Green Fleet Management

Do you own a landscaping, HVAC or construction business? If you are like many contractors across the nation, you have probably already realized that going green can give you a competitive advantage. Over time, practices like switching to energy efficient  operation. One of the most productive areas for a contractor to consider going green is the vehicle fleet. Your vehicles are always on the go, and it makes sense to drive every mile as efficiently as possible. Try implementing these fleet management tips for a more sustainable — and more profitable — fleet.

9 fleet management tips for greener vehicle use

1. Choose appropriate tires. Tires can make a significant difference in your gas mileage. Steel belted radials are generally the most fuel efficient. If you must drive on icy roads in the winter, consider using snow tires for safety in winter months and switching to smoother, more efficient tires in the summer.
   
2. Keep your tires properly inflated. Running your truck tires just 10 psi below recommended pressure can reduce your fuel efficiency by up to 1 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).¹ While this may not seem like much, it can add up to hundreds of dollars over the course of a year, especially if you have multiple vehicles. You can avoid this problem by making tire pressure checks part of your routine, inflating your tires with nitrogen gas instead of air, or installing an automatic tire inflation (ATI) system on vehicles that see a lot of use.
   
3. Reduce idle time. Idling trucks waste fuel . This is easy to understand if you factor idling into your vehicle’s average fuel efficiency; when a vehicle is idling its speed drops to 0 mph. Idling can add as much as 50 percent to your gas costs. It also shortens engine oil life by 75 percent and is hard on your engine. You can see that teaching your crews the simple habit of stopping the engine can save you plenty.
   
4. Optimize routes. The fewer miles you cover to get from point A to point B, the less you will spend in fuel and vehicle maintenance. GPS can help you identify the shortest routes.
   
5. Reduce vehicle cargo weight. Each 100 pounds of extra weight can reduce your fuel efficiency by about 1 percent, according to EPA.² If you run a larger fleet, consider outfitting specific vehicles for specific job types. This will eliminate the weight of unneeded equipment. Or, make it a habit to go through each vehicle at the beginning of each new job, and remove equipment that you know won’t be needed.
   
6. Practice preventive maintenance. It’s easy to forget about routine maintenance when a truck is running fine, but keeping up with recommended inspections and services really does extend vehicle life. It also helps reduce down time and can improve your cash flow by shifting more of your vehicle maintenance costs away from unexpected repairs and toward scheduled visits you can more easily budget for.
   
7. Track each vehicle’s performance. Keep track of each vehicle’s fuel efficiency and service records. Over time, this will reveal which vehicles are performing well, and which might be candidates for a trade-in. Sudden changes in fuel efficiency can also tip you off that a vehicle needs attention before a break-down occurs.
   
8. Keep speeding in check. Don’t think speeding wastes gas? Check out this MPG for Speed calculator to see for yourself just how much fuel gets burned when you push the pedal to the metal: http://www.mpgforspeed.com/.  Speeding is also unsafe, and could earn you a ticket which will cost you even more. Speeding is rarely worth the few extra minutes it may gain you. Train your crews to drive safe, and within the legal speed limit.
   
9. Eliminate aggressive driving habits. Fast stops and starts and hasty cornering put extra wear on tires and brakes. Aggressive driving can also affect fuel consumption, lowering efficiency by up to 5 percent in towns and 33 percent on the highway.³

One of the best green fleet management investments you can make is a GPS tracking device for each of your vehicles. Fleet tracking allows you to have a high degree of control over your fleet. Not only can it help you minimize driving miles, but it enables you to track each vehicle in real time, effectively keeping an eye on employees as well as vehicle performance. It can also inform you when a vehicle is idling and greatly simplify your fleet-related reporting.

Fleet management offers substantial benefits to nearly any small business. For a construction business or any contractor who uses vehicles heavily, it has become an essential way to keep costs in check and profitability up. What’s more, by reducing your fuel use and extending vehicle life, you’ll also be reducing your carbon footprint , doing your part to help keep our planet green and clean.

Robert J. Hall is president of Track Your Truck, a leader in GPS vehicle tracking systems and software for small and midsized companies.