Using telematics to optimise fuel efficiency and reduce costs in fleet management  

• Wialon telematics helps gain detailed insights into fleet operations
• Reduce downtime by taking more strategic, planned approach to maintenance

Supply chains have been tested to their limits over the past few years, and Malaysia has been no exception: fuel prices reached record levels in June 2022 with RON97 petrol costing RM4.84 per litre. The price has since decreased and is now hovering around RM3.35, which is still a drastic increase from the RM1.91 seen in November 2020.

For any businesses operating vehicle fleets, fuel tracking systems are now an absolute priority, as they need to mitigate this 1.5-fold increase to ensure they remain competitive and profitable. But in the hard maths of cost versus revenue and profit, where do you start subtracting, if you are to add value?

When fuel contributes over one third of a transport fleets’ overall operational costs, fleet fuel management is a critical business process. And whilst fleet vehicles’ destinations are determined by operational necessity, fuel consumption is not just a matter of distance travelled. Suboptimal routes, driver behaviour, excessive idling, and delays in vehicle maintenance all have a significant impact on fuel consumption, and are areas where telematics can reduce costs. For any vehicle fleet, regardless of size, an effective fuel management system is an essential step: skip it at your business’ peril.

Reduce fuel costs with adaptable solution and reliable fuel tracking systems

When investing in a telematics solution, it’s important the fleet owner receives tools that are guaranteed to provide value: reliability, scalability and adaptability are key things to look for.

Leading global fleet management software Wialon provides software solutions in over 150 countries – including Malaysia. The platform controls 3.5 million vehicles in real time, to include cargo and passenger transport, special machinery, and cars, amongst others. It also tracks stationary units such as generators, and fuel storage units all over the world.

Fleet managers across the globe use telematics solutions powered by Wialon to gain visibility and detailed insights into every aspect of their fleet’s operations. They can optimise and shorten vehicle routes, monitor driver behaviour to detect aggressive acceleration or sharp braking, and decrease engine idling time. And of equal importance, a Wialon platform enables fleet managers to closely monitor, and greatly reduce activities that waste fuel, enabling businesses to reduce costs at a time when fuel prices are spiking – witness the recent Opec+ decision on additional voluntary production cuts of around 1.66 million bpd starting in May.

Preventing fuel theft

Fuel theft continues to be a major concern for businesses worldwide, and Malaysia is no exception due to its relatively low petrol prices in the Asia-Pacific region. As such, controlling fuel costs can often be as simple as preventing fuel theft. Using truck fuel tracking systems, fleet managers are able to pinpoint whether fuel has been stolen, a vulnerability from both bad actors as well as corrupt drivers, particularly when working in remote areas.

Fleet management software can help fleet owners to accurately identify drivers who are taking fuel for personal use, as well as drivers who are overestimating their weekly fuel consumption. A telling example from a Wialon customer specialised in a road, water pipeline, and reservoir construction services shows how it achieved fuel savings of 4,500 litres every month, directly after implementing a fuel theft control system.

Fleet management systems help control driver behaviour

Companies can also reduce fuel costs by using telematics solutions to monitor driver behaviour. Wialon will alert fleet managers to erratic drivers – accelerating and braking aggressively, taking corners at speed, and exceeding speed limits will use more fuel than those more measured approaches. 

Unnecessary idling can also drive up fuel usage, and having clear data from the Wialon platform is highly convincing when making drivers aware that leaving their engines running when stationary has a detrimental impact on both business and environment.

Route optimisation to reduce delivery time and fuel usage

While GPS tracking has developed significantly from merely identifying vehicle location, knowing the position and route of your vehicles is still vitally important. And Wialon allows fleet managers to optimise routes, and the data gathered can accurately inform them of all necessary criteria such as distance travelled or expected arrival time.

Route planning optimisation and reducing the overall distance travelled will inherently reduce fuel consumption. But it’s also possible to minimise fuel consumption by avoiding poor quality roads. Uneven road surfaces increase fuel consumption, as vehicles are less fuel-efficient. Using Wialon software platform for route optimisation takes such factors into account to identify the most efficient routes.

Tracking software to improve fleet maintenance

Implementing a telematics fleet management solution enables companies to reduce vehicle downtime, by taking a more strategic and planned approach to maintenance. A solution for fleet maintenance management can help to avoid critical breakdowns, reduce operation costs and even time spent at a service station by letting you know when a maintenance period is approaching. Fleet owners can control all kinds of services and expenditures for individual spare parts, vehicles, and even kilometre performance.

Telematics can also help fleet managers recognise when vehicle performance is affecting its fuel economy. For example, tire maintenance is a common culprit of fuel waste. Every one PSI below a tire’s recommended pressure drops fuel efficiency by 0.2%. Sensors can alert businesses if a vehicle’s tires are not at optimal pressures to ensure they are correctly inflated and ensure vehicles are operating as efficiently as possible.

Wialon: get a firm grip on fuel costs

Fleet vehicles are the driving force behind business and public mobility, whether they are long-haul trucks, or local delivery drivers. Wialon’s fleet management software is supremely reliable, easily scalable and readily adaptable for the needs of any type of fleet, enabling businesses to monitor expenditure and optimise both fuel and cost.

Follow the link to find out more about Wialon and how it can help your business.