Even small mistakes in fleet fueling can snowball into big costs over time. These errors won’t always show up on the balance sheet as a line item…but they’re there, quietly draining your budget.
Here’s a look at some of the most common hidden fueling pitfalls and what you can do instead:
Retail fueling is convenient; no doubt about that. It’s also expensive, inconsistent, and generally an inefficient way of handling fleet fuel management. Fuel prices at the retail pump can vary as much as 40 to 50 cents per gallon across a city or region, and your drivers must decide whether to spend time and mileage detouring to reach the “best” pump, or settle for higher costs closer to their location.
Also, sometimes retailers can run out of fuel either in the lead up to or in the wake of emergencies. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in line with everyday consumers during a shortage.
How to Fix It: Switch to a centralized fleet fueling solution with a fixed-rate or volume-based pricing agreement. That could include on-site fueling from a local fleet fueling management partner and/or a regional card program that gives you consistent pricing and location coverage.
If you’re not tracking fuel by vehicle or by driver, you can’t catch waste. Untracked or poorly tracked fueling leaves room for excessive idling and route inefficiencies. Even misuse is a risk, and you wouldn’t know it without careful logs.
How to Fix It: Use a fleet fuel tracking system to monitor consumption per driver, per trip. This helps identify when certain vehicles are burning more than expected, or when drivers are deviating from routes. It also helps spot equipment issues before they snowball.
The average truck idles roughly 1,800 hours per year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. At about 0.8 gallons of diesel per hour, that’s more than 1,400 gallons of wasted fuel annually per vehicle — not counting wear and tear!
How to Fix It: Invest in idle tracking. Set clear driver policies. Enforce idling limits with real-time alerts. A comprehensive fleet fuel management platform can monitor all of this automatically.
Loose receipts and manual logs tend to open you up to risks like misreporting, fraud, or simply missing data. A paper process makes it nearly impossible to audit your fuel spend in a timely fashion and plan your budget with accuracy.
How to Fix It: Digital systems eliminate paper trails. Fuel cards tied to a fleet fuel management solution log every transaction automatically and assign it to a vehicle or driver. You’ll never lose another receipt or scramble for end-of-month reports again.
Do your drivers find themselves running on fumes until the last possible minute? That tends to create situations where you need emergency fill-ups or detours. There might even be job site downtime. Your operation will also be more vulnerable during storms, price spikes, or regional shortages.
How to Fix It: Establish a predictable fueling schedule with your vendor. Consider renting on-site tanks with automatic refill alerts. This way, you stay ahead of need and avoid costly surprises.
Multiple vendors = multiple invoices, multiple terms, inconsistent reporting… just added complexity and its consequences all around. It’s harder to negotiate volume pricing and nearly impossible to build a unified fueling strategy with a fragmented approach to fleet fueling.
How to Fix It: Consolidate your vendors where possible. Choose a provider that can offer fleet fueling, tank delivery, and tracking solutions all under one roof. That kind of consolidation often brings cost savings (and much less admin work!).
Fuel costs rise when vehicles spend more time in traffic, backtrack between jobs, or cover redundant territory. Even a few extra miles per day per vehicle adds up.
How to Fix It: You could add route planning software and GPS systems to help map the most efficient paths and alert you to repeat inefficiencies. Many times, these solutions can be integrated with comprehensive fleet fueling management platforms.
Every one of the seven issues above represents some form of waste. Fleets tend to run on tight margins. Waste adds up quickly.
Whatley Oil helps construction firms, service fleets, and logistics operations across Georgia and Alabama cut hidden fuel costs with a suite of flee fueling solutions:
There’s so much more to effective fleet fueling than cheaper fuel — although that’s always good. You’ve got to eliminate the silent budget drains that too often go unnoticed until it’s too late to recover that cash.
See how your fueling plan stacks up with a quick call at (706) 324-4271 and let Whatley Oil build a plan around your actual needs.