Using data to cut costs and emissions
Reece Hampton, national sales manager at Certas Energy, looks at how transport businesses can harness the power of telematics to drive efficiency, cost, and carbon savings
Fluctuating fuel costs, ever-changing compliance requirements, sustainability objectives, safety considerations, and time-consuming administration – today’s fleet managers face a multitude of challenges. The key to overcoming them? Leveraging technology to work smarter.
Through onboard telematics, operators can gain the valuable data insight needed to better understand fleet performance and identify opportunities to take action where it matters most.
What’s more, taking a holistic and integrated approach to telematics, by combining it with fuel cards, can be even more impactful. Together, they can achieve optimised efficiency, enhanced security, improved sustainability – and not forgetting significant cost-savings. Here are five benefits of using data to enhance fleet fuel management.
1. Data-driven decision making
One of the biggest challenges facing fleet managers is fuel efficiency. Onboard telematics support businesses by enabling full fuel visibility, with managers able to see if a driver leaves an engine idling, or practices poor acceleration or braking habits – all of which can contribute to higher fuel consumption and higher costs.
Understanding driver behaviour empowers fleet managers as it helps them to identify where training and support can improve fuel efficiency out on the road. The impact of these changes can be significant – driver behaviour monitoring with telematics (FuelTrace) from Certas Energy has been shown to help reduce fuel costs by up to 25 per cent.
In addition, FuelTrace allows fleet managers to boost productivity through enhanced route planning and journey tracking. Jobs can be allocated based on vehicle location ensuring a more efficient service for the customer and lower fuel spend for the company. Fleet managers can combine these insights with the benefits of a fuel card to gain even greater understanding of how money is spent on refuelling.
2. Providing superior security
Fraudulent fuel spend is another common concern for fleet managers. Telematics offer peace of mind by adding additional security parameters. For example, vehicle journey data can be cross-referenced with fuel card usage to identify unauthorised transactions, while live vehicle location data can notify fleet managers if a fuel card is used without an associated, pre-approved vehicle present.
Advanced geofencing features also mean that managers can receive alerts in real-time if vehicles are driven outside of planned routes or working hours. These insights can help keep drivers and fuel safe and secure while on the road, as well as preventing unnecessary financial losses.
3. Downsize on downtime
Research by Enterprise estimates that vehicle off-road time (VOR) costs UK fleet operators more than £2 billion per year. Telematics data can help fleets reduce the risk of unplanned downtime by providing reminders for MOT / Service and insurance due dates, as well as daily reports from driver checks.
Planned, proactive maintenance can help prevent a small issue from growing into a more costly problem – which is a prudent exercise considering that the same research found fleet vehicles that are regularly maintained experience 20 per cent less unplanned downtime.
Combining automatic defect and maintenance reporting with the ability to provide targeted training based on driver performance data can also have a huge impact on safety – in fact, Certas Energy’s FuelTrace has been shown to reduce road accidents by as much as 20 per cent.
4. Get carbon emissions under control
As the UK races towards net-zero 2050, the spotlight is on the transport sector to reduce emissions. When it comes to lowering carbon levels, the old adage rings true; if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Carbon Reporting can enable businesses to keep on top of fleet emissions and identify key areas for improvement, helping them to make meaningful strides towards their sustainability ambitions.
Through emission monitoring systems, fleet managers can track the volume of fuel purchased and automatically calculate the amount of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases that are produced by their vehicles – all in one easy-to-use dashboard. Certas Energy’s CarbonTrace technology not only gives fleet managers the knowledge they need to lower their carbon footprint, but the data insights to comply with regulations such as ESOS and SECR reporting requirements and avoid unexpected fines of up to £50,000.
5. Automating administration
‘Pen and paper’ fleet management is not just rife with potential issues like lost notes and poor filing, it’s also a time consuming task. Telematics can allow fleet managers to switch to paperless fuel management and automate reporting, which alleviates the administrative burden and removes the risk of human error.
Timesheets, business mileage, and more can be automatically uploaded directly into HR systems, saving both time and money – in fact, research from Certas Energy’s FuelTrace shows that telematics can result in as much as a 30 per cent increase in staff productivity.
Fleet managers can further reduce admin pressures through smart technologies and paperless payment systems, such Snap Account’s digital platform. As well as enabling pre-booking for secure parking locations and road toll payment, Snap Account’s unique licence plate-based technology eliminates the need to carry cash, cards or receipts and transactions are consolidated into a single itemised invoice, to provide a seamless experience for both operators and drivers.
Data: the future of fleet management
While telematics isn’t entirely new, only 44 per cent of UK fleets say their vehicles are connected to a telematics tool, meaning many companies are missing out on cost and time savings, as well as the opportunity to accelerate their decarbonisation ambitions.
At Certas Energy, we believe that combining enhanced telematics with the benefits of fuel cards empowers fleet managers to get total fleet visibility and drive a more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally responsible future for fuel management.
