Fleet management is a major milestone on the path to sustainability. When a company relies on a large fleet of vehicles, it’s difficult to reduce their carbon footprint. A lot of money and resources get pumped through the fleet, and it is very easy for these resources to be wasted due to vehicles that are not ideal, reckless driving behavior, and poor planning. Earlier this year, delivery and logistics group UPS announced its entire central London fleet would soon be made up of electric vehicles. This is certainly the direction fleets are moving in, but not all businesses can afford to make this switch.
Our Green Driving tips enable you to save fuel costs, increase safety and become a greener company by reducing the CO2 emission. Monitor driver behavior and fuel consumption in order to improve the performances of your drivers and your fleet. So, it makes sense that a business can greatly improve its stability and its environmental impact with proper fleet management system.
Here are a 6 tips to promote greener driving and support an eco-friendly environment.
1. Tune-Up with Regular Maintenance: Regular maintenance will protect your fleet & the environment in the long run and helps your fleet perform better and pollute less than neglected, gas-guzzling vehicles. Make sure the air filter is clean and the oil levels are topped up. Just by changing the air filter, your car’s efficiency will improve by 10 percent. With regular tune-ups, your fleet will be well-maintained and can reduce fuel consumption. It’s always best to follow your vehicle’s manual to keep the fleet running in its finest shape. Here are 10 winter tips to prepare your vehicle in the USA, Canada and UK.
2. Lighten the Load: Only keep necessary & emergency items in your fleet, such as the spare tire and first-aid kit. If your fleet is carrying any extra weight, like a loaded roof rack or junk in your truck, it decreases the fuel efficiency because any extra pounds will weigh down your vehicle and ultimately use more gas —and money — to move it down the road. So take out those unnecessary heavy items and cargo racks from your vehicle when not in use, to prioritize here are 11 things to keep in your car or truck which can help during a break down.
3. Good Driver Behavior: Not only what you drive impacts your carbon footprint, but also how you drive. Fuel consumption starts to increase above 90 km/hour. Speeding, heavy acceleration, and hard braking can reduce fuel efficiency by 33%. You’ll improve your gas mileage and emit less greenhouse gases by simply avoiding hard accelerations, slamming on the brakes, and maintaining a steady pace, you use less fuel. You should also accelerate smoothly; avoid jack rabbit starts and late breaking. It’s best to leave a two-second space behind the vehicle in front of you. Make a habit whenever you pull over to stop or make a call, turn off the engine and do not leave the vehicle idling more than 30 seconds while sitting in your vehicle, it takes less fuel to re-start your vehicle than to keep it running. If driving on flat and dry terrain, use cruise control since it maintains a steady speed. The consistent speed helps with fuel economy. But make sure to turn off the cruise control when driving on hilly roads. Read more about the 8 ways to improve driver behavior.
4. Tire Checks: If you don’t pay attention to your tires are properly inflated or not, you’ll be reducing your gas mileage and emitting more pollutants into the air. If every American car had properly inflated tires, the Car Care Council says we could save around 2 billion gallons of gas each year. The cold weather condenses the air causing your tires to deflate, then in the spring the warm air expands. Make sure that you check the tire pressure listed for your vehicle (In the driver’s manual or on the inside of the driver’s door) at least once every week or two to make sure that they are at an optimal air pressure level. Only do this when the tires are cool to get a truly accurate reading. Here are some tips to reduce tire expenses to manage fleet effectively.
5. Buy a Renewable Fuel, Low-Emissions Vehicle: The best way to set your driving habits up for eco-friendliness is by driving a vehicle that’s fuel efficient and emits the lowest amount of greenhouse gases possible. You might be tempted to choose the cheapest kind of oil when you take your vehicle into the shop for an oil change, but the kind of oil you put in your vehicle affects its performance and efficiency. Flip open your auto manual to read the manufacturer’s recommendations and use synthetic, environmentally-friendly motor oil in your engine. E85 and biodiesel, both of these fuel types are made by renewable resources, not fossil fuels. E85 is a blend that contains 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline that can be used in certain vehicles. Biodiesel is a blend which contains 5 percent biodiesel. It is safe, bio-degradable, and produces less air pollution than petroleum-based diesel. Using these fuels can reduce oil dependence and greenhouse gas emissions making for a greener, healthier planet. Here are different ways of cutting fuel cost by using a fleet management software effectively.
6. Check your gas cap: Each year, 147 million gallons of gas vaporize because of loose, damaged or missing gas caps. Avoid topping off your tank when you fill up to prevent the release of harmful vapors into the environment.
Contact us to improve your green driving points and improve fleet sustainability. Read more about what our customers are talking about us. In case if you are looking for a vehicle tracking system partner then you are in the right place, we work closely with our system integrator to make their business successful.