Does Fueling Time Reduce Your Drivers’ Availability?

Time is money, how many times have we all heard that? We all know it’s true, particularly when it comes to fleet management and Hours of Service (HOS) regulations can create challenges for companies that need to maximize their drivers’ productivity.

It’s more important than ever to take a hard look at how your drivers are allocating their time and using every minute possible for getting your, or your customers’, products delivered. Complying with HOS regulations means inefficiencies are potentially translated into the need for more drivers and vehicles to deliver the same amount of freight. That’s an expensive consideration for any business, especially for the ones that run on very thin profit margins.

So when it comes to fueling your vehicles, how much time is lost considering your drivers could have been making additional deliveries on their route? It often takes about 30 minutes for a driver to get through a truck stop. Maybe your drivers fuel out of a bulk tank in your yard, but that could still take at least 15 minutes. Even if your company is not constrained by HOS, is this the best use of your drivers’ time?

There are good fleet fueling options to consider which can free up more of your drivers’ time. Mobile on-site fueling is one of them, although some concerns are often raised about it. Local environmental regulations must be reviewed, but reputable and safe mobile fueling companies are operating in a large number of areas throughout the country with success.

Another issue is the relatively high price of the fuel that a mobile fueler charges. When looking at the price, it’s important to consider the additional time available for your drivers and the value generated by their increased productivity. After crunching the numbers through a properly designed financial model, mobile fueling can be a very attractive option.

Please feel free to contact Conor Proud at Sokolis, cproud@sokolisgroup.com or 267-482-6159, if you have concerns about the time it takes for your drivers to obtain fuel and want to evaluate options like mobile fueling.  We are the nation’s leading independent fuel management consulting team and can help you confidently determine the best choice by relying on our knowledge, experience and trusted supplier network.