Diesel fuel is at an all-time high, and it remains one of the largest expenses for fleets. Some estimates indicate fuel accounts for 20% to 25% of a fleet's operational costs. And while fleets can exert some control over the price of fuel by negotiating with fuel suppliers, the reality is that they have very little control over the price of crude, which is impacted in part by geopolitical events beyond our sphere of influence.
But that does not mean that we cannot improve the number of miles we get from a gallon of diesel. Begin by looking at routing.
Do you have the right vehicles running the right routes? Can you combine cargo from two trucks into one larger trailer? Can you make changes to routing to avoid construction, traffic and other delays? Talk to your customers to see if they are open to changing delivery windows that can help you avoid driving during periods of peak traffic. Every little bit helps when it comes to reducing fuel consumption by improving efficiency.
Drivers are a huge factor in the fuel economy equation. At Lily, we closely track speeding and have made a concerted effort to reduce the number of times our trucks exceed the speed limit. At one point in our history, 20% of the miles driven were driven above the speed limit. With a laser focus on the problem, today we are at 0.6%. This not only has improved our fuel economy, but speeding is a safety issue, and by reducing instances of speeding, you improve your fleet's safety.
One good strategy for seeing an uptick in MPG is tying safe driving with fuel-efficient driving when coaching drivers based on data you are receiving from your telematics devices. Beyond speeding, drivers also impact fuel economy based on the way they drive. Actions like hard braking and fast accelerations increase fuel consumption and drag down your average MPG number.
Idling is another factor that consumes fuel. A typical heavy-duty truck consumes 0.8 gallons of fuel per hour when idling. Focus on practical ways to reduce idling without compromising driver safety and comfort. The good news is that there are a variety of idle-reduction solutions available. Investigate the ones that will work best for your specific operation.
Taking these steps to improve fuel efficiency now, when fuel prices are high, will lead to an overall improvement in operational efficiency that will last no matter how high or low fuel prices go.
