Fleet managers are no strangers to big promises about “fuel-saving” products and systems. It’s no wonder marketing targets these kinds of savings, because fuel represents, on average, 60% of a company’s total fleet operating budget. It’s a huge concern for fleet managers.
But between aftermarket additives, aggressive telematics upsells, and vague efficiency tips, it’s also hard to tell what truly moves the needle. The reality is that fleet fuel efficiency doesn’t have one silver bullet. It comes from a handful of measurable, proven, healthy fuel management practices.
Below are a few actionable things you can change, quickly, that will actually work to reduce fuel costs across mixed fleets. We’ll also work in some examples of how to track and sustain those savings.
5 Effective Strategies For Fleet Fuel Efficiency
1. Cut Idle Time With Driver Behavior Tracking
Driver habits account for as much as 30% of total fuel efficiency variation across fleets. Excessive idling, harsh acceleration, and inconsistent speeds waste gallons every day. A fleet fuel monitoring system gives you the visibility to identify and correct these patterns.
Modern telematics systems make it easy to:
- Track idle time per vehicle and per shift
- Flag harsh acceleration or braking events
- Compare average fuel economy across drivers
A Shell study for light-duty trucks (LDTs) showed that fleet vehicles could achieve a 13% increase in miles per gallon with the help of telematics. Even multi-purpose vehicles could potentially see a 7% increase.
Even small behavioral improvements add up. A reduction of just 30 minutes of idling, per vehicle, per day, could save you as much as $1,000 in annual fuel costs per truck (assuming diesel at $4.00 per gallon and an idle burn rate of 0.8 gallons per hour).
2. Maintain Peak Performance With a Preventive Maintenance Schedule
Underinflated tires, dirty air filters, delayed oil changes…all these complications cause costly downtime that quietly drains your fuel budget. A preventive maintenance program helps you to avoid this unnecessary hole in your pocket. Keep your fleet running efficiently by scheduling:
- Tire pressure checks every two weeks
- Regular fuel filter and air filter replacements
- Injector cleanings and tune-ups at recommended intervals
Fixing a vehicle that’s noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions text can improve its fuel mileage by an average of 4%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Properly inflated tires alone can improve fuel economy by 1% per 10 PSI below optimal pressure.
A good maintenance schedule also supports accurate reporting within your fleet fuel tracking system. You want to prevent any false alarms about “inefficient drivers” in your hardworking crew when the real problem is a vehicle issue.
3. Optimize Routes With Real-Time Data
Unnecessary miles burn more fuel than most managers realize. GPS-based route optimization tools can analyze daily stops, real-time traffic, and fuel station proximity to create the most efficient path.
With optimized routing, a 10-vehicle fleet driving 150 miles per day might be able to eliminate just 5 unnecessary miles per route. Doesn’t seem like much at a glance…but that’s 7,500 fewer miles per year. That 5 mile difference (just a 3.3% gain in efficiency) saved you over 1,000 gallons of diesel that year ($4,000 at $4/gallon), and cut maintenance wear to boot.
Pair this with designated fleet fuel locations or fleet card fuel stations along common routes to minimize off-route detours and time lost searching for fuel.
4. Centralize Purchasing With Bulk or On-Site Fueling
Fueling strategies have just as much impact as vehicle efficiency. When you buy retail fuel at scattered locations, you add variability, time loss, and potential misuse to the equation. Bulk fuel programs and on-site fueling eliminate those problems.
Consider having your fuel delivered directly to your yard or jobsite with on-site fleet fueling services from a reliable bulk fueling provider. The level of control that comes with an on-site tank is hard to argue with. Your operation stands to gain:
- Locked-in pricing for consistent budgeting
- No more downtime from off-site trips
- Integrated usage data by vehicle and driver
On-site fueling can cut total fuel expenses by 5-10% for mixed fleets. Will Dutton of Russell Landscape Group, based in Sugar Hill, Georgia, says they’ve saved .15 to .25 cents per gallon over the past six years by fueling their fleet on-site. Dutton estimates they’ve also had a 5-6% reduction in indirect time. What was a 25-minute process at the gas station may become a 10-minute task on their property with no driving in between. You can even place dumpsters near your gas pumps so crews can throw away trash while refueling.
5. Integrate a Fuel Management System
Let’s assume you’ve already adopted telematics. And on-site fueling. A centralized fuel management system for fleet operations is the next logical step.
A connected fuel management system ties all the above strategies together with a place to track consumption, location, and driver behavior in one platform. This single source of truth for data will help you refine routes and forecast monthly costs without crossing any wires or letting underperforming vehicles fall through the cracks.
Systems with card-level tracking can also flag irregular purchases or off-route fueling. This protects against misuse and gives you a clear cost-per-mile view of your fleet’s performance.
The foundation for long-term, data-driven efficiency improvements is right here.
Hypothetical Example: Putting It All Together
Consider a 20-vehicle mixed construction fleet averaging 8 MPG and driving 20,000 miles per year. Small efficiency gains of 3-5% across a few categories can add up to substantial budget savings on fuel:
Strategy |
Projected Improvement |
Annual Impact per Vehicle |
Total Fleet Savings (20 vehicles) |
|
Driver behavior tracking |
+5% efficiency |
+125 gallons saved |
2,500 gallons |
|
Preventive maintenance |
+3% efficiency |
+75 gallons saved |
1,500 gallons |
|
Route optimization |
-5% miles driven |
1,000 fewer miles |
2,500 gallons |
|
Bulk fueling program |
-5% fuel cost |
$400 saved |
$8,000 total |
The combined savings in this theoretical example report are staggering: 6,500 gallons and over $20,000 annually (assuming diesel at $4.00 per gallon). These are realistic gains you can achieve in your own fleet by following the common sense best practices above.
Bottom Line
Fleet fuel efficiency is a marathon, not a sprint. It won’t come from a single quick fix. Build your efficiency through consistent habits, reliable partners, and real data. Telematics, maintenance, optimized routing, and on-site fueling all work together to reduce fuel use and simplify operations.
Every dollar saved on fuel is another dollar invested back into keeping your fleet on schedule and your business moving forward.
