One of the many benefits of proper fleet management is the reduction of your company’s carbon footprint. Find out why this is true and why it’s your responsibility as a fleet manager or an owner.
About a third of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions come from the transport sector, according to statistical data from 2018. And with the continuous impact of climate change on the environment, it’s time for everyone in the industry to take action.
Fortunately, improved technology on fleet fuel management systems in the UK and other countries make it possible for organizations to reduce their carbon footprint significantly. Here’s how that works:
1. Finding the most optimal routes
The best way to save fuel is to find the most optimal routes for your vehicles to take with each delivery. Of course, doing this manually for every single journey is tedious, so what developers did was create a fleet management system that allows organizations to create optimal routes that have the least distance, number of tolls, traffic, and fuel prices for multiple vehicles at once.
With this type of feature, not only do you get to save money on fuel, but you’re also decreasing the amount you consume with each trip.
2. Minimize idling
A single long-haul truck consumes nearly a gallon of fuel for each hour that it’s left idling. Fortunately, many fleet management system has an anti-idling function and vehicle tracking so you can see if drivers are idling for too long at a rest stop or some other place. Less time wasted–and most importantly, less fossil fuels consumed.
3. Easier batch deliveries
By doing batch deliveries, you can transport multiple loads in a single trip, which can save you tons of money in fuel and labor hours. And with fleet management systems, you can easily manage and schedule batch deliveries in the most optimal route possible.
4. Better driving
If your drivers are habitually braking harshly, overspeeding, and driving aggressively, your rigs are likely burning more fuel than necessary. While proper driver training is the most critical step to avoid these kinds of driving behaviors, you can take an extra action in ensuring proper driving by using a telematics system. This system will allow you to monitor a driver’s behavior with the data it collects, such as location, hours of operation, and odometer reading, among others.
5. Fuel management
In the UK, companies are required by law to report their total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions every year in an effort to reduce global emissions. With telematics systems and fuel cards in your rigs, you can easily collect fuel data (fuel consumed and distance traveled) for your report and make reduction goals as needed.
6. Organized maintenance
A vehicle should be well-maintained to last longer and be more fuel-efficient. And since staying on top of the maintenance of dozens of rigs at the same time can be grueling, some fleet management systems have a feature wherein you can log maintenance schedules for easier management.
Fleet management systems and other related technology can help organizations save thousands of dollars in fuel, labor, and maintenance costs each year. But most importantly, it can help organizations do their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which will help reduce the transport sector’s impact on the environment.
