Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/91910
TIPS FOR FLEET MANAGERS Fleet managers – including IT COMMON CENTS TIPS TO MINIMIZE FUEL COSTS The difference between 6 and 7 mpg on a power unit operating 120,000 miles annually is nearly $12,000. Multiply that for a fl eet with 100 trucks, and the savings come to $1.2 million per year. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet or overnight solution when it comes W to improving fuel economy. But by paying close attention to a number of small gains, fl eets can fi nd incremental ways to lower fuel costs effectively. Understand that every aspect of a fl eet's organiza- tion can impact fuel costs – not just the driver. With that in mind, here are 75 useful tips that fl eet managers, company drivers, maintenance managers and equipment purchasers can use to lower fuel costs. BY AARON HUFF, TODD DILLS, JACK ROBERTS AND JAMES JAILLET ith the "new norm" cost of diesel at $4 per gallon, fl eets should look at every possible opportunity to lower fuel consumption. Like no other time in the trucking indus- try, every drop counts. A tractor-trailer combo or driver able to improve fuel economy by a mile per gallon gained is huge in savings terms. professionals, safety directors and operations managers – all can put pencil to paper and contribute to lowering fuel consumption by employing any number of strate- gies and technologies. 1 Investigate traffic problems, and plan around them. Slow traffic not only sucks hours from a driver's on-duty time, it also requires more decelera- tion and acceleration, which requires more fuel. Check state U.S. Department of Transportation Websites for potential con- struction projects and traffic on a route. est, most practical truck route 2 3 can save hundreds of dollars a year in fuel. Spoken turn-by-turn directions will take you directly to street-level addresses. With navi- gation, savings of 10 or 15 miles a week are possible by eliminat- ing out-of-route miles. Plan fuel stops carefully. Some in-cab navigation systems and smartphone apps include real-time infor- mation in their point-of- interest features to help drivers search for the nearest fuel locations and cheapest prices on their route. Use route-planning software or a GPS unit. Choosing the short- COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2012 41