Fuel costs are always a high priority for any business with a mobile workforce and it’s an expense that can easily lead to overspending. Wasting fuel through excessive idling, aggressive driving, and unauthorized usage are some of the many issues ATTI vehicle tracking solutions helps to identify, but what else can be done to act? Here are some useful tips that fleet managers implement and teach drivers to help cut down on fuel costs:

• Avoid hard acceleration and braking – excessive acceleration and hard braking leads to increased fuel consumption and wear on the vehicle. Encourage drivers to avoid hard acceleration and begin coasting to a slow brake when possible.
• Check tire pressure – Tires can lose nearly 1-2 PSI per month and low tire pressure can lead to a decrease in fuel economy. Regularly checking and filling tires can prevent the resulting higher fuel costs.
• Maintaining speed– Constant speed correction contributes to a higher use of fuel. To avoid this happening excessively, drivers should be encouraged to maintain a set speed over longer distances and use cruise control if available in the vehicle.
• Lower A/C and heat usage – Long term use of temperature control features utilize a considerable amount of fuel. Encourage drivers to avoid using them when possible and consider installing heat protecting window tint on fleet vehicles.
• Limit vehicle weight – Unnecessary tools, cargo, and materials can accumulate within fleet vehicles over an extended period. This can result in an increase in vehicle weight and bad fuel economy. To avoid this, encourage drivers to routinely check and clear out unused tools and materials out of fleet vehicles.
• Route accountability and maintenance reminders – Drivers should be encouraged to follow the most optimized routes that are charted out for them. Deviating from these routes leads to unnecessary fuel usage and more miles accumulated on the vehicle. In addition, fleet managers and drivers should stick to maintenance schedules as closely as possible.

These are just some of the ways that fleet managers can reduce the fuel costs of their mobile workforce. ATTI’s GPS tracking solutions can help fleet managers identify primary culprits in unnecessary fuel spending. Being able to track fleet activity in real-time allows for route disruptions, poor driving habits, and unauthorized usage instances to be corrected on-the-fly. Maintenance reminders are made directly within the software and custom reporting allows for fleet managers to view prior fleet activity. With rising fuel and operational costs, ATTI’s vehicle tracking solutions are one of the best tools at a fleet manager’s disposal.