Fleet managers can avoid a lot of future anguish by planning now for what seems set to be a continual rise in fuel costs.
Prices are already hurting and it’s inevitable they will continue heading north in a volatile fashion.
But the good news is that smarter control systems and best-practice procedures can mitigate plenty of pain down the track.
Traditional cost-control tools, like fuel cards, are certainly useful, but in the new price paradigm these long established methodologies won’t be effective enough unless integrated into a well-honed strategic plan.
A good way to start developing any such plan is to assemble whatever fuel consumption data you may have from previous years into a comprehensive model for further analysis. You may be surprised by the number of fuel saving opportunities you spot!
For instance, just how much fuel are all those chainsaws, pumps and mowers consuming? Collectively, the small stuff deserves as much analysis as the big ticket items.
There are numerous fuel management solutions to boost accountability, efficiency and best practices, but the key to success is implementing them in such a way that they affect and maintain a positive change.
In this respect the strategies and guidance to be gained from the latest edition of the IPWEA’s Plant & Vehicle Management Manual are invaluable.
For instance, the Manual’s section on reconciling the issuing of fuel explains how each fuel transaction record should be linked to a date, time, litres pumped, plant or rego number of the vehicle or plant it is issued to, and the kilometre or engine hour meter reading. It also details how plant and vehicles refuelled from bulk tanks at remote locations should be recorded, and how to reconcile the fuel usage of smaller items of equipment which have no metering devices, such as chainsaws, lighting plant and mowers.
One of the great things about smart fuel management is that it can not only save money on fuel, but actually increase the overall operational performance of a fleet. That’s simply because any close analysis of fuel usage inevitably turns the spotlight on a whole lot other opportunities for improving efficiency.
One final point – it’s important fleet managers fully understand how to claim every cent of fuel rebate due back from the taxman. I’ve heard some alarming stories about unclaimed rebates lately, and that’s a real worry!