Mining the data that is already flowing from your telematics devices can save you 20 to 30 percent on fuel consumption. It can also decrease maintenance costs and extend engine life. Dave Kestenbaum, director of certification for sustainable transportation at the University of Vermont, shares these ways to save money through data.
- Limit pre-trip idling time to five minutes in temperate seasons. But also keep in mind seasonal differences and idle long enough to heat or cool for customer satisfaction.
- Set a general goal of 15 to 20 percent if engine time spent idling. In many companies, idling time is almost twice that.
- Track the time engines idle during daily startups, pre-trip inspections and sometimes washing. “Multiply those hours by 1.25 gallons of fuel per hour— figure your fuel cost and that is how much you are spending on excessive idling.”
- Monitor available data to spot trends by season and driver, and share data and efficiency goals with your drivers and operations staff.
- Watch for drivers who use excessive fuel with jack-rabbit starts and excessive speeding. “The most efficient drivers are 30 percent more efficient than the least efficient. And they are safer because they are not speeding.” Training them to learn better habits can boot fleet efficiency eight percent.
Kestenbaum was a speaker at Motorcoach EXPO 2019 in Fort Lauderdale. The certification program at the University of Vermont has trained 10,000 drivers and helped carriers save about two million gallons of fuel, he said.
