Your fleet is expensive. Between regular maintenance, insurance, repairs, and fuel, your greatest struggle is keeping within your budget. Though low-cost fleet management is still a hope for the future, there are ways to use your technology to lower costs.

Your telematics solutions allows you to improve your fleet’s safety and track its whereabouts, but they can also help you save money by reducing the amount of fuel needed to keep your vehicles running. To see how you can enjoy fuel savings with telematics, read through the tips we’ve included below:

1. Routing

The fewer miles your drivers travel, the less fuel your vehicles will consume. With telematics, your devices can utilize GPS tracking and smart routing to direct your drivers to the shortest routes. You can also use your telematics to determine and eliminate wasteful driving, especially when your drivers use your fleet vehicles to travel home. By monitoring your vehicles after-hours, on the weekends, and during the workday, you can find the best solutions for minimizing unsanctioned driving.

2. Costly driving behaviors

Speeding, idling, and rapid acceleration can all increase the use of your vehicles’ fuel. With the driver coaching and tracking options offered by your telematics, you can identify trouble areas in each employee’s driving. By tailoring your training to each driver’s weaknesses, you can reduce fuel usage and improve overall driver behavior and safety.

3. Smarter dispatching

To best serve your customers, you need to get to your job sites as quickly as possible. With telematics, your dispatchers can accurately see which drivers are closest to the job and make better dispatch decisions. Your drivers will spend less time driving to out-of-the-way job sites, which will save time, improve your services, and save fuel.

4. Maintenance

The better your vehicles run, the less fuel they consume. In fact, even the fit and condition of your tires can help improve your fuel savings. Many telematics options offer engine diagnostics tracking and alerts for regular maintenance, giving you the tools to keep your vehicles in their best shape. To best take advantage of these benefits and improve your vehicle’s fuel use, follow your regular maintenance schedules and keep up with any diagnostics alerts you receive.

Fuel costs will always be a significant portion of your fleet’s budget, but telematics can help you cut back on unnecessary spending and adjust the most wasteful behaviors in your fleet.