Category: Fuel Savings

Reduce Fleet Emissions With These Easy Tips

Posted on | by Courtney redwell

Reducing fleet emissions can be seen as a difficult task as producing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when running a fleet is inevitable. Reducing your fleet emissions will not only help the environment it will save your company money on gas, and who doesn’t want that?

The concept of reducing your fleet emissions is quite simple: the greater your fuel consumption, the greater your emissions will be. Reducing your fuel consumption will, in turn, reduce your fleet’s emissions and save you money.

The way employees drive company vehicles will either increase or decrease fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fleets that are serious about becoming more sustainable must strive to modify their driver’s on-road behaviour to reduce fleet emissions.

GoFleet wants to work with you to lower your GHG emissions and save you money. Our intelligent GPS fleet tracking system makes reducing fleet emissions easy.

Here are easy tips to lowering emissions:

  1. Avoid aggressive driving (eg. speeding, accelerating too quickly, harsh cornering, hard braking)
  2. Avoid idling: Reduce fleet emissions/gas consumption easily, do not leave your vehicle running
  3. Reduce additional mileage: Optimize your routes and minimize your number of stops
  4. Drive according to the speed limit

Communicating these tips to your drivers and having them implemented are two totally different things. Yes it is one thing to tell them to make these changes but how will you know they are in fact changing their habits? Our GPS fleet tracking system will not only help monitor but also help implement and point out the negative driving habits of your drivers.

  • Reduce Aggressive Driving Habits
    Aggressive driving like speeding, aggressive acceleration, hard braking and harsh cornering can all be monitored in our GPS fleet tracking system. It will show all of the listed infractions on the map exactly where it happened. We also have Driver Scorecard Reports where it will list the number of incidents each driver has had over the last week in comparison with all other drivers.
  • Eliminate Speeding and Idling
    Speeding and idling are two of the largest contributors to higher fuel consumption. We offer something called “Audible Driver Alerts” that will alert your drivers of these infractions immediately when it happens. If your drivers are speeding or idling our device will detect it and start beeping, it will continue to beep until the infraction is fixed (speeding/idling is stopped). This feature also works for monitoring seat belt use.
  • Optimize Routes
    Our software has a route planning tool that allows you to optimize your routes to save time and save on gas. Reduce fleet emissions by driving shorter distances to destinations.
  • Drive The Speed Limit
    Since our software is so advanced it displays the posted road speed in comparison with your driver’s speed on the map. This is another way to ensure your drivers are not speeding, not wasting gas, and possibly the most important element, make sure they are obeying traffic laws.

Through effective implementation, you will be more likely to not only improve your fuel economy but also decrease GHG emissions and boost on-road safety. Reducing your fleet’s emissions will not only benefit you (and save you money) but it will also benefit the environment. Transportation is one of the largest, if not the largest, source of air pollution.

Contact GoFleet to find out how our GPS fleet tracking systems can help you move towards running a greener fleet and significantly reduce fleet emissions.

reduce-fleet-emissions-with-fleet-management-solutions

Idling Time: What’s Preventable & What’s Acceptable

Posted on | by Courtney redwell

When it comes to obtaining return on investment (ROI) information with GPS fleet tracking technology, the lowest hanging fruit typically revolves around fuel savings by reducing speeding and idling time. Idling time can be defined as the duration of time the engine is running and the vehicle is not moving. When looking at the total idling time, the lower the amount the better right? Maybe, maybe not.

For example: Driver 1 has a total of 300 minutes of idle time and Driver 2 has a total of 250 minutes of idle time. If the lowest total idle time is better, Driver 2 is doing a better job correct? Not in this case.

idle-1-gofleet-geotab

To completely understand and address the idle time, we need to break it down into three segments:

  1. Idle time before the trip
  2. Idle time during the trip
  3. Idle time after the trip

Check out the chart below. The majority of preventable idling time occurs during the before and after trip segments. This time spent idling can be reduced by the use of the idling reduction campaigns which establish one-on-one communication with drivers, peer pressure, and continual feedback using the idling reports.

prevent-idle-time-gofleet-geotab

Idling time can be significantly reduced by instilling a culture that prohibits the running of the engine during pre-inspections, filling out paper work and on any/all activities where having the engine running is not necessary.

Idling time during the trip can be used in route planning because it helps to indicate travel conditions for a given area or route. Idling time during the trip is usually attributed to traffic signals, traffic conditions & driving conditions. It is more than likely drivers do not have direct control of this idle time, this route and time-of-day can be evaluated to ensure travel delays (idling time) is reduced as much as possible.

After analyzing the segments, Driver 1 has 100 minutes of preventable idling time while Driver 2 has 200 minutes of preventable idling time. In this particular example, Driver 1 is doing a better job of controlling preventable idling time.

To be effective in reducing the idling time of your drivers you need to look a little below the surface to fully understand what a good idling time is. To learn more about how telematics technology can help you better optimize your fleets, try our Fleet ROI Calculator or contact one of our Fleet Consultants.

Reduce Fuel Spending, GPS Vehicle Tracking Systems Can Help

Posted on | by Courtney redwell

Simple Changes and a GPS Vehicle Tracking System Will Reduce Fuel Spending

There are several things that can be done to help save both fuel and money. From simply avoiding too many stops to building a whole new fuel-efficient model, it comes down to either improving the fuel economy of already existing vehicles or acquiring new more fuel efficient vehicles. Strategies for reducing fuel consumption can be broken down into the following six categories:

Matching the Right Vehicle to the Right Route
Choosing the right vehicle for the right task is very important. For example, you could assign lighter vehicles to longer routes and select alternative fuel vehicles for shorter routes.

Keep an Eye on Idling and Smarter Shifts When Changing Gears
The fewer times your engine starts, the less fuel you will consume. Changing gears sooner will also help lower your overall revolution per minute, resulting in less gas consumption. GPS vehicle tracking system technology allows in-vehicle ‘beeping’ functions which can alert drivers to turn off their engine when the vehicle has been put into “Park”.

Speed Restrictions
Restricting and reducing speed is another method for reducing wasted fuel. The implementation of speeding restrictions in fleet management is very helpful when it comes to saving fuel. This is because the slower the speed the less fuel required, ultimately resulting in lower fuel expenditure. GPS vehicle tracking system technology can also help drivers reduce fuel consumption by reminding them to slow down and stay within the posted speed limit.

Curb Idling and Aggressive Driving with a GPS Vehicle Tracking System
When it comes to idling, unnecessary consumption equals unnecessary costs, which is amplified further with the more vehicles a business operates. Reminding drivers to turn off their engine can have huge paybacks in both the short and long term. Aggressive driving also leads to greater fuel use. This includes things like speeding, harsh breaking, accelerating, and even sharp cornering. It is important to change driver habits to improve vehicle economy.

Switch To Alternative Fuels
Switching to alternative fuels can be very beneficial. It can help save on fuel expenses because alternative fuels are cheaper than regular oil. Not only is the fuel cheaper, but the maintenance fees are also lower.

Rely on the Right Sized Engines
Downsizing to vehicles with smaller engines can also help save significantly on fuel. FedEx purchased trucks with the right sized engines and are now 70-100% more fuel efficient than the previous trucks they were using. (According to Automotive Fleet)

Lighten the Load
Having a lighter vehicle load can help contribute to fuel savings. The lighter the vehicle, the more fuel efficient the vehicle will be. Car manufacturers have been able to significantly decrease the weight of many newer vehicles by building them with composite body parts.

Here at GoFleet, in partner with Geotab, we are committed to helping businesses realize a solid return on their GPS vehicle tracking system investment. Getting better MPG usages lies at the heart of what we do, as there are many contributing factors for reducing overall fuel expenditure. To learn more about how a GPS vehicle tracking system can help your business, contact GoFleet today.

Tips on How to Reduce Fleet Emissions

Posted on | by Courtney redwell | Leave a Comment on Tips on How to Reduce Fleet Emissions

Reduce Fleet Emissions With These Helpful Tips

Want to reduce your fleet emissions? The concept is quite simple: the greater your fuel consumption, the greater your emissions will be. Reducing your fuel consumption will in turn reduce your fleets emissions.

 

Green Fleet Management

 

The way employees drive their vehicles directly relates to either increasing or decreasing fuel economy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Fleets that are serious about becoming more sustainable must strive to modify their driver’s on-road behaviour as an ongoing, interactive process. The items below list the top ways you can reduce your fleets emissions and in turn run a more greener fleet:

  • Avoid aggressive driving – accelerate gently and maintain a steady speed
  • Avoid idling – reduce fleet emissions/gas consumption easily, do not leave your vehicle running
  • Reduce additional mileage – optimize your routes and minimize your number of stops
  • Keep tires inflated to the correct pressure
  • Eliminate unnecessary extra weight inside the vehicle
  • Do not purchase premium fuel (unless it is necessary and specified in your owner’s manual)
  • Avoid using the A/C when possible
  • Ensure your vehicle maintenance schedule is top of mind year-round
  • Carpool whenever it is possible and appropriate
  • Drive according to the speed limit – no speeding = reduce fleet emissions
  • Keep your windows rolled up – this makes your vehicle more aerodynamic
  • Anticipate traffic – keep in mind that extensive brake use increases gasoline consumption

Through effective implementation, you will be more likely to not only improve your fuel economy, but also decrease CO2 emissions and boost on-road safety. Reducing your fleets emissions will not only benefit you (and save you money) but it will also benefit the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States.

Contact GoFleet to find out how telematics can help you achieve your sustainability goals today.

5 Ways to Reduce Fuel Expenses with GPS Fleet Tracking

Posted on | by Courtney redwell | Leave a Comment on 5 Ways to Reduce Fuel Expenses with GPS Fleet Tracking

Reduce Fuel Expenses With GPS Fleet Tracking

Today’s elevated fuel prices cause fleet managers to spend as much as 30 percent of their budget on fuel alone. Fleet managers that aim to maximize their vehicles MPG performance with the use of fleet management technology can quickly lower those fuel costs.

The Us Department of Energy reported that gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph. You can assume that for each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.25 per gallon for gas.

To start realizing a fast ROI here are a few tips on how you can cut fuel costs through GPS fleet tracking:

  1. Stop Unnecessary Idling. Our GPS fleet tracking devices come equipped with in-vehicle alerts (beeping) to prompt the driver to turn off the vehicle.
  2. Improve Your Routes. Give drivers better direction by creating zones in our vehicle tracking software. This will help your drivers arrive at their destinations faster and save you money.
  3. Reduce Speeding. Create in-software rules that will warn drivers when they should slow down through our audible driver alerts.
  4. Put an End to Unauthorized Vehicle Use. Always know when your vehicles are in use and where they have traveled through trips history.
  5. Start Using a Fuel Card. Track driver and company wide fuel purchases.

The ongoing increase in fuel prices are due to various reasons including natural disasters, political issues and of course the overall high demand and reliability on fuel. To help you cope with these increasing prices and reduce your overall fuel consumption please contact us today.