16/10/2013

Make Your Fleet More Fuel Efficient - 5 Smart Tips...

Fuel is a massive expense for business fleets, up and down the country. It’s estimated that fuel makes up 19% of a vehicle’s total cost of ownership. With the price of fuel rising all the time, it’s more important than ever that you control the fuel efficiency of your fleet. Here are 5 great ways to increase your fleet’s fuel efficiency!

You might be wondering whether it’s worth it. After all, 19% isn’t that much is it? According to TomTom however, the savings you could make by being more efficient are vast. The Zenith Hygiene Group, were able to save £10,000 every month in fuel by implementing a few simple changes. This worked out at £1,000 per vehicle per year, meaning Zenith Hygiene Group vehicles were making more out of the time they spent on the road.

Don’t forget that if you can be more efficient with the fuel you’re using, you are making your business greener, and greener businesses can take advantage of government tax incentives.

Still wondering if it would be worth it? Check out these 5 tips, and see how much you could save.

Collect Intelligent Data – Data pretty much covers everything. If you can collect accurate information, then you can gain more accurate insights into your fleet and see just how efficient your vehicles really are. TomTom offer a range of fleet management tools that help to collect this data. Find out more by downloading the TomTom White Paper on saving fuel now.

Monitor Driving Behaviour – Many people are reluctant to talk about this, believing it will alienate drivers. But monitoring driver behaviour properly is not about nit picking on driver mistakes; it’s about helping your drivers to address long-term problems. By offering under performing drivers training, rather than punishing them for mistakes, you can help to ensure that the poor driving doesn’t continue, and make your fuel use more efficient. Zenith found that by addressing their driver’s behaviour, they managed to save 600 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Communicate Better With Your Drivers – Communicating properly with your drivers can help to make a real difference to your fuel efficiency. TomTom products allow you to allocate jobs to drivers, without them returning to the depot or your head office, saving time and fuel. If you can maintain two-way communication with your drivers, then they can provide you with feedback about delays and other issues that can then be shared with other drivers.

Shortest Route May Not Be The Most Efficient – Between jobs, it’s always tempting to just go for the shortest route in terms of distance, but sometimes this is not always the most efficient route to take. Instead of taking the shortest route, take the least congested. This will mean, less time idling in traffic, punctual arrival at your customer and ultimately a much better service.

Take Care of Your Fleet, and it Will Take Care of You – Choose the right tyres, and keep them fully inflated. This can cut fuel consumption by 15%! Keep your engine tuned. Clear our clogged air filters on a regular basis, and remove roof racks when you’re not using them to reduce drag. A vehicle in good condition will operate much more smoothly than a vehicle in poor condition, saving you fuel and maintenance costs.

By following just a few of these simple tips, you can reduce the amount of fuel you need to buy for your fleet, saving you money, and making your business much more environmentally friendly.

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