Simple ways to improve operating efficiency

The average operating cost of trucking is at a record high of $2.336 per mile, according to the American Transportation Research Institute. If you are not familiar with the institute's An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update, it includes the following costs: fuel, equipment lease or purchase payments, repair and maintenance, truck insurance premiums, permits and licenses, tires, tolls, and driver wages and benefits. 

Some costs are outside the control of fleet managers, but there are things they can do to improve the overall operating efficiency of the fleet.

Start by performing an asset utilization analysis. This will tell you how efficiently you are using your tractors and trailers and if you are overworking some while underworking others. 

It also allows you to see if you have any unused assets that are costing you money. Once you have data on asset utilization, you can make changes to ensure you are getting maximum usage from your assets and also make decisions about selling assets that you are not using.

Next, take a look at your routing to determine if you can make any changes that will allow you to make the same number of deliveries with fewer trucks or with fewer wasted miles. I suggest checking with your customers to see if it is possible to change pickup or delivery times if doing so would improve routing.

Leverage technology to help ensure you are in regulatory compliance for things like hours of service and fuel tax reporting. Technology can also give fleet managers insight into driver performance. 

You can use the data from telematics devices to coach drivers on things like speeding, hard braking, hard starts and idling. If your trucks are equipped with advanced driver assistance systems, you can also see if drivers are following too closely or drifting out of the lane. Anything you can do to improve safe driving practices can pay dividends in lower insurance premiums and can potentially protect you in a lawsuit.

While some of the costs of operating your fleet are out of your control, there are changes you can make to the way you operate that will bring increased efficiency to your operation, which can result in cost savings.