A fuel price decrease took effect at midnight on September 3 and saw motorists flocking to petrol stations the next morning to enjoy the savings of 67 cents per liter rendering the price of a liter of petrol down from R14.33 to R13.66.
Fuel is one of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry and is reflected in the drive towards fuel efficient technologies and solutions. Small and large logistics companies are monitoring fuel spend with a hawk’s eye and are trying to reduce usage by all means possible.
The decrease in fuel might not seem that significant but when considering that some companies have fleets of 100 to 200 vehicles the savings of 67 cents per litre can be significant. Even if a company has a fleet of five or ten vehicles that are on the road all day a saving of 67 cents per liter can make a big difference.
Fuel Saving Software Solutions
Apart form the obvious way of saving costs by means of a fuel price decreases logistics companies are placing a bigger focus on fuel spend and monitoring to see how they can optimise efficiency while decreasing costs.
The first step towards ensuring fuel efficiency comprises the implementation of fuel monitoring technologies which enable increased visibility over fleet usage. Companies need to take all factors into consideration, such as driver behavior, route optimisation and fleet maintenance.
Route otimisation should become standard practice for companies that comprise fleets and all deliveries should be scheduled according to delivery destinations and should be grouped together to, not to only ensure an increase in efficiency, but also more efficient fuel usage.
Companies can also underestimate the role that fleet maintenance plays in saving fuel and should ensure that fleets are maintained according to maintenance schedules, which will not only save money in the long term by ensuring that fleets are in a good condition but also save time owing to less down time.
Lastly, driver behavior should be monitored to ensure safe driving practice and instill a culture of responsibility and transparency in logistics companies’ employees. Ensuring that drivers take care of fleets and that they drive responsibly can also save on fuel and ensure that fleets stay in good condition.