Over the years, fuel prices have continued to hit skyrocketing highs, with nowhere close traversing a descent. As fuel prices rise, it becomes more expensive to keep your fleet up and to run on the roads.
Often, the drivers become careless and get involved in malpractices like idling, undertaking longer routes, and not servicing the vehicle properly.
7 Practices To Conserve Fuel in Carriers
You can follow these enlisted steps to increase fuel efficiency, save energy, and take proper measures to conserve fuel in commercial fleet vehicles –
1. Avoid Idling
The worst mileage to show up on the fuel gauge of a vehicle is zero mpg, which happens when it idles. Letting your car idle is more or less detrimental to the modern automotive engine, wastes gasoline, and leads to environmental damage.
Modern engines don’t require more than a couple of seconds of idling time before you can drive them safely.
Turning your vehicle off and on no longer causes engine damage, drain the battery or waste gas. Batteries now consume diminutive power per engine start, have higher power reserves, and recharge quicker.
Idling for prolonged periods, be it at a railroad crossing or pulling up to the side to make a cell phone call, takes up gas that can be conserved by turning off the engine.
You should prioritize shutting off the engine instead of idling to save fuel as-well-as conserve engine life by providing it with periodic rest.
2. Proper Inflation of Tyres to the Right Pressure
Invest in tire gauges for your drivers to ensure that tires are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended levels.
One underinflated tire has the potential to reduce fuel economy by 2% per pound of pressure below the adequate inflation level. One out of four drivers, on average, drives vehicles with one or more underinflated tires.
When a tire is underinflated by 4-5 psi below the recommended tire pressure set by the manufacturer, vehicle fuel consumption is bound to increase by 10%, leading to a 15% reduction in tire tread life.
3. Judiciously Use Air Conditioning
Air Conditioning should only be used when it is an absolute necessity. The air conditioner becomes a heavy load for the engine, leading to higher fuel consumption.
An air conditioner can rapidly drain engine power as-well-as fuel economy. It can diminish gas consumption 5 to 20 percent, varying according to the vehicle type, and the way it performs on the road.
If it gets unbearably hot without A/C, set it around 72 degrees. Use the vent setting more.
Parking in the shade boosts fuel economy since less gas evaporates when the car is parked away from the sun. Air conditioning won’t have to push too hard to cool down the interior.
4. Avoid Purchasing Premium Fuel
Deciding to purchase higher-octane gas for “premium” performance is not commonly advisable unless the vehicle requires it.
Octane doesn’t have any connections with gasoline performance but merely tells about the volatility factor inside the combustion chamber.
Unless specifically required by your vehicle owner, using premium fuel would only cost you money unnecessarily. Fuel costs could be reduced by 10 cents per gallon by using regular fuel rather than premium.
While looking for a software to manage your fleet more effectively, SamSara is an excellent option to consider when it comes to picking an asset management tool.
5. Be on the Lookout For Best Fuel Prices
You can always consult the Web for the best fuel deals. You can find tons of petroleum stops and vendors that would sell you the same fuel but at reduced rates. This would help you save money immensely.
You should prefer using a wholesale club or a grocery store. Warehouse chains and wholesale supply clubs provide the best fuel rates throughout the town.
You can purchase their membership and avail benefits of low-priced gas from their store. It is better to invest a bit in membership if your fleet slowly consumes fuel daily.
Discount retailers and grocery stores that have pumps also charge fewer amounts than their competition to attract a more considerable lot. They also provide the added benefit of there being no membership fee needed at the discount retailers.
6. Increase Your Vehicle’s Aerodynamics
Wind drag is one of the leading causes of low fuel mileage, as it causes an engine to pump harder, thereby depressing fuel economy.
You can help eliminate wind drag by keeping the windows rolled up. Air can thus flow over the vehicle’s body, instead of being drawn inside the cabin and retarding the vehicle’s pace.
A wide-open window, primarily at highway speeds, elevates aerodynamic drag, directly resulting in a 10-per cent reduction in fuel economy.
You can always choose to run the climate system to “outside air” and “vent” to gain additional ventilation.
Lowering the tailgate of pickup results in turbulence, thereby increasing wind drag and decreasing fuel-efficiency of the vehicle at highway speeds. By leaving the tailgate up, a delicate bubble of air is formed in the bed.
SamSara can help you conserve significant amounts of fuel when filling up the IFTA quarterly report, thus saving money and proliferating proficiency in the mode of operations.
7. Realize the Traffic Flow
Anticipating traffic conditions and accelerating and decelerating smoothly is always safer, consumes less gas, and slows down brake wear.
The drivers often get indulged in idling more when stuck in traffic. If they had a better judgment on the pace of the vehicles ahead of them, they would adjust their pace accordingly and effectively conserve fuel.
In stop-and-go commuter traffic, keep an eye out for two or more vehicles ahead. This way, you can accelerate and decelerate more gradually.
By recognizing a traffic light change, an upcoming stop sign, or needing to slow down for a curve, brake use can be minimized, and gasoline can be conserved in the process.
Final Words
You must devise ways to help you save fuel, as many drivers in your fleet might be deteriorating your fuel consumption standards by indulging in malpractices.
You must keep all the above-mentioned factors in mind to help conserve fuel and teach your drivers the right way to drive your fleet vehicles and the dos and don’ts that follow.
Choosing a fleet management software can help you save fuel as it can suggest ways to enhance mileage, reduce wastage, and suggest informative insights by monitoring daily vehicle route history.