The price of fuel has long been one of the most significant costs of running a fleet, and right now, those fuel prices are soaring, making a trip to the fuel station a painful experience for business, and ordinary motorists alike. While there’s not much you can do about the high price of fuel, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of fuel each of your vehicles use. If you run a business, it all comes down to educating your drivers and rewarding them for doing the right thing.
Slow and steady
Steady driving, and avoiding rapid acceleration and deceleration, are big fuel savers. Modern cars can give their drivers instant feedback on fuel consumption, through fuel consumption indicators. This can be a convenient training tool for any driver, so encourage your employees to take note of it.
Lighten up
Carting excess weight around in a vehicle is guaranteed to increase fuel consumption, so make sure anything unnecessary is removed from the vehicle. That’s particularly important with trade vehicles.
Tyre pressure
It’s easy to overlook tyre pressure, but underinflating your tyres can really increase fuel consumption, so encourage your drivers to check for inflation at least once a month.
Maintain your maintenance
Don’t make the mistake of scrimping on maintenance to save fleet costs, because it’s more likely to create problems that will increase fuel consumption, while increasing the risk of breakdowns. A dirty air filter, for example, can increase your fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent.
Air conditioning
Airconditioning can use quite a bit of energy, and therefore fuel. So, if it’s not too hot, encourage your staff not to use it. Window tinting can help keep a car cooler and is a worthwhile investment.
Fleetcare fuel card
Your Fleetcare fuel card is the perfect way to get discounted fuel nationwide while lightening your administrative workload simultaneously.
Use telematics
Fleetcare telematics allows you to send your vehicles via the most efficient route. It’s a sure-fire fuel saver. But the advantages of telematics don’t end there, because it’s also the perfect way to monitor your employees’ driving, to ensure they’re not speeding and wasting fuel, or idling excessively. Fleetcare telematics is also the perfect way to gather data on your drivers’ performance, and reward those who are consistently doing the right thing, while encouraging others to improve their performance.
Switch to electric
Of course, the ultimate solution to those stubbornly high fuel prices is to choose a vehicle that doesn’t use fuel at all- by switching to electric. If you’re running your own fleet, then consider replacing that petrol or diesel vehicle with an EV next time. Another alternative is to encourage your employees to take out a money-saving Fleetcare novated lease on an EV, to reward them for all their hard work. That’s great for your business because it nurtures staff loyalty, great for your staff because it saves them money on the total cost of running their vehicle, and finally, that zero-emission vehicle is so much kinder on the environment.
Any novated lease is always a great money-saving idea, but with the range of incentives on offer from state and federal governments, a novated lease on an EV makes even more sense. To find out more about how a novated lease can help you and your staff contact Fleetcare today on 134 333.