Tips to improve commercial vehicle fuel efficiency

The transition to electric vehicles has already begun. However, for commercial vehicles, it seems as though we are still a little way off a significant shift to electric in the same way private cars are moving now. With this in mind and the importance of fuel efficiency greater than ever, how can commercial vehicles improve their fuel efficiency to remain a viable option for the years to come?

Maintenance
For any vehicle, how well it is maintained can play a crucial role in how fuel-efficient it is. This can cover simple aspects such as ensuring the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure, all the way to more complex issues such as checking the engine is tuned correctly and that no oil or fuel is leaking from the vehicle. Businesses who closely monitor the maintenance of their vehicles can not only save fuel, but also money on potentially expensive repair costs further down the road.

Route tracking
Fleet management is a key part of any business that operates a commercial fleet. A fleet manager is responsible for all commercial vehicles within a fleet, and by using vehicle tracking systems, they can significantly improve fuel efficiency.

The data produced from vehicle tracking allows fleet managers to analyse the routes taken by their drivers and then create new routes which are more fuel-efficient. This could be avoiding areas where the data shows regular congestion or simply taking routes that are quicker, as they avoid traffic, even if they are longer on paper.

Driver behaviour
The way commercial vehicles are driven can also play a significant part in improving fuel efficiency. Drivers who avoid harsh acceleration, speeding and leaving their engine idling can reduce the amount of fuel they use. Businesses with a commercial fleet can invest in driver training programs to teach about fuel-efficient driving techniques and install systems that monitor actions such as those mentioned above. These systems can alert drivers when they detect actions such as engine idling and allow drivers to self-correct their driving.

It is in a business’s best interest to improve fuel efficiency for their vehicles, as it helps the environment and saves a business a significant amount of money on fuel costs. Businesses can then reinvest this money into other areas which could improve productivity, quality or customer satisfaction.

By Lucy Tezangi, digital marketing executive at Masternaut

This article first appeared in the March 2021 edition of Industrial News.