September 2008, Automotive Fleet - Feature
60 Ways to Reduce Your Fuel Spend
By Mike Antich
36. Avoid Jackrabbit Starts.
A car consumes extra fuel when accelerating. To maximize fuel
economy, drivers need to examine their driving habits. Simply limiting
acceleration and fast braking can increase fuel economy. When
accelerating, suggest drivers pretend they have a fresh egg underneath
their right foot. A light, steady pressure helps to minimize the amount
of fuel consumed and maintain a more moderate and steady speed.
37. Anticipate Traffic Flow.
Anticipate traffic conditions, and accelerate and decelerate
smoothly — it’s safer, uses less gas, and reduces brake wear. In
commuter traffic, which usually involves stop-and-go movement, drivers
should look two or more vehicles ahead rather than watching the driver
directly in front of them. This enables more gradual acceleration and
deceleration. By anticipating a traffic light change, an upcoming stop
sign, or the need to slow down for a curve, drivers can avoid or reduce
brake use and save gasoline in the process.
Like the “jack-rabbit start,” the “jackrabbit stop” is a major
contributor to inefficient driving. When coming upon a “merge ahead”
sign, drivers should automatically check their speed, traffic spacing,
and length of the acceleration lane to merge smoothly without
interrupting momentum any more than necessary.
38. Avoid Aggressive Driving.
The largest fuel waste occurs with aggressive driving. Time studies
show that fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic, accelerating to
and from a stop light doesn’t save much time, wastes fuel and wears out
components such as brakes and tires faster. By not driving
aggressively, drivers can save up to 20 percent in fuel economy,
advises the EPA.
39. Use A/C Sparingly.
Use the air conditioner only when needed. An air conditioner is one
of the biggest drains on engine power and fuel economy. It can reduce
gas consumption by 5 to 20 percent, depending on the type of vehicle
and the way it is driven. Don’t use it as a fan to simply circulate
air. If it’s just too hot to bear without A/C, try to keep it set at
around 72 degrees. Minimize use of air conditioning. Use the vent
setting as much as possible.
Fleet Management Strategies
40. Develop a Written Fuel Policy for Drivers to Adhere.
What are your fuel management policies? Are those policies
understood by both drivers and management? Too often, fleets have no
written fuel management policy in place. This policy would serve as a
blueprint to reduce fuel spend and as an enforcement tool to ensure
compliance with internal fueling policies.
41. Increase Overall Average Fleet MPG.
Companies such as Johnson & Johnson have established goals to
increase the overall fleet average. In the case of Johnson &
Johnson, the goal is to increase the overall average fleet mpg to 36.4
mpg by 2010.
42. Get a Fleet Fuel Card.
A fuel management program helps avoid unauthorized purchases by
allowing fleet managers to control exactly what drivers’ purchase.
Limiting the type of fuel purchased is an easy way to control costs. A
fuel card can restrict driver purchases to only regular unleaded
gasoline, not more expensive premium and super-unleaded grades of
gasoline.
43. Eliminate SUVs, Shift to Crossovers, When Possible.
“We are reducing the number of mid-size SUVs in our fleet,” said
Mary Pat Crabtree, relocation/fleet specialist for Brown-Forman. “Along
with increasing the number of sedans, we will add crossover vehicles,
such as the Edge, Equinox, Outlook, and Journey for those jobs that
require a larger vehicle.”
44. Shift from Minivans to Sedans, When Possible.
“We previously purchased 60-percent minivans and 40-percent sedans
in our sales and technical fleet,” said Szymanski of PPG Industries.
“For this order cycle, we implemented gatekeepers at the VP level to
review and approve an individual’s requirement of a minivan. We expect
our minivans will drop to approximately 15 percent,” said Szymanski.