Engine idling has virtually no benefit. It pollutes the environment, consumes fuel, takes valuable labor time, and contributes to engine wear. Fortunately, you can use your fleet tracking software to identify excess idling and reduce it. This will not only make your fleet more efficient but will also save you money.
The High Price of Engine Idling
Although it may seem like a little idling time each day is no problem, the costs can quickly add up:
- Fuel costs – On average, idling for one-hour burns about a half-gallon of fuel. This can be more or less depending on the vehicle, air conditioner use, and other factors. Suppose you have a fleet of six vehicles. Each vehicle idles for one hour every day. This is three gallons of wasted fuel each day. If you pay $4/gallon, that means you are wasting $12 per day, which is about $3,000 per year.
- Labor costs – For every hour the engine idles, your drivers are not moving, and probably not working. In some cases, the driver might be with a customer or at a work site. In other cases they might be sitting in traffic, eating lunch, or simply letting the vehicle idle while they take a break. For the same fleet of six vehicles that idles an hour each day, assume that 50% of this idle time is necessary and the other 50% is not. This means that six hours of idling time every day corresponds to three hours of wasted labor. If you pay each driver $20/hour, you are spending an extra $60 each day, which is about $15,000 per year.
It’s evident that idling time is expensive time. Implementing fleet tracking software will help you reduce these wasted fuel and labor expenses, and you can see that you’ll get a fast return on your investment.
Four Methods to Reduce Idling with Fleet Tracking Software
Fleet tracking software can be used in multiple ways to reduce engine idling:
- Idling reports – Run a report to see which drivers have the most idle time so you can determine where you can shave off minutes or even hours.
- Analytic reports – Easily track and compare idling over time. With easy-to-use analytic reports, you can compare driver behavior and see historic trends.
- Scheduled alerts – Get notified if a vehicle idles longer than a predetermined amount of time.
- Smart Routes – Sometimes idling can’t be avoided because of traffic patterns or queues to get through a toll booth. Use your fleet tracking system to create efficient routes that avoid these obstacles.
If you are interested in saving money with fleet tracking software, contact GPS Trackit for a Speak with a Fleet Advisor today. We’ll help you select the right system and estimate the return on your investment so you will know just how much you can save.
How much time do you think your fleet spends idling?
