High fuel prices call for more sophisticated analysis of usage.

In the fall of 2006, after analyzing all driver-controlled variables affecting miles per gallon of fuel, Pitt Ohio Express launched a driver training program. The Pittsburgh-based company expects that over time, the “SSI” program – which focuses on improving driver habits for shifting, speeding and idling – will save millions in fuel costs.

“The driver knows that if he controls SSI, he does not have to worry so much about mpg,” says Kent Szalla, director of business systems for Pitt Ohio Express. The company has tracked mpg improvement at all terminals that service its next-day transportation network for the Mid-Atlantic region, Ohio and West Virginia, and the Detroit and Chicago metropolitan areas.

As fuel prices rise, Pitt Ohio Express digs deeper. Recently, Szalla employed a statistical tool called regression analysis to determine the significance of non-driver variables that impact mpg. The original set contained 11 variables, which included the age, make and location of vehicles.

Still, something didn’t quite make sense. When looking at the variation in the average mpg for each terminal, Szalla saw that Chicago consistently scored better than Pittsburgh despite the fact that there was virtually no difference in any of the variables. At first, management attributed the variation to a new terminal manager and to better driver attitudes in Chicago, Szalla says.

These assumptions proved false; the truth emerged when analysts factored in weight. Pittsburgh shipments are, on average, about 500 pounds heavier than those in Chicago, Szalla says. So the heavier operation burned more fuel. Szalla also found that weather caused a variation in mpg: This problem was corrected by using a formula to “normalize” the variation due to weather in order to compare mpg performance among terminals more objectively.

With no relief in sight from high fuel prices, data-savvy fleets like Pitt Ohio Express are analyzing fuel efficiency from all angles. At $5 per gallon, any strategy that leads to even the smallest improvements in fuel efficiency could save many thousands of dollars in fuel costs. Information technology is an essential weapon in this battle, giving fleet managers the visibility and control needed to conserve fuel.