Fleet Fueling Costs Increase As Diesel Fuel Prices Continue To Raise

This time last year you were sitting at your desk thinking my diesel fuel prices aren’t that bad, if it stays this way my fleet fueling cost for the year should be good. The fueling price at the time was $2.879 nationally. Let your fleet companies operation roll forward to January 10, 2011 now all of a sudden you wake up and realize your diesel fuel prices have jumped to $3.333 a gallon, your fleet fueling price is up it just was at $3.00 on October 4, 2010 what is happening to my fleet management, every fleet manager or fuel manager or Director is saying. You don’t need to just be talking about it, act on it with Sokolis. Your fleet companies trucks were pulling into a truck stop and fueling up with 100 gallons of diesel fuel on your fleet card 3 months ago. The same fleet card is being used today, you are fueling 100 gallons and its costing your fuel management system an additional $33.30 per truck. Wow, does your fleet fueling need help. Real fuel consulting and fuel management help.

In addition if you have a fueling going on in cold weather states, you are paying for diesel fuel additives so your trucks tanks or lines don’t gel. As a fleet manager, your running up against bad weather which is making your delivery times take longer. The year is only 10 days old and you already feel like your whole fleet management program and fuel saving program you put on the budget just a couple of months ago has blown up. Well it probably has blown up, I don’t see your diesel fuel prices going lower this year. What I do see is taking the opportunity to try to really get a better plan of fuel management in place.

Here is what I mean by that. You’re not going to get fuel savings of 33.3 cents per gallon. Your fleet management with the right help maybe able to provide overall fuel savings other ways. As a fleet manager have you been able to spend a lot of time on your fuel management system, like 50 hours or more a week. Of course not you have many other hats to where besides fuel card, diesel fuel additives, negotiator, fueling auditor from your fuel companies or truck stops that you are using.

Take a step back. Let a fuel management person help you with the following in a road to fuel savings or I should maybe say not fleet management budget busting.

• Is your company using the best fuel card, fleet card, fleet credit card or fleet credit card service or whatever fueling tool to save you the most money

• Could your fuel management system, fuel manager, office person doing a solid fuel audit on each and every fueling transaction? If not you could be getting double billed, invoicing errors, wrong diesel fuel prices or diesel fuel additives cost, fuel theft. This stuff alone could save your fleet management budget bill dollars

• Mobile fueling. That is the operation where a fuel companies truck comes out to your fleet companies trucks and provides fueling for each truck right where it is parked. You might say how is mobile fueling going to save me money? Maybe it doesn’t provide fuel saving but it provides labor saving. At the end of the day, if your company is a paying a driver for fueling and the cost for the diesel fuel is almost the same and now your companies operation can take labor savings, your company’s bottom line is much better off. Look bigger scope then just the fleet management department.

Until next time, get help you can still save your fleet fueling budget for 2011.