Managing fuel costs in a business with a large fleet can be a hassle, especially identifying which vehicles consume the most fuel and why.
Different vehicle types each have specific reasons and causes for high fuel consumption. These reasons can range from size, function, vehicle health and driver behaviour, these are all factors that need to be considered when buying fleet vehicles.
In order to make sense of this conundrum, we have put together a comparison of vehicle fuel consumption and will share how Cartrack solutions can help your fleet reduce overall fuel expenses.
The fuel consumption of a mixed fleet depends on the combination of vehicle types within it. Let us look at how each vehicle class consumes fuel.
The table below looks at how many litres of fuel some fleet vehicles consume per 100 kilometres (l/100km).
Vehicle types and sizes are major factors affecting fuel consumption, the same fuel budget cannot be made for different vehicles in a mixed fleet. Whether it be motorcycles, small cars, vans, trucks, or heavy-duty vehicles, fuel management is necessary.
The vehicle type alone is not enough to determine how much fuel will be consumed. Other factors are at play that influence the final number.
Let us explore what these are:
The kind of engine a vehicle has plays a role in how much fuel is consumed. It’s simply a matter of how much fuel and air is introduced into the engine, so smaller capacity means less air is sucked in, and thus less fuel is needed.
In recent years, with the increasing sophistication of turbocharging, computerised engine management and direct fuel injection, manufacturers have been down-sizing their engines. This has been happening in both petrol and diesel engines so that they can produce equivalent amounts of power to match the older generation larger engines.
Vehicle health can also be a big contributor to fuel consumption, especially if you are buying fleet vehicles secondhand. See below a few examples we've investigated.
The driving conditions that a vehicle operates in can have an impact on how much fuel is consumed. This is something to consider when buying fleet vehicles, you will need to be cognisant of the conditions they drive in, as that will affect fuel consumption.
When comparing urban to highway driving, we find that more fuel is consumed in the city. This may be surprising as most people would assume driving slower due to the many speed restrictions would make fuel consumption less. However, the frequent stopping, starting, accelerating and braking ends up consuming more fuel than a vehicle on an uninterrupted journey on the highway.
Driver behaviour is one of the biggest contributors to a fleet’s high fuel consumption. Factors such as accelerating, harsh turning, harsh braking, speeding, and idling time, each consume more fuel than necessary. Let us see how each impacts fuel efficiency.
The table below shows how the average km/l is reduced when exceeding 80km/h. These statistics are averages and can vary based on vehicle type.
Here is what our research has found, these numbers are estimated and could differ slightly depending on the vehicle make, model, and age.
The weight of a vehicle’s load directly affects fuel consumption. A heavily loaded vehicle requires more power to accelerate and more energy to brake. Such frequent stop-and-go driving with a full load increases fuel consumption due to the extra energy required to overcome inertia.
Hauling more weight for extended periods puts extra strain on the engine and other mechanical components. This leads to inefficiencies over time. Such stress reduces fuel economy and shortens the lifespan of critical parts, increasing the cost of repairs.
What this means is that the vehicles bought by a business should align with the goals and the specific loads that each one will carry in daily operations.
High fuel consumption can be a burden on a business, especially if the business has a large fleet of vehicles. If you are a business owner who is looking to buy a fleet and is worried about high fuel consumption, then worry not, as there are possible strategies for this issue.
Some of these strategies include:
As a business owner with a fleet that consumes a lot of fuel, you need not worry as Cartrack is here to help. Cartrack has comprehensive solutions that can assist in reducing fuel waste, managing fuel spend, and reporting all fuel-related functions.
Here are some of our solutions that will aid in reducing fuel consumption:
Cartrack offers reports on fuel consumption, this is done through the use of fuel probes and sensors that we install into vehicles. Let’s learn more about how these work and what they can tell you.
These would all indicate that there is a potential fuel problem that requires investigation, such as;
We have technology that is linked to CANbus and sensors that track the vehicle's wear and tear over time. This allows for repairs to be scheduled on time and for vehicle maintenance to be done before too much damage has been accrued. These scheduled reminders come as alerts and keep the business owner updated on the status of the fleet at all times.
Manage vehicle idling time on the road with our telematics offering. A driver’s behaviour will be monitored and the fleet manager notified when the vehicle is idling. The time, location and duration of the idling event will be recorded on the fleet management system so that it can be analysed later.
One of the benefits of Cartrack’s fleet management software is its overall reporting and analytics. This is aided by the use of telematics technology, which allows for a comprehensive overview of the fleet's operations. Having this overview will make it easier to identify fuel consumption issues from all the possible sources.
Having real-time GPS tracking makes it easier to monitor activities on the journeys a driver takes. This can be done by tracking the vehicle on a map and seeing whether they are sticking to the optimised route or not, and also by the use of AI cameras.
These features will give the fleet driver more options to see what is going on. This knowledge can then be used to optimise routes as the delivery happens, or later on in the review process, this will ultimately help in reducing fuel costs.
As one of the leading causes of high fuel costs, bad driver behaviour needs to be addressed and managed. With Cartrack’s software, you will be able to monitor fuel-consuming behaviours, like acceleration, speeding, and idling.
Our telematics offering makes it easier to report on these events as they happen. Our technology can also notify drivers when they transgress, ultimately reducing the frequency of these incidents.
Running a business with a fleet of vehicles requires the fleet management software in place to be highly effective in reducing inefficiencies. One of these is high fuel consumption, a business expense that can easily get out of control when not managed correctly.
If you are looking for solutions to aid in reducing fuel consumption, then Cartrack is the ideal partner for your business. Contact us to get a quote or to hear more about our full offering.
Q: What is the difference between fuel economy and fuel efficiency?
A: Fuel economy relates to how far a vehicle can travel per the amount of fuel it consumes. Fleet fuel efficiency relates to how productively the fuel is used in vehicles owned by a business.
Q: Is the amount that a logistics company charges their customers influenced by the amount the company is spending on fuel?
A: Yes. Fuel expenses do impact how a business puts together its costing models. This is because fuel is an added expense on top of the actual product being delivered.
Q: How can fuel consumption be measured?
A: Kilometres travelled per litre of fuel and the total litres consumed in a set period.
