A five-point plan to control spending on petrol and diesel has been issued by FleetCheck as prices reach record levels in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.
The fleet software company said that fleets should adopt some form of strategy because the conflict was unlikely to resolve quickly.
And while it’s probably not possible to completely offset the impacts of the current price rises, taking greater control over costs could help counter some of the increases.
Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software company, explained: “The terrible situation in Ukraine is something that is playing on all of our minds, and I think most people believe it could sadly persist for months or even years.
“While it is not a major issue compared to the loss of life we are seeing, it is clear that fuel costs are rising to record levels quickly and substantially, and are unlikely to normalise any time soon. This is currently adding substantially to fleet costs on an almost day-by-day basis.”
FleetCheck’s advice was actually created in response to the initial spikes in fuel prices that we saw in the autumn caused by shortages – and while it’s largely focused on petrol and diesel cars and vans, its principles apply almost equally to EVs, as fleet take-up continues to soar.
“While fuelling EVs represents a fraction of the cost of an ICE vehicle, there will still be substantial percentage price increases in energy very soon – and working to minimise the effects of these rises is very much part of fleet management best practice,” he outlined.
The five-point plan is:
1. Encourage more economical driving. Ask employees to drive smoothly by accelerating and braking gently, taking maximum notice of what is happening on the road ahead. Change up early and, as always, stick to the speed limit or lower – drive at 70mph and you’ll use up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph and up to 15% more than at 50mph, according to the AA.
2. Explain to drivers how to prepare their vehicles. Some simple steps can have a positive impact on fuel consumption. Remove roof racks or other heavy items from vehicles that don’t need to be carried. Only use power-hungry devices such as air conditioning and rear window demisting when needed. Tyre pressures should checked as they can have a significant effect. Also, don’t leave the vehicle running before use.
3. Measure your fuel use. A large number of fleets simply don’t know how much fuel they use overall, per driver or per vehicle. The easiest way to put a monitoring system in place is to buy all petrol and diesel through specialist fuel cards. You can then access the data collected as software-generated reports.
4. Analyse your fuel data. Fleet software provides the means to analyse the information you have gathered – enabling you to identify drivers and vehicles that are not achieving the kind of fuel consumption that you expect.
5. Don’t be afraid to challenge employees. The single largest factor affecting fuel economy in the real world is driver behaviour. A disparity in fuel economy of more than 30% is not unusual between drivers in identical vehicles on similar routes. Let drivers know that they are being monitored, especially if you are using telematics, and talk to those who seem to be using excess fuel, offering help and advice.
