The price of gasoline and diesel fuel is at record highs, just as the busy driving season for individuals and companies begins. It’s a perfect storm and threatens to strain corporate budgets at the worst possible time. Luckily, the human mind is a creative powerhouse of ideas, schemes, plans, and programs. Owners and entrepreneurs who need to focus on saving fuel are already leveraging the power of creativity to minimize fuel usage and find savings and discounts wherever they can. Who uses the most gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum derivatives when operating their businesses? The list is a long one.
For starters, real estate agents are near the top of the ranks because they tend to log the most miles-per-person of any professional except for cab and delivery drivers. Just about anyone in outside sales is apt to spend a considerable amount at the pump on a routine basis. Truck fleets are another huge consumer of diesel and gasoline fuels. Healthcare companies that shuttle patients via vans, buses, and helicopters are highly susceptible to price increases in the petroleum industry as well. Auto manufacturers are in a unique position because they’re tasked with designing and building engines that meet strict mileage standards in developed nations. Finally, retailers depend on trucks and other forms of transportation to bring goods to them and ship them out to customers who are now asking for home delivery more often. Here are details about how various types of organizations are getting creative and cutting their fuel expenses.
Sales and Real Estate Firms
Real estate professionals, as well as many high-level sales agents, have turned to online interaction with customers to reduce the number of miles they have to drive every day. Even though some clients insist on in-person meetings, showings, and demonstrations, much of the early scouting work can be done within video sessions from any computerized device.
Truck Fleets
Anyone who’s tasked with managing the company fleet has several tools at their disposal for slashing the pump costs. GPS tracking software is perhaps the most powerful function included in most modern solutions. Fleet programs can cut operating expenses in dozens of ways, which is why they’re so popular with transport firms of all sizes. It reports real-time location data to supervisors who combine that information with speed and other driving data to get a complete picture of route efficiency. If needed, routes can be changed to save on diesel expenses, and drivers can be coached to maintain proper speeds for maximum efficiency.
The Auto Industry
In Asia, Europe, and the US, new mileage standards are serving their intended purpose: reducing the amount of gasoline or diesel needed to propel a vehicle forward. Since the 1990s, the average MPG of new cars has improved by nearly 30 percent, representing a savings of billions of barrels of oil annually. In the near future, as each manufacturer offers all-electric and hybrid-electric cars, trucks, and vans, it’s likely that the entire usage pattern in the oil industry will begin to change for the better. Before that happens, auto companies need to figure out how to bring down the cost of electric vehicles.
