The Best Ways to Save Money When Operating a Fleet
24 Mar 2020Operating a fleet isn’t cheap. With the quest for drivers becoming even more competitive, it is growing costlier still. There are things you can do, though, that will help you save money while operating your fleet and even growing it. These are some of the top things you’ll want to do to keep your costs down while meeting the needs of your customers and keeping quality drivers on staff.
End Idling
It’s a huge expense for your fleet in wasted fuel, does nothing good for the planet, causes unnecessary engine ware, and substantially eats into your profits. According to the Department of Energy, idling costs fleets up to $20 per day, per truck when diesel runs $2.50 per gallon (when was the last time you’ve seen that price for diesel?). The more trucks you have in your fleet, the more idling can cost you. Consider investing in battery-powered or electrically wired APUs (auxiliary power units) for long-haul drivers to maintain climate control and some electrical devices.
Route for Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficient routing can cut hours and miles off your trips for long haul truckers. Routing more efficiently for in-town drivers can help you schedule fewer drivers to cover the same routes. It can save you a tremendous amount of money and fuel if your drivers follow their prescribed routes. Which means you must also have a method in place, like GPS tracking to help plan those efficient routes and to ensure your drivers are sticking to them.
Improve Maintenance Records
Poor maintenance can cost your fleet huge amounts of money. Not only might you find your vehicles breaking down more often, but you could be in line for maintenance related accidents with injuries and damage to your cargo. It’s a bad situation all around when fleets don’t keep up with preventative maintenance that could also have you suffering higher insurance rates and replacing vehicles more often as well.
Invest in GPS Fleet Tracking
Last but not least, GPS fleet tracking is one investment you can’t afford not to make if you are serious about saving money for your fleet. Not only does it help you plan more efficient routes, it can also notify you when drivers idle, deviate from routes, speed, etc. Plus, GPS fleet tracking can help you stay on top of your maintenance so that you don’t have to worry about maintenance related breakdowns and accidents.
Saving money for your fleet will require some changes. They do not need to be changes that make your drivers unhappy enough to leave. In fact, you might be able to attract better quality drivers by showing that you are invested in your drivers, vehicle safety and maintenance, and more.
To learn more about GPS fleet tracking solutions, peruse our website or give us a call here at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494.
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