10 Ways to Reduce Your Bulk Fuel Costs
Bulk fuel costs can be a considerable expense for any company. That’s especially true for delivery businesses, and large fleet owners. Read on to see how you can reduce your costs and keep your fleet running smoothly.
#1 Keep Up Regular Maintenance
No matter if you’re talking about your personal cars and trucks, ATVs, or fleet – when you take care of your vehicles and have a regular maintenance program they last longer and get better mileage. And that includes using the right kind of motor oil and replacing clogged filters. Neglect your fleet, and not only do you run into mechanical problems – you also waste gas.
#2 Make Sure Tires Are Property Inflated
Here’s what the office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy has to say about keeping your tires inflated:
“You can improve your gas mileage by 0.6% on average—up to 3% in some cases—by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by about 0.2% for every 1 psi drop in the average pressure of all tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.2
The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver’s side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner’s manual. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire’s sidewall.”
#3 Hire Your Drivers Wisely
Your drivers are the most important part of your team. They keep your business moving along whether you provide products, services or both. When you take the time to do background checks, verify their license is valid and they have a clean driving record, you’re not only protecting your assets, but you’re also protecting yourself and your team.
When you take shortcuts and hire who’s available you can expect employee headaches, increased liability, and higher insurance rates.
#4 Train Drivers on Safety
When you hire the right way, training is much easier because many of the points you’ll be training your drivers on will be second nature. Here are the top points to emphasize:
· Stay within the speed limit
· Don’t drive aggressively
Both of the above involve rapid acceleration which burns through fuel. And aggressive driver speedup and brake fast. Neither are good for fuel economy.
#5 Have an Accurate GPS
If your GPS is outdated or undependable, invest in a GPS that will get you to your destination via the fastest and safest route. With a good GPS it’s easy for your drivers to plan their trips.
#6 Be Organized in Your Routes
Planning ahead pays big dividends when it comes to saving money on bulk fuel. No matter how many drivers you have, when you have a tight well-planned schedule, you’ll save gas and get more work done at the same time.
#7 Be Smart When Dispatching
If you have several trucks in the field for service calls, take the time to see who is the closest to the next call. Just randomly sending someone out who isn’t close wastes time, fuel, and money.
#8 Use Fuel Cards When Needed
If your employees fill up on the road, make sure they use fuel cards. Additionally, ensure you have the proper settings to limit the amount they can spend. Have someone on your staff be in charge of tracking fuel usage and red flagging any overuse.
#9 Use Red Dyed Diesel Where Appropriate
Dyed diesel for off-road use can save you a bundle when you use it correctly. With proper licensing and reporting farmers especially find they save money each month.
#10 Use a Good Fuel Management System
A fuel management system watches and monitors your fuel by tracking who’s filling up what vehicle when. Ricochet’s Fuel Management System (RFMS) provides any business an easy A-Z turnkey solution for controlling and managing fuel consumption.
Ricochet Fuel Is Here to Save You Money
Since 1988, Ricochet Fuel Distributors, Inc. has been supplying bulk fuel. We service Texas and the surrounding states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.