Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/117828
34 ��� APRIL 2013 ��� WORLD FENCE NEWS Remember the good old days, when little attention was paid to managing fuel? Drivers of company vehicles would gas and go, with little thought to conserving fuel. But in today���s modern world, all that has changed. Any company can improve their fuel efficiencies. It takes work and commitment from the head office to the people on the road and at the job sites. More and more companies are making changes in their operating practices to cut costs now and to be prepared for even higher costs in the future. Ten ways to cut fuel costs 1. Train and educate your drivers. It starts with the people who have their Ask the fuel expert Ten ways to cut your fuel costs BY JACK LEE , PRESIDENT & CEO , 4REFUEL CANADA INC . foot on the gas pedal. Your drivers can control fuel consumption each time they fire up their engines, and proper training can improve fuel efficiency, economy and emissions. Hard acceleration, speeding and idling are the biggest causes of fuel waste. Initiate a training course for drivers and reward participation. 2. Decrease idling: Be aware of the time engines idle. No longer can we leave machinery and equipment running all day long. Stop your en- gines! Excessive idling adds to your fuel costs by as much as 50% and can shorten the life of engine oil by 75%, adding more costs. Initiate a campaign to reduce idling time and reward participants. Allowing an engine to idle more than 3 minutes causes expensive damage which harms efficiency, shortens engine life and increases maintenance costs. It all adds up. 3. Start off slower: This is another lesson your drivers must be taught. Jackrabbit starts waste fuel and save less than 3 minutes per hour driving, but can result in using 40% more fuel and increase toxic emissions by 400%! What���s the rush? Ease up on the gas pedal and your efficiencies will improve. 4. Slow down: Speeding is dangerous, it wastes fuel and creates higher levels of toxic emissions. Speeds over 62 mph drastically impact fuel efficiencies ��� cars travelling at 74 mph can use 20% more fuel. Trucks travelling at 74 mph use 50% more fuel and they also emit 100% more carbon monoxide, 50% more hydrocarbons and 31% more nitrogen oxides. 5. Lose weight: Excess weight places unnecessary strain on your vehicle���s engine and greatly affects its fuel efficiency. By removing as little as 100 pounds you can significantly improve your gas mileage. Check each vehicle and pitch out that unnecessary weight! 6. Use a fuel management system: This is the most powerful way to lower fuel costs and increase productivity. Available systems range from basic onsite refuelling (which saves up to 20 minutes in wasted time and fuel each day, per vehicle) to automated fuel tracking (which details every gallon pumped into every vehicle by date, time, quantity and fuel type) to telematics (which measures overall fuel efficiency, vehicle performance, tracks fuel waste due to idling, speeding, etc. and identifies critical areas to improve efficiency and reduce fuel costs and emissions.) The technology exists so you can become a fuel manager and stay on top of your fuel consumption, one vehicle at a time. It can work for you. 7. Upgrade your fleet: Whenever possible, invest in modern, fuel-efficient vehicles. Modern diesel engines are far more fuel-efficient and perform better with modern diesel fuels such as ultra low sulphur diesel and biodiesel. Though it may seem expensive, new diesel vehicles can save thousands of dollars in maintenance, fuel and productivity per vehicle. Measure each piece of equipment for fuel efficiency and get rid of the bad ones! Replace and upgrade your equipment regularly. It may hurt now but it will pay you back. 8. Tune-up vehicles regularly: Do you have a stringent, well-managed maintenance policy? Many companies ���fix it when it breaks.��� This attitude costs too much in wasted fuel. A well maintained vehicle performs better, improves fuel efficiency, reduces toxic emissions and, in the long run, will cost less to maintain. 9. Pump it up: Proper tire inflation improves gas mileage.