consistent with the manual.
Go For Fuel Efficient Vehicles
Even with the best UK fuel card program, you will not see meaningful savings if you have inefficient cars. When buying cars for your fleet, go for cars that are fuel-efficient, meaning that they consume less fuel, compared to other vehicles.
Buying fuel-efficient vehicles will also help you save on gas, therefore helping you to cut down costs in the long run.
Being Strict When It Comes To Idling
As a fleet manager, you need to warn your drivers about excessive idling. Leaving the vehicle on while running their errands because doing that consumes a lot of fuel.
If a driver makes a stop for more than 60 seconds, then they should turn the vehicle off. The drivers should not, for any reason, let the vehicle sit idling, with the engine on.
Fuel Conservation Tips For Fleet Drivers
Fuel conservation is not the fleet manager’s responsibility only. As a fleet driver, you have a huge role to play in conserving fuel and cutting down UK fuel costs.
Here are a few ways through which you can do that.
Try To Avoid Uphill Speed Increases As Much As You Can
Increasing the speed as you climb up a hill is just a waste of fuel because as you climb a hill, the car’s engine is already working very hard as it is. Therefore, increasing the speed will only use more fuel for nothing.
Make It A Habit To Fill Up in Mild Weather
You should fill up at the time of the day when the temperatures are low because it is at this point when gasoline is most dense.
Use Air Conditioning Sparingly
Use the air conditioner only when you need to. Air conditioning puts extra weight on the engine, therefore consuming more fuel. If the temperatures are too high and you can’t do without an A/C, try to keep it around 70 degrees at best.
Always Park in the Shade
Parking in the shade helps to save on fuel because when the car is in the shade, less gas will evaporate. After all, air conditioning will not be needed to cool down the car.
Drive the Posted Speed Limit
Research by the Environmental Protection Agency has proven that driving at a speed of 55 miles per hour instead of 65 helps to save on fuel by 10 per cent.
Conclusion
Cutting down the cost of fuel is important in the success and profitability of a fleet. There are different things that can be done by fleet managers and fleet drivers can do to ensure that there is fuel economy within the fleet.
As a fleet manager, you should ensure that your fleet has a UK Fuel card to save on fuel costs and to also monitor the fuel consumption within your fleet.
You should also pass strict warnings to your fleet drivers against idling and parking in the heat. Also, you should go for vehicles that consume fewer UK fuel.
As a fleet driver, you should try to drive as per the allowed speed limit, limit your use of the air conditioning and fill up during the cool times of the day. All these tips may seem easy but have a great impact on saving fuel.
