Fuel Efficiency: The Key to Unlocking Savings for Fleets
The unpredictable nature of fuel prices poses a significant challenge to fleets, affecting their daily operations and bottom line. However, while carriers may not have control over fuel costs, they can influence driver behavior to reduce fuel consumption.
Incentivizing Fuel-Efficient Behaviors
By encouraging fuel-efficient driving habits, carriers can reap substantial savings. Various solutions on the market aim to increase fuel efficiency by monitoring driver performance, often using miles per gallon as a metric. However, this approach has its limitations.
The Limitations of Miles Per Gallon
A driver’s miles per gallon is influenced by numerous factors outside their control, such as vehicle model, freight, routes, and road conditions. As Lloyd Palum, CTO of Tenstreet’s True Fuel Division, notes, “Rating fuel efficiency using just miles-per-gallon performance is not entirely fair, as it’s not completely in a driver’s control.”
The Consequences of Traditional Incentive Programs
Rewarding or reprimanding drivers based on a metric they don’t fully control can lead to discouragement, frustration, and harm to the carrier-driver relationship. This approach can ultimately reduce drivers’ motivation to make fuel-efficient changes.
A Driver-Friendly Alternative: True Fuel
Tenstreet’s True Fuel program takes a different approach, focusing on specific driver behaviors that impact fuel economy. By monitoring and incentivizing these behaviors, True Fuel empowers drivers to make a significant difference in fuel consumption.
Education: The Key to Fuel Efficiency
True Fuel’s emphasis on education enables drivers to make informed decisions about fuel efficiency. By understanding the impact of acceleration, speed management, and consistency on fuel waste, drivers can make adjustments to reduce fuel consumption.
Real-World Results
One True Fuel customer reduced fuel consumption by 1% in under a month, translating to 15,000 saved gallons for a fleet of 300 trucks. According to Ethan Sweeney, director of partner success for True Fuel, this result is not unusual, with customers typically seeing a 3-10% reduction in fuel spend over time.
Seamless Integration and Enhanced Effectiveness
True Fuel is fully integrated into Tenstreet’s suite of offerings, making it easy for carriers to introduce the program to their drivers. Additionally, True Fuel can be tied in with existing safety or rewards programs, increasing the effectiveness of every product involved.
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