We’ve been operating a fleet of diesel trucks for a while—delivering heating oil and fuel to customers across central Suffolk and eastern Nassau counties for 30-plus years. We know that the price of diesel fuel can been volatile, and yet it’s a nonnegotiable cost of doing business, for us and for many of our commercial customers. Fleet fueling, rather than paying retail is one smart way to help keep diesel fuel costs under control. But when so much about the cost of fuel is out of your control, it’s important to use every tool at your disposal. Taking a few easy measures to ensure your fleet is running efficiently can be a game changer.
Taking some technical steps to change how your fleet runs is one way to help improve diesel fuel efficiency. If a regular maintenance routine isn’t part of your program, you should start one ASAP. Keeping your vehicles in good shape is not only good for fuel efficiency, but it reduces costly breakdowns and downtime for repairs. Timing can depend on how much mileage you put on your fleet, but every tune-up should include an oil change, filter replacements, and engine checks to help ensure that vehicles are running at their peak performance levels.
Another easy change is switching to synthetic oil. Synthetic oil has lower viscosity and helps reduce friction, which can optimize vehicle performance and enhance efficiency.
Maintaining proper tire pressure and checking wheel alignment is important for safety, but it will also improve performance, because your vehicle won’t have to work as hard, leading to fuel savings over the long term.
Don’t ignore aerodynamics. It might sound more appropriate for race cars or rocket ships, but aerodynamics play a significant role in the fuel efficiency of commercial vehicles. Reducing drag can significantly improve fuel economy—particularly at highway speeds. Consider adding aerodynamic fairings, side skirts, and trailer tails.
Improving fuel efficiency for your diesel fleet isn’t just about mechanics. Changing driver behavior can go a long way to improve performance.
Teach drivers to use proper acceleration and braking, maintain steady speeds, and avoid excessive idling to improve fuel efficiency. Set up an incentive program that rewards your drivers for fuel-efficient driving habits.
Another modification to your operation is to take advantage of route optimization tools to improve efficiency. You’ll be surprised at how efficient route planning and vehicle utilization can make a surprisingly big difference when it comes to maximizing fuel efficiency. Using GPS technology and route optimization software can help identify the most fuel-efficient routes and reduce unnecessary mileage and empty trips. There are free route-optimization apps that can help you efficiently dispatch smaller fleets, but the savings could make a more robust tool for your fleet worth the investment.
Optimizing vehicle load capacity can further improve fuel efficiency by ensuring that each vehicle is operating at maximum efficiency.
Fleet fueling services are more than just convenient, they help create savings on mileage and miles-per-gallon. When you consider the cost per mile to operate each of your fleet vehicles, the cost to send them just two or three miles out of the way to fuel up really add up! Onsite delivery removes those costs.
You also get wholesale pricing and bulk fuel discounts, and detailed invoices (instead of gas station receipts) mean you can more accurately track your fuel usage to reduce waste.
Our team understands the importance of fuel efficiency—and we know how it affects your bottom line just like it does our. Let us show you how a customized fleet fueling program can get you on the road to savings. Contact us for details today.