19/04/2016
The freeze on fuel duty is good news for fleet managers: however, pump prices are rising, and your drivers could be spending more than they need to.
Use supermarket pumps
On average, UK supermarket pumps are 3p per litre cheaper than the national forecourt cost. And they’re significantly cheaper than motorway service stations. By planning routes that incorporate supermarket fuel stops, you can control the bottom line of your fleet’s fuel consumption.
fuelGenie cards are accepted at Tesco, Morrison’s, and Sainsbury’s—giving your fleet excellent nationwide coverage. And the fuelGenie Points of Interest (POI) files, which can be downloaded easily onto your TomTom, Navman or Garmin device, put a map of participating supermarket forecourts at your driver’s fingertips. With a POI file installed, drivers can direct all stops to fuelGenie locations—even unscheduled ones.
The benefits of fuelGenie cards
The benefits of fuelGenie cards don’t end on the forecourt. Planning and managing your fuel spending is simpler when you have a way to track and analyse your monthly consumption. fuelGenie logs all transactions online, and offers you a free reporting tool to help make sense of your fuel usage.
Simple online reporting is key to identifying areas in which spending cuts can be made. Common overspending causes include visiting non-supermarket forecourts, or using inefficient routes. Use your reports to generate a picture of journeys, vehicles, or drivers that incur larger-than-expected fuel costs, and you’ll have the raw data you need to alter routes or driver behaviours accordingly.
Manage your credit—avoid cashflow issues
As well as the ability to track fuel spending and adapt routes for better value, fuelGenie cards offer a competitive credit facility. Spread the cost of your fuel consumption predictably throughout the year, avoid cashflow issues, and stay on top of monthly fleet expenditure.
Change your habits, drop your fuel costs
A change in filling-up habits will have a quick and measurable effect on your total fuel costs. But it’s not the only behavioural alteration you can make.
Consider driving habits, and their effects on fuel usage. Ultimately, the amount you spend on fuel is linked to the quantity of fuel your drivers use as well as the actual cost of the diesel: and that means you can make noticeable savings simply by changing the way your drivers use their vehicles.
Rapid variation in speed and significant idling create unnecessary fuel spending. Consider installing telematics capable of monitoring idle times, average speeds, and instances of sudden braking.
Monitoring is known to alter driver behaviour. Combined with using the best prices of supermarket forecourts, a well-targeted monitoring policy is an excellent way to combat rising fuel prices.
How do you plan to deal with fuel price rises? Let other fleet managers know on Twitter and LinkedIn.
