The Hidden Cost of Fleet Downtime and How Fuel Strategy Can Reduce It
Time is money. And the costs related to the time a fleet vehicle or piece of equipment is out of service can quickly add up. But some of the biggest costs associated with fleet downtime aren’t always the most obvious. These hidden costs can be tied to:
- Lost productivity
- Missed or delayed service calls/deliveries
- Schedule disruptions and the administrative time spent adjusting them
- Vehicle replacement and rental costs
- Unhappy customers and reputational impact
- Lost revenue
All of which make reducing downtime a top priority.
Reducing Fleet Downtime: It’s Not All About Maintenance
Preventive maintenance typically gets the most attention when fleets look at strategies to reduce downtime. But there’s another, and often overlooked, strategy that can play an equally important role: fuel strategy.
From how and where vehicles are fueled to fuel availability and the data fleets collect, a well-planned and uptime-focused fuel strategy can reduce unnecessary downtime. It also keeps vehicles where they are supposed to be — on the road, working and generating revenue.
To help reduce fuel-related disruptions and costly downtime in your fleet operations, check out the following five ways you can improve your fuel strategy and your uptime.
1. Bring Fuel to the Fleet
One of the simplest ways to reduce downtime is to reduce the time your drivers spend fueling. A mobile fueling program can do just that.
Mobile fueling eliminates trips to a fueling station altogether. Fuel is delivered directly to vehicles and equipment at your specified location — typically overnight or when vehicles are idle.
Instead of drivers starting their shifts by checking fuel levels or stopping at a station, vehicles are fueled and ready to hit the road when the workday begins. That means less unproductive driver time and less unnecessary mileage and fuel waste from traveling to and from fueling stations.
With some mobile fuel providers, you may get an added bonus. For example, some offer fueling technicians who also inspect tires for proper pressure, tread wear, and sidewall damage — helping identify potential problems that could cause unplanned downtime.
2. Ensure a Reliable Fuel Supply
Having fuel available when and where it’s needed is essential to keeping your fleet moving.
To accomplish that, your fuel strategy needs to consider delivery reliability, supplier responsiveness, fuel availability, and contingency planning, all of which can have an impact on uptime.
If you have on-site tanks, monitoring inventory levels and scheduling deliveries before fuel reaches critical levels can help prevent unexpected shortages. If you rely on retail fueling, consider network coverage and whether your drivers have convenient access to fueling stations throughout their operating area.
Supplier relationships matter, too. Look for a dependable fuel provider who understands your fleet operations, can anticipate your changing needs, and has the resources and flexibility to respond quickly when circumstances change.
Learn what you should look for in a fuel provider in our guide.
3. Put Fuel Data to Work
Fuel data can tell you more than how much you’re spending. It can also provide clues about vehicle health and driver behavior.
Fuel cards, telematics, and fuel management systems can help you track fuel consumption, mileage, idling, fuel economy, and unusual changes in vehicle performance. For example, a sudden decline in fuel efficiency could indicate a maintenance issue. Excessive idling could reflect inefficient operating practices or driver behavior, while unexpected changes in fuel consumption could signal that something isn’t operating at peak performance.
Identifying these trends early on gives you an opportunity to address potential problems before they contribute to a breakdown and unplanned downtime.
Read our guide on the five factors that impact fuel efficiency.
4. Don’t Let Fuel Cards Slow Your Fleet Down
Having fuel available at the pump doesn’t help if your drivers can’t access it.
Fuel card declines caused by incorrect PINs, purchasing restrictions, transaction limits, or fueling stations outside the card’s acceptance network can cost your drivers valuable time and disrupt fleet operations.
Strong card controls are essential for preventing fraud and misuse and managing fuel spend, but those controls should support fleet uptime rather than causing downtime.
To that end, regularly review your fuel card limits, fueling stations, and purchasing controls to ensure they match how your vehicles are actually used. Choosing a card with broad acceptance, along with procedures to resolve declines quickly, can help your drivers get back on the road faster.
If you’re looking to choose a fuel card provider, consider asking these questions to determine the right fuel card for your company.
5. Make Fuel Part of Emergency Planning
Severe weather, power outages, wildfires, and other emergencies can disrupt fuel supply and access to retail fueling stations — sometimes with little or no warning. And for that reason, fuel should be a key part of your fleet’s emergency preparedness plan.
Determine which vehicles and equipment are essential to keeping operations running, how much fuel they require, and how long your existing supply could support them. Don’t wait for an emergency to establish fuel delivery procedures and supplier contacts.
Having a reliable provider and a plan in place can help reduce downtime when the unexpected happens. A little planning ahead can mean the difference between maintaining operations and scrambling for fuel when supplies are limited and demand is high.
More Uptime. All the Time.
Fleet downtime will never completely go away. But a proactive fuel strategy can help reduce its hidden costs by:
- Eliminating unnecessary fueling trips
- Improving fuel availability
- Identifying potential vehicle problems earlier
- Keeping operations moving
The result? More uptime, greater efficiency, happier customers, and a healthier bottom line.