Van fleet managers – how good is your fuel plan?
Some fleet managers believe fuel is an unmanageable cost and that little can be done in the face of constantly rising prices. But fleet software company CFC Solutions believes that is not the case and has issued a five-point plan to help fleets save money.
- Identify wasteful drivers. They can use up to 20% more fuel than the most efficient drivers in your company. Driver training can be used as an extreme solution but just raising the issue with an individual can often get good results.
- Check which vehicles use more fuel. It is not unusual to uncover a lot of variation between vehicles that appear identical and are used by responsible drivers in similar operating conditions.
- Take control of fuel buying. The easiest one to do. Monitor fuel prices regularly – there are several websites to help you – and make sure your drivers aren’t shopping at the most expensive filling stations.
- Only drive necessary miles. Start making drivers more accountable. One step is to make line managers responsible for justifying journeys, to ensure that only the necessary miles are being driven.
- Consider the green angle. By taking a pro-active stance on managing fuel use, you will also be able to contain your carbon footprint more effectively. This can make the whole issue easier to deal with internally, because you can stress the importance of corporate responsibility.
Neville Briggs, the MD of CFC Solutions, said: “In our experience, the best managerial tools available are fuel cards and fleet software. Together, they let you take control of how company money is spent by gathering accurate data about fuel use which you can then analyse. You can then formulate a fuel policy that has quite an effect on costs. Even when prices are rising, the impact on your fuel bill can be minimised.”
Mercedes vans have the best fuel economy and many have won awards for mpg marathons. Some of the range also boast innovative features such as ECOstart to reduce fuel consuption.
