New year’s resolution: reduce running costs

Written by: Simon Pavey, Last updated:19th January 2022

photo of a computer screen with analytics on. Green fuel pumps are drawn on top of the image

One of your main responsibilities as a fleet manager is to keep running costs as low as possible without compromising on service or security. Given the current economic climate, the pressure to find newer and better ways to be resourceful can be daunting, but with a little frugal thinking you’ll find opportunities to save in places you might not have considered.

Better maintenance

Poor vehicle maintenance often leads to costly repairs and frustrating, unplanned vehicle downtime. Not only do these disruptions impair your fleet’s operations, they can also damage your fleet’s service reputation, which can have a lasting impact on your bottom line. Routine vehicle checks and reporting, as well as scheduled maintenance and servicing, are crucial ingredients for running a cost-effective fleet.

Rethink vehicle choice lists

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding which vehicles to include on your choice list for drivers (assuming your drivers don’t all drive the same vehicle model). Sometimes a vehicle with a relatively low purchase or leasing rate ends up costing more in the long run once you consider factors like fuel costs, taxation, performance, durability and maintenance. As soon as you give careful consideration to the projected costs of vehicle ownership, instead of just initial costs, you can begin to narrow down the most practical options to include in your choice list.

Fuel efficiency

Individual driving style greatly affects the fuel consumption of a given vehicle. Drivers who adopt a smoother approach to the road are significantly less wasteful of fuel than aggressive drivers and can in turn help keep emissions low.

By incentivising your drivers to drive economically, you can make big savings on your fuel bill and can save money from having to conduct fewer wear and tear repairs. Using your BP Fuel Card mileage capture reports, you can calculate the fleet average MPG for a given vehicle model and consider rewarding those drivers with the lowest MPG. This will encourage all drivers to drive smarter, and instilling this kind of behavioural change is likely to really help your bottom line.

If you want to start saving your diesel & petrol bills, then look no further than our own BP fuelcard, for more information, click here: fuelcardservices.com/fuel-cards/bp-fuel-cards/

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