Ongoing rises in fuel prices has hit the haulage industry hard, highlighted in this BBC report. Commenting in this report, Rod McKenzie, from the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said: “The average 44 tonne truck gets less than two miles from a litre of fuel. That’s why every penny increase makes a massive difference and as such, every penny must be made to count.”
With this in mind, it’s worth revisiting two fuel saving strategies you will probably already be aware of but may not be using.
- TYRE PRESSURE MONITORING
Tyre pressure is one of the main factors that affects fuel consumption.
The report below shows just how much excess fuel was used by a fleet due to low tyre pressure.
Our Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) enables you to view the tyre pressures of your fleet in real-time, allowing you to action any tyre issues immediately and avoid using unnecessary fuel.
- REDUCE IDLING
Leaving a lorry engine on when parked up for 3 mins here and there may not seem important but can be very costly when you look across a fleet.
Figures from DfT Best Practice say idling can use up to 2 litres of fuel per hour and emit over 5.26kg of CO2.
So if we considered 20 drivers idling twice a day for a total of 6 mins each, this would equate to 10 hours idling each week.
That’s twenty litres of wasted fuel costing £38.20 per week-£1986 PER YEAR!
It is also illegal. Stationary idling is an offence under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states: “You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.”
TrailerMaster can help reduce idling as it allows you to see where all your trailers are on our feature rich map, so you know what’s available in any given location, and with its current bogie weight. Geofencing places virtual markers to record when a trailer arrives or leaves a specific point of interest, such as a depot or customers premises. Automated email notifications can alert the transport team of a trailer arrival or departure.
Live location tracking makes it easy to quickly locate and redirect a vehicle to new jobs as they come in.
Call the team for a demo of TrailerMaster 01303 842100, or enquire online.