Five ways telematics can save on your fleet’s fuel costs
Five ways telematics can save on your fleet’s fuel costs
One of the biggest, and most quantifiable areas, telematics can have an impact is on reducing your fleet’s fuel costs.
Fuel is one of the largest ongoing costs for your fleet, in some cases up to 20% of total costs*, so ensuring it’s being used efficiently can generate huge savings for your business.
Speed, excess idling, vehicle maintenance and route choices all have an impact on the total cost of your fleet’s fuel bill.
EROAD provides detailed insights into fuel consumption by vehicle, driver and fleet. It helps you understand your fleet’s fuel consumption patterns and identify areas or instances of unnecessary fuel use to help reduce overall fuel consumption and improve vehicle performance.
It also simplifies fuel management by allowing you to compare fuel records against vehicle distance and location information and identify trends and exceptions across your fleet.
An EROAD study* found that our customers improved their fuel efficiency by an average of 6% after just one year.
“EROAD has impacted our business in a beneficial way. It has so far brought down our over speed events from approximately 25,000 per month to 1200. It’s reduced our overall fuel bill by approximately 20%.”
Simon Batchelor, Fleet & Procurement Manager
McConnell Dowell
Here’s FIVE ways EROAD’s smart telematics platform can help your fleet manage and save on fuel
1. Reducing speeding and erratic/inconsistent driving behaviour
Speed, harsh braking, cornering and acceleration all have a huge impact on your fuel and maintenance bills given vehicles use more power and fuel when driving harder or at higher speeds.
For instance, the power needed to travel at 90 km/hr is 20% less than the power required to travel at 100 km/hr. Research shows reducing peak speeds by just 8 km/hr can save 10% to 15% in fuel consumption.*
Studies have also shown aggressive driving can impact fuel efficiency by as much as 33% on open roads and up to 5% in built-up areas.**
* EROAD Red Paper – ‘Take a fresh look at your fleet’s fuel usage to deliver big savings and sustainability’
EROAD’s driver management software nurtures safe driving practices and safer roads by encouraging positive behavioural change. In effect, it increases driver accountability, facilitates better driving choices at the same time as allowing you to reinforce and reward good driving habits.
EROAD’s in-vehicle Ehubo2 device captures essential information on driver behaviour and then provides real-time coaching feedback to the driver to remedy any issues immediately. It also transmits and records the data for viewing on our desktop fleet management and reporting portal – Depot.
Real-time feedback and alerts can bring costs down by saving on fuel, brakes, lowering maintenance costs and, ultimately, reducing the risk of accidents.
Organisations that pay consistent attention to EROAD’s driver behaviour analytics have 38% fewer speeding events than organisations that don’t view them at all. EROAD study, June 2016, across 1344 organisations
“EROAD has improved my driving. I can monitor myself and improve my driving. Our despatch boss doesn’t make us speed – we do. Sometimes having these records makes us come back to reality, to slow down. It’s all about driving safely and getting home safely. That’s why you should have EROAD.”
Roma Runga, Driver, Machinery Movers
“We’ve seen a 100% reduction in speed events since installing EROAD – and zero notifiable incidents.”
Brad Courtney, Fleet Manager, HRV
2. Excess idling
Idling is a leading factor in fuel waste. In fact, an EROAD study has found that, on average, 7%*** of customers’ fuel consumption is burned in non-productive vehicle idling.
*** EROAD Red Paper – ‘Take a fresh look at your fleet’s fuel usage to deliver big savings and sustainability’
Non-productive idling can prove expensive. Cutting back a small amount of idle time each day can have a massive impact on your fuel bill – in some cases this could add up to thousands of dollars in savings per year.
For a large truck travelling 100,000 km per year, the savings from reduced idling could be worth $3,000 per year. Across a fleet of 50 vehicles, this can add up to significant annual savings.
EROAD’s telematics platform can identify instances where fuel has been wasted through excessive or unnecessary idling or a poorly tuned vehicle.
“By being able to monitor idling using EROAD Idle reports, Foodstuffs was able to make fuel savings of 4% over less than four months.”
Blair Inglis, Fleet Compliance Manager, Foodstuffs North Island
3. Route optimisation
Improving routes by even a small percentage can make a big impact on reducing fuel usage and costs.
EROAD helps reduce your fuel costs by assisting you in identifying the most efficient (or direct) routes. Not only does this cut down on fuel consumption, but also on carbon emissions (and your fleet’s overall carbon footprint).
EROAD’s geofencing reporting gives you an accurate overview of what your vehicles and assets are being used for and by whom, at any time. This includes vital data such as who the driver was, where they travelled to, how long they spent on site, what route they took and whether auxiliary equipment was used.
4. Vehicle maintenance
Well-maintained engines typically use less fuel. EROAD’s Service and Maintenance helps you identify small problems before they become big ones to keep your engines in top condition. It simplifies maintenance with automated service scheduling based on time lapsed, distance travelled or engine hours, plus it provides a full service history archive.
5. Vehicle tracking and driver identification
EROAD’s Driver Login ensures you know who’s behind the wheel at all times, giving you better visibility of your fleet to support health and safety as well as boost driver performance.
EROAD’s Driver Login’s unique PIN system lets drivers identify themselves before they turn on the ignition – it’s a quick, intuitive and secure way to identify the driver and incentivise good driving, as well as eliminate unauthorised use.
Correct driver identification enhances your visibility of what and where your drivers are and unlocks valuable insights on driver performance. EROAD also provides easy-to-understand visual reports and actionable feedback to help you boost driver performance at the same time as improving health and safety outcomes for your fleet.
