Page 15 - Logistics News - July August 2022

FUE L

How to lessen the blow

of record-high fuel prices

Despite the recent announcement of downward adjustments to the fuel price,
South African consumers and businesses remain financially burdened and under
pressure due to record-high fuel prices. However, there are a few ways for fleet

managers to monitor their fleets’ fuel usage efficiently.

“ here’s never been a greater need for businesses can integrate digital vehicle maintenance Justin Manson, Sales
solutions, which help them closely monitor
that operate a fleet of vehicles to find effective
Tways to manage their finances and save on the service requirements of each vehicle. These Director at Webfleet.
costs, no matter how small the saving might be,” says Justin tools also allow fleet managers to minimise
Manson, Sales Director at Webfleet . “It is crucial that any the chance of breakdowns or vehicle maintenance downtime
business’s fleet management adopts solutions that help by providing detailed insights into the vehicle’s condition.
reduce its vehicles’ fuel usage and improve driver behaviour.” These solutions can also use vehicles’ odometer information
to schedule fleet maintenance tasks effectively, provide
Although fleet managers can’t control South Africa’s information on trouble codes and keep vehicle costs down.
fluctuating fuel prices, there are a few ways to help them
monitor their fleets’ fuel usage more effectively. Avoid drivers getting stuck in a jam
Drivers stuck in traffic congestion can severely affect
Encourage fuel-efficient driving behaviour productivity and fuel efficiency. By introducing driver
There are countless benefits to managing driving behaviour, terminals with navigation, fleet managers can access a
including reducing vehicle wear and tear, the risk of an complex network of live traffic data and advanced algorithms
accident and fuel consumption. Fleet managers can help to help drivers avoid traffic jams, closed roads and other
drivers operate their vehicles more economically on the road obstacles that could disrupt their schedules.
by enrolling them in a driver training programme. These
programmes help educate them on fuel-efficient driving, Route optimisation takes the guesswork out of the
including unnecessary idling, harsh braking and acceleration. order in which specific jobs should be done. Coupled with
live traffic information, this is one of the best ways any fleet
Fleet managers can complement this training with a business can save on fuel costs.
driving performance monitoring solution, providing drivers
with direct feedback and predictive driving advice while on Go green by operating sustainably
the road. This level of responsible driving will help businesses New research published by Moneybarn reveals that South
reduce the total cost of vehicle ownership. Africa is ranked the highest in producing the most transport
carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Businesses looking to
Keep vehicles maintained reduce their carbon footprint can encourage drivers to adopt
Ensuring fleets are well maintained helps fleet managers better driving habits such as avoiding harsh accelerations,
avoid vehicle downtime, which is a massive inconvenience ensuring smooth and slow cornering and braking, and
for any business. In addition to late or missed deliveries, avoiding excessive speeding.
which negatively impact business profits and a company’s
image, unmaintained vehicles can also increase fuel Telematics solutions monitoring fuel usage can also L O GI S T I CS NEWS
expenditure. report carbon emissions, allowing businesses to shift to
eco-friendly operations without compromising fuel reduction
To avoid this and increase fuel efficiency, fleet managers efforts. •

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