FUEL MANAGEMENT

You can’t manage what you can’t measure.

Fuel management can be as simple as calculating your mileage every week or as robust as fleet management software that tracks idling, fuel records, heavy accelerations, and suggests which units need to be ‘right-sized’.

Fuel management might even mean the leap to buying a yard tank for on-site fueling. Running your own tank means big labour savings, and being able to play off cardlock pricing with bulk fuel deliveries. How much is a penny worth to you in the long haul? If your company has an interest in biofuels, a yard tank can also provide the ability to buy biodiesel blends. Choose your fuel supplier at www.biofleet.net for volume discounts.

FLEET MONITORING SOFTWARE

You may have heard about GPS or tracking systems for trucking fleets but wondered what they do. Depending on your needs, there are systems that track fuel use and mileage by unit, systems that monitor yard tanks and automatically order or update you when fuel is needed, some that geographically track where each truck or trailer is located for cargo monitoring purposes or even to help identify the best route to your destination. Some systems even take into consideration the delays from traffic and can compute a better route based on actual achieved driving speeds rather than posted limits, by time of day.

Whether you drive one truck or manage a fleet, investment in good tracking tools can save a fortune in operating costs (both fuel and labour) and reduce emissions in the process.

CHOOSING TRUCK SPECIFICATIONS

Not all trucks are made equal. Some look mean and some look like money—savings that is. If you like the look of exposed air cleaners and square grilles, consider this: choosing more fuel efficient, aerodynamic equipment can make a world of difference in fuel use over a few short years. Sticker price is only the beginning… what you pay (or save) in fuel in the long run can more than make up for the cost of efficiency upgrades. Buying a truck that is designed for efficiency in your duty cycle is one of the biggest decisions you can make. To save even more, find out how to identify when early turnover of assets is worth your while.

* Photo courtesy of Dossup

TECHNOLOGIES

There are many technologies that claim to reduce fuel consumption and clean up emissions. See the reviews of these product types to learn which technologies are best suited to your needs:

Green Fleets BC:
Click here to visit the website.

Canadian Trucking Alliance – EnviroTruck:
Click here to visit the website.

California Air Resources Board (CARB):
Click here to visit the website.