🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
Top 5 fuel saving tips for your operation!
By Ask The Mac’s Senior Transport Advisor, Dan Crutchington
No 5 - Remove unnecessary items
Additional items means additional weight, which can in turn reduce your fuel economy. Ensure that the items that are on board are secured correctly and by utilising strategic loading, this can assist with vehicle aerodynamics, meaning less engine drag. However, make sure that loads do not exceed axle or vehicle weights!
No 4 - Efficient routeing
By ensuring that the route planning is set to use direct routes, often through effective motorway usage, this can improve fuel efficiency due to the reduction in start-stop conditions. Also avoid backtracking where possible as a reduction in mileage will equate to a reduction in fuel usage. Consider the times of travel also; planning a journey to enter a city during morning rush-hour will use more fuel due to congestion on the road network.
No 3 – Limit unnecessary journeys
Solo or empty movements generate little to no revenue, which means that every litre of fuel used may be considered an expensive outlay for little reward. If the driving style is not adapted to suit the vehicle condition, this may lead to higher engine revs, which in turn burns more fuel.
No 2) – Driver training
By ensuring that drivers are familiarised and fully trained on the vehicles in your fleet, this can reduce fuel usage as the drivers will have confidence in the equipment they are provided with, and advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, can be used effectively to help them drive more efficiently. Driver CPC modules can also further increase this benefit by utilising different driving techniques and working on a safe and efficient driving style.
No 1 - Cut the idling
While modern engines use less fuel than older vehicles, engine idling can still use up to two litres of fuel an hour, which can equate to a lot of fuel when looking at the entire fleet. Many drivers may leave the engine running while doing their vehicle checks, especially during the colder months as they try to get the cab nice and warm! Manufacturers can fit idle timers which turn the engine off after a certain amount of idling, further saving fuel. Combined with effective use of telematics software, this can be used to effectively reduce fuel usage.
Published On: 25/04/2024 15:25:58
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News In Brief
Isles of Scilly to get new landing craft for freight
A new freight vessel is set to arrive in Scilly within weeks, allowing goods to be taken to shore without need for a crane-lift.
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group which operates three other freight-specific vessels, a passenger ferry and flights to the islands, said high levels of demand made it sensible to bring an additional vessel into service.
The Gugh, named after one of the islands, is a 22m (72ft) landing craft.
ISSG CEO Stuart Reid said: "The Gugh will not only add additional resilience to the fleet, but as a landing craft, the Gugh has been designed and built to deliver direct to shore, allowing the transport of large mechanical plant from the mainland."
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