I don’t have to tell you how high fuel prices are. You feel the pain.
I’m here to tell you how GPS can help lessen the pain with a quick review of the positive impact GPS tracking can have on fuel savings.
You probably already have GPS but are you using it to maximize fuel savings? You can immediately make a difference by monitoring engine idling and eliminating the excess. But that’s just the start.
You can also keep more fuel in the tank and profit in your pocket by using GPS to help take control of fuel use on the road.
Excess Mileage – You can help cut fuel costs by identifying and eliminating extra mileage in the field. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Improved dispatch – In a dispatch situation, where service calls or other tasks are assigned to workers as they occur, having accurate worker locations can result in serious savings. Being able to see the location of all workers in relation to the service location allows dispatchers to assign the closest worker to a call. This is a proactive way to save excess mileage and fuel and can result in significant savings.
- Geofences to monitor and generate alerts on user travel behavior – Geofences allow virtual areas to be indicated on the map which can be used to call attention to the vehicle’s location. One way geofences can be used to reduce excess mileage is to create a geofence around a driver’s assigned service area to alert supervisors when the worker leaves that area. In some cases, geofences can be created to encompass a route and provide an alert when the worker goes off route. The benefit here is keeping workers within their assigned areas and eliminating excess travel.
- Looking at the data – GPS systems can provide reports of total miles traveled by workers for time ranges. Reviewing these reports can help identify workers who are traveling more than others. Supervisors can then review travel history “breadcrumb trails” to identify inefficient travel. For example, one fleet manager was surprised to find that his workers typically took the “scenic route” of backroads rather than the highway to customer locations, using more fuel and time. Eliminating this behavior picked up 20 minutes and miles of excess mileage every day.
Excess Speed – Some GPS tracking solutions can effectively monitor the speed of the vehicle against posted speed limits. Controlling speed not only increases safety but also results in fuel savings.
According to studies, in highway travel, every 5mph (8kph) over 50mph (80kph) reduces fuel economy by 7-17%. GPS systems can be used to identify and report on excess speed, giving supervisors the information they need to effectively coach workers to eliminate excess speed.
The Green Factor
There are currently 27 countries with carbon taxes in place that increase the cost of fuel for companies with fleets and numerous jurisdictions are considering carbon taxes. By reducing excess mileage and fuel, carbon emissions are also reduced. Think of it this way, where a carbon tax is in place, you can save costs while also helping save the planet.
Now What?
If you’d like to learn more about GPS tracking with options for video cameras and more, contact Vestige. We are happy to answer any questions and share techniques to save fuel. Schedule a demo today – We’re here to help!
