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February 18, 2010
Fuel Management
Every Bit Helps
Optimizing fuel consumption numbers isn’t difficult. Could your fleet benefit from a few common sense preventative measures?
The ebb and flow of world oil prices over the past few months is wreaking havoc with gas prices at the pumps. Recently, prices seem to have stabilized somewhat, but they’re still on the high side and the future is still uncertain.
In order to deal with the ups and downs of the market, some have turned to futures as a way of hedging against higher prices in the months to come. Fuel contracts are popular. But can fleet managers make changes closer to home with a view to minimizing fuel consumption?
Buy right
In recent years, fleet managers have learned to buy the vehicles they need, and to justify their purchases. Buying a large V8-powered sedan just because that’s what company employees have always driven is no longer acceptable. If a vehicle with a V6 or inline-4 will do, then that is what most fl eet managers will invest in.
But the numbers don’t always add up. In theory, a 3.2-litre V6 should burn more fuel than a 2.5-litre inline-4, but the opposite could also be true. If the V6 comes with a 6-speed transmission, for example, while the 4-cylinder version of the same make and model only has a 5-speed gearbox, you might find the V6 the more fuelefficient buy. The moral of the story—do your homework; don’t assume anything.
Speed kills... fuel economy
If the fuel consumption numbers you’re getting with your fleet look nothing like the numbers you researched in the Fuel Consumption Guide published by Natural Resources Canada, or those published by the manufacturer, you’re not alone.
Real life fuel consumption numbers are based on the driving habits of your staff and the real world conditions you operate your fleet in. Likely, these differ dramatically from the way listed numbers are calculated.
Natural Resources Canada tests vehicles in the following manner: fuel economy numbers for city driving are calculated with a test that simulates a 12 km, stopand- go trip with an average speed of 32 km/h and a top speed of 91 km/h. Highway numbers are calculated from a test conducted at 77 km/h and a top speed of 97 km/h.
In real life, your drivers likely average over 32 km/h in the city, and way over 77 km/h on the highway. And the faster they drive, the more fuel they are likely to consume per km. Add abrupt starts and unnecessary idling into the mix, and your numbers are likely to be all over the fuel economy map.
The solution: driver education and a stringent enforcement of whatever rules your fleet department decides will help curb excess fuel consumption.
Maintain it
We’ve heard it a million times: proper maintenance is a must, and goes a long way to optimizing fuel economy numbers.
Make sure your fleet is well maintained and that everyone is on the same page when it comes to proper tire pressure, regular maintenance and upkeep, etc.
The mundane items mentioned above may not sound as sexy as hedging fuel prices with futures, but every little bit helps at a time when fuel prices are already on the high side, and future fuel prices are still a bit on the foggy side.
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Jack Kazmierski
