Putting it on Cruise

(Clockwise from top right) After filling up with 32.5l we used 35.3l in during the first run. In the second run, we were much more fuel efficient usin

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Getting from A to B can be an expensive exercise. Companies with fleets of vehicles to manage are in a continuous battle to control costs while maintaining or improving service.

The recent and long-term continuous increase in fuel costs, even in the still relatively cheap Middle East, is just one of the many challenges a company has to deal with that has a direct impact on the bottom line.

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“Many well-managed fleets have already taken important steps to reduce fuel costs, such as negotiating preferred rates, joining a fuel purchasing network, and specifying equipment designed for fuel economy. Each of these measures can potentially make a significant contribution to minimising fuel costs,” says Sergio Torres, of Descartes System.

“Keeping in mind that fuel costs can be as high as 10 to 15% of total operating costs – and will continue to grow as prices of oil are driven upward – what else can companies do to further improve their margins?

One key area, where improvements can be found is in fleet operations, through the practical application of technology – notably route optimisation and planning, real-time vehicle tracking, and telematics.”

“Such technology has been around for some time, but has historically been expensive and complicated to deploy. In addition, this technology can be instrumental in reducing mileage and driving efficiency conscience driver behaviour without impacting customer service – and in many cases, improving it.”

While that’s all well and good but what do you when budgets are tight or you need to squeeze even more out of fleet?

After deliberating over how best to prove that fuel consumption can make a difference to fleet managers, PMV, took the decision to take it back to basics and the most important factor in making a vehicle efficient. The driver. So one fine Saturday we set off to prove that you don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune to make a mint. The test was going to take place in two stages.

The first would be the ‘normal’ drive where we would take a Ford Explorer from Dubai and follow a route many truck drivers have to do, up the Emirates Road and to Umm Al Quwain.