Whether you own or lease a vehicle, here are some useful tips to save fuel while transporting your goods and services.

Do not idle your vehicle excessively

Did you know that idling uses more of your vehicle’s fuel? Idling includes:

  • Warming up the engine longer than needed
  • Running the engine during stops or deliveries
  • Keeping the engine on to use in-vehicle equipment i.e., cell phone charger

It is reported that idling burns up to 1.5 gallons per hour and an average heavy-duty truck idles around 1,800 hours per year. This amounts to losing up to 2,700 gallons of fuel every year on idling, which is a cost that can be avoided.

Improve routes and delivery schedules

Another way to save on fuel cost is to optimise your route and delivery schedules. If your business vehicles are not fitted with GPS or route optimisation software, you are missing out on cost-saving measures. By getting more stops in with less time on the road, you can maximise the use of your vehicle.

Small steps like knowing traffic and road conditions ahead of time can also help save fuel cost by avoiding unnecessary detours.

Avoid excessive speeding

Reducing your driving speed is one of the most straightforward ways to reduce fuel consumption on your vehicle. Each vehicle has a different mileage for optimum fuel economy, but in general, driving above 80km/h consumes more fuel.

Keeping an eye on the speedometer is possibly the most immediate way to increase your fuel efficiency.

Schedule regular maintenance checks

There are parts of your vehicle that are not functioning at its best that can decrease fuel efficiency. Here are the items that can affect your fuel efficiency:

  • Old / fouled spark plugs
  • Dirty intake / exhaust ports
  • Dirty oil
  • Clogged catalytic converter
  • Dirty MAF sensor
  • Clogged air filter
  • Clogged fuel filter
  • Misaligned axles
  • Body damage
  • Low tire pressure

Schedule regular maintenance checks for these parts to ensure that your vehicle is not using more fuel than necessary. The great thing is all Pan Pac vehicles are regularly maintained and while they undergo their routine maintenance, our clients will be given a replacement vehicle so they can continue their business operations as usual.

Check your local petrol stations for loyalty programmes

Participating in membership programmes where you can collect rewards or bonus mileage is one of the easiest ways to save on fuel costs. If you are a business owner and have a few different business vehicles and drivers, using a fuel card can also help you manage your budget and maintain accurate records for accounting purpose.

These are a few tips to maximise fuel efficiency on your vehicles. Our friendly team at Pan Pac is ready to help you grow your business with your next vehicle lease. Contact us today to find out more about our commercial vehicle leasing.