Tips for Improving Fleet Fuel Economy in Hot Weather

29 Jul 2015

Just because the temperature is rising, that doesn’t mean the amount spent on fuel has to increase as well. Driver habits directly affect the fuel economy of their vehicle.

There are many ways drivers can increase fleet fuel economy during the hottest months of the year. We have 14 of the hottest tips for fleet managers for increasing fuel economy:

Before turning on the air conditioning, roll the windows down for a few minutes. Doing so will decrease the amount of work the air conditioner has to do by removing some of the hot air from the vehicle.

Keep air conditioner off and the windows down at low speeds. Reduced fuel economy is most often the result of overuse of air conditioning.

Opt for rolling the windows up and turning your air conditioning on on the highway. Having the windows down at high speeds can actually decrease fuel economy due to wind resistance.

Obey the speed limit. According to fueleconomy.com, for every 5 mph over 50 mph, you pay an additional $.19 a gallon.
Don’t drive aggressively. If you are increasing your speed rapidly and breaking often, you are making your car work harder than it has to and decreasing your fuel economy.

Check the pressure of tires. Keeping tires at the appropriate pressure increases the fuel economy of the vehicle.
Park in the shade. Parking in direct sunlight will increase the temperature inside of the vehicle, and require more work from the air conditioner when it is time to cool down the vehicle.

Remove extra weight. By removing any unnecessary items from the vehicle, you can increase fuel economy by lightening the truck’s load.

Use cruise control. Since variations in speed can decrease fuel economy, opt for using cruise control. Cruise control is very efficient at controlling acceleration, and can increase fuel economy up to 6% when compared to controlling your speed manually.

Offer incentives for increased fuel economy. By offering incentives to drivers who are making an effort to following fuel efficient driving habits, you encourage continued efforts to increase fuel economy.

Perform routine maintenance: A well performing truck will have the best fuel economy. Because of this, it is worth the money spent to keep up with regular maintenance.

Ensure trucks are aerodynamically optimized. When a truck is driving down the road, aerodynamic drag can be reduced based on the mirrors, air cleaners, roof fairings, and trailers used.

Don’t use the air conditioner while the truck is idling. The air conditioner is able to cool the truck more efficiently while it is driving, and this increases fuel economy.

Utilize GPS fleet tracking to decrease employee idling. Money and fuel is wasted when drivers idle necessarily. By installing GPS fleet tracking, fleet managers are able to keep an eye on employee idling.


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