3 Ways to Save on Fuel

With fuel consistently at or near the top of your annual operating expenses, it doesn't matter if the price of diesel is up or down. Any savings in fuel consumption go straight to your bottom line.

1. Reduce idle time. If you log 2,000 hours per year on a machine and operators spend 20% of that time idling, that's $900 in wasted fuel. Experts say it's not unusual for idle time to represent 40-50% of total running time. Limit idle at shutoff to two minutes for older engines, turn off trucks waiting more than five minutes, and restrict morning warmups to three to five minutes.

2. Train your operators. A skilled operator can use 10-12% less fuel every day than an unskilled one. Operator training is also one of the most effective ways to increase employee loyalty and improve retention.

3. Use the data. More than 80% of equipment managers are using telematics or plan to start soon. Fuel data can help you uncover issues like dirty fuel injectors, plugged air filters, defective sensors, and a slipping clutch -- all problems you can fix to keep fuel costs from rising out of control.