How To Beat Rising Gas Prices

Copyright (c) 2011 Krzysztof Kazala

Nowadays, with political upheaval in oil-producing countries translating into unpredictable supply and distribution, and with speculators targeting natural resources like oil, future outcomes are less certain. As a result, the price of fuel at your local filling station is going to be anything but consistent.

Skyrocketing gas prices are already taking a serious toll on businesses and companies that have several vehicles to keep filled up.

All this is common knowledge now, but the big question is: can you beat rising fuel prices? Can owners of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) control the fuel consumption of their fleets, regardless of their size? And, more importantly, what resources are available to assist in this endeavor - fuel additives, planning, unexplored 'secrets', computer applications?

A small or medium-sized company could consider enhancing control over vehicles or fleets to reduce costs. Enhancing vehicle fuel economy and efficiency can bring multiple benefits for a company, no matter how small it is. As well as helping to curb costs for SMEs, improved fuel efficiency can also help companies to become more environmentally friendly.

Let us focus on how to improve fuel economy and efficiency through management, and software applications that can enable you, the small business owner, to do this more effectively.

Controlling driving profiles In general, fuel efficiency can be improved by adjusting the way one drives a car, truck, or any other delivery vehicle. You can easily save fuel by keeping strictly to just a few simple guidelines, such as gradual acceleration, braking gently or not at all (take your foot off the accelerator pedal instead), and letting the engine run at its optimum rpm.

However, some of the most beneficial and cost-effective measures require some degree of recording and analysis:

Controlling fuel usage through: - Identifying the most efficient routes and planning in advance which route would allow the greatest number of tasks to be achieved; - Monitoring the level of fuel in the tank (it is advised to fill up to the maximum and not allow the level to drop below a third of the tank's capacity); - Analyzing when the best time to service your vehicle would be, since a well-working air filter and fuel filter, and an engine tuned for efficiency can all contribute significantly to fuel savings; - Keeping a logbook to identify wasteful methods and habits; - Identifying which drivers have the most economic driving habits and training those who don't, while pointing out and reinforcing good habits; - Keeping your car in good shape to ensure its effective operation and, therefore, better fuel consumption. It is essential to have a software program that calculates and reminds you about all of these various service dates and other milestones in each vehicles' lifetime; - Keeping track of the time spent on different legs of the same trip. Your software package should readily point out discrepancies in timing resulting from sloppy driving. With these discrepancies revealed, drivers should then receive training so that they drive in an energy-efficient manner on the different legs of a trip as well as avoiding over-use of the brake and extended engine idling time which has a negative effect on fuel consumption; - Keeping track of wear and tear - is it in line with the average or far above or below that? This will help to determine whether drivers require training, routes need to be changed or additional measures need to be taken.

Different vehicle software can manage and analyze all of the above for you, and much more. Thanks to advancements in software applications, it has become possible to identify deficiencies and, with built-in analysis, get to the bottom of how best to manage vehicles for efficiency.

Many of the vehicle software are tracking and analyzing fuel consumption, but they also assist in: - Managing your orders and costs; - Improving risk control; - Managing your assets and inventory; - Producing various reports to get a good understanding of the condition of your vehicles and fleet, and how and where to improve them; - Importing electronic invoices, adding individual notes, creating reminders, conducting advanced data analysis and customizing parameters.

In addition such vehicle software further enhance management by identifying and analyzing trends and delivering comprehensive reports. It allows proprietors to overcome and improve deficiencies, and its convenient reminder system ensures compliance with targets as well as issuing reminders of crucial tasks, controls and checks that have to be performed.

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