If your company manages a fleet of vehicles or regularly utilizes large-scale shipping, chances are good that you are interested in improving fuel efficiency. After all, fuel costs can be wildly inconsistent, making it difficult for business owners and fleet managers to accurately plan for expenses. New technology is making this easier, though. Here’s a look at how fleet management software can help improve your company’s fuel efficiency:
Inaccurate fuel cost projections
Beyond changes in fuel prices, many factors can cause your company to spend more money than anticipated on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel costs can spike due to erratic driving, accounting errors, theft, route inefficiency, and delays due to traffic and construction. Fleet management software can help create fuel cost projections based on an automated review of receipts, fuel prices, and routes driven. These systems consolidate information for you, which reduces the likelihood of human error. Some programs can even automatically record useful data at every fill-up, including units, fuel type, and meter readings.
Fuel theft
This can take several forms, such as prolonged and unnecessary idling or via dishonest employees who report that they spent more on fuel then they really did. One challenge for companies in managing theft is that it can be difficult to enforce policies that are intended to document fuel costs. Software can help with this by providing detailed projections of fuel costs based on current prices, the length of the trip, the route driven, and the driver’s behavior. This way, the transaction can be flagged for review if fuel costs are larger than expected.
Driving behavior
Erratic driving, speeding, hard braking, and hard accelerating – all of these practices can burn fuel and lead to significantly higher fuel costs over time. Fleet management software that incorporates the use of GPS tracking can provide detailed reporting of driver behavior. With this software, you can review employee driving history for up to six months at a time.
Fleet management software can be a great tool for maximizing fuel efficiency, but it’s important to understand how your business can benefit from it. GPS tracking is a great way to get started and offers many additional benefits, such as recovering stolen equipment and monitoring route efficiency. To learn more about how GPS technology can help you manage your fleet, visit High Desert GPS’s website today.
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