5 Ways to Limit Fleet Fuel Use

Over the past month, we’ve seen fuel prices rise steadily. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like these increases will stop anytime soon.

For fleets, that means tighter budgets and stronger fuel spend strategies. If last year taught us anything, it’s that you have to plan for the unexpected.

Keeping fuel spend low starts with optimizing the amount of fuel your fleet uses. In this blog, we’ll give you some ways you can limit fuel use within your fleet for optimized costs.

5 ways to limit fleet fuel use

1. Use cruise control

If your drivers are often traveling on the highway, recommend using cruise control. Your vehicles will travel at steadier speeds, decreasing the need to speed up or slow down constantly. The longer the journey, the more this tool can help you save, so make this a fleet standard.

2. Check tire inflation

For every 1 PSI drop in your tires, you experience an average 0.2% drop in MPG. Just by keeping your tires properly inflated, you can improve fuel usage by an average of 0.6%. For some, proper inflation offers as much as a 3% improvement. Plus, maintaining your tires keeps drivers safer, so this is a win-win.

3. Plan optimal routes

The farther your drivers travel, the more fuel they use. Using technology to plan the best routes between job sites limits the number of miles your vehicles need to travel. It can also help avoid accidents and slowdowns that leave vehicles idling, further increasing fuel savings.

4. Reduce idling

Whether drivers like to warm the cab before starting or leave the vehicle running during stops, this idling wastes your expensive fuel. Train drivers to shut vehicles off immediately when parked and only start when they’re ready to drive. You can also install tools that automatically shut the engine off when it reaches your idling threshold.

5. Ban unauthorized use

Unfortunately, some employees see company vehicles as a way to get free fuel. If your vehicles are available for use, set strict rules on how they can be used. Prevent after-hours drives. Install telematics devices that track driver identity. With GPS tracking, you can also ensure that your vehicles only go where they’re supposed to.

Limiting fuel consumption starts with vehicle use. How do you optimize your fuel spend?