6 Tips For Green Fleet Management

Fleet management is a major milestone on the path to sustainability. A lot of money and resources get pumped through the fleet, and it is very easy for these resources to be wasted due to vehicles that are not ideal, reckless driving behavior, and poor planning. So, it makes sense that a business can greatly improve its stability and its environmental impact with proper fleet management.

6 Green Fleet Management Tips

#1. Carefully consider vehicle selection
Different vehicle types and fuel types will serve your business better than others. For instance, if you choose too small of a vehicle in an effort to save money initially, you may find your fleet making twice as many trips which, of course, costs more money and uses more resources. A vehicle that is too large will use more fuel and possibly be wasteful, so research available options and your business’ needs carefully before making a purchase.
#2. Start small
By starting small, you can try out ideas and problem-solve on a manageable scale. If you purchase two new trucks rather than ten, you can monitor their fuel consumption, costs, and maintenance needs and adapt the rest of your investments and management strategies accordingly.
#3. You need reports
It is next to impossible to manage a fleet effectively and sustainably without thorough reporting. Available fleet tracking and monitoring services provide you with detailed and actionable reports. With these services, you can monitor wasted mileage, fuel costs, and more with the kind of up-to-date figures that help you build a successful management strategy.
#4. Route management
Evolving technology and services for sustainability make it easier every day to manage your route for maximum efficiency. GPSs already help drivers find the shortest routes to their destinations, but it is also possible to deploy the closest drivers to a given location rather than making others drive out of their way and it also possible to optimize driving routes for the least amount of idling time and overall time on the road.
#5. Fuel cards
Fuel cards help you manage your fleet’s fuel consumption in unbelievable ways. You can track fuel expenses per driver and vehicle, eliminate receipts and consolidate figures into one report, monitor what fuel your drivers are purchasing, and find the lowest-priced fuel locations per routes.
#6. Driver behavior
Driving habits account for a surprising amount of wasted fuel. Speeding, jerky stopping and starting, and aggressive driving use more fuel per mile. This means that even if you had the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the market and planned the route to the absolute optimum degree, a driver can counteract those benefits with wasteful driving behaviors.
Fuel cards, reporting services, strategic planning, and optimized driver behavior can turn your fleet into the money-saving and sustainable asset to your business that it should be. Remember that you can begin green fleet management strategies in small increments, so you can easily see potential problems and adapt your strategy. Begin today, even if your first step is to perform research or to start saving for one new vehicle.