Whether you own a fleet of business vehicles or regularly send your staff to meetings and conferences across the country, one of your biggest expenses is likely to be fuel. You might be a delivery firm, freight operator, or even a taxi company, fuel is essential to keep your business operations running smoothly. Nevertheless, it is extremely expensive, and its constantly fluctuating prices make it difficult to budget for. If you’re not careful, each journey could cut into your profit margins.
Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce your fuel consumption and save money at the same time. Here are six tips for cutting costs.
1. Drive better
The less fuel your company uses, the lower the cost. Many drivers adopt bad habits that could contribute to increased consumption of fuel. Nevertheless, by training your staff in more fuel-efficient driving techniques, a full tank will take your vehicles a lot further. There are many ways to drive in a more fuel-efficient manner, but some examples include accelerating gradually, maintaining a steady speed, coasting to decelerate, and never idling while stationary.
2. Amend routes
How much planning goes into your driving routes? By thoroughly planning each journey, you may be able to reduce the amount of time your workers spend on the road. As well as shortening journeys, you may be able to boost efficiency by grouping multiple journeys together or having workers share vehicles. This will not only reduce your gasoline consumption but will also save you a great deal of time to optimize your productivity.
3. Maintain vehicles
A well-maintained vehicle will be much more efficient at consuming fuel than a poorly maintained one. You can do many things to improve the fuel economy of your transport, such as checking oil levels regularly, keeping tires inflated to the correct level, and servicing them on schedule.
4. Buy in bulk
For vehicles you fuel yourself, such as for construction or agricultural applications, it is usually much cheaper to buy diesel and gas oil in bulk quantities. Although the initial expense will be greater, it will save you a great deal of money in the long run.
5. Outsource journeys
If you have deliveries you need to make, it is possible to save money by outsourcing them to other drivers. Sometimes a long journey doesn’t seem worth the time and fuel expenses, but sites like Shiply allow you to transfer the job to other drivers who are traveling a similar route. Although you pay these drivers a fee, you won’t have to fork out for fuel, and you’ll save a lot of time to focus on your business.
6. Upgrade vehicles
You may be balking at the idea of spending a huge portion of your budget on new vehicles, but a forward-thinking business owner will be able to weigh up the eventual benefits with the initial costs. Older vehicles can cost a lot more to run due to their lower fuel economy and extra maintenance requirements. By upgrading your fleet to some newer, more fuel-efficient models, you’ll spend a lot less on long journeys.
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