Energy Efficiency and Your Fleet

If you own or operate a fleet, you have a number of options to reduce your environmental footprint while saving money. The most important thing you can do is to ensure you understand how your fleet is being used and how it is operating. Begin with a full analysis of your vehicles – what is their realized miles per gallon, how much are their maintenance costs, and how many miles do they travel every week. Once you have this data, you can start with modifying routes so vehicles with the best fuel efficiency and lowest maintenance costs travel the longer routes, stepping up your preventative maintenance if needed, and possibly identifying vehicles that are costing you more than a replacement.

Next, work with your drivers. Ensure your drivers are keeping to speed limits – fuel mileage drops in passenger cars over 50 mph. Provide them safe driving courses to reduce aggressive acceleration and sudden stops lower your mileage. Make sure they follow anti-idling laws for trucks and practice anti-idling regardless of the size of vehicle. There are a number of resources available from the Argonne National Labs.

Maintain your fleet carefully. Improper tire pressure can have a major impact on fuel economy. In addition, air filters, worn spark plugs, and even a dirty vehicle can lower your fuel economy also. In your garage, you want to maintain your air compressor too, as it can create quite an energy drag, see our air compressor page for more information.

Ready to update your fleet? When you are looking to replace vehicles in your fleet, look to hybrid models and alternative fuels, and if you operate passenger or light-duty vehicles compare models on the US DOE/EPA joint website. For larger vehicles, examine the alternative fuels page for more information including the links to maps to locate fueling.