Six ways to green your vehicle fleet
How can you become a green fleet? Learn what steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint, improve your brand image and make the move towards eco-friendly trucking.
So you might be convinced that it’s time your fleet changed colours and became 'green'. But what exactly does it mean to 'go green' and become an environmentally friendly fleet operation, and how can you make the change?
The phrase 'green fleet' is used to describe vehicle fleets that are actively managed to reduce their negative impact on the environment. The transition involves changes to an organisation’s policies, planning, purchasing habits, worker education, behaviour and management, and recycling initiatives.
On this page:
- Minimising the use of fossil fuels
- Route optimisation
- Minimising fuel usage
- Fleet upgrades
- Scheduled preventative maintenance
- Promoting efficient, responsible driving
Minimising the use of fossil fuels
It is largely impossible to completely avoid using fossil fuels. Even electric cars use fossil fuels indirectly, because many power stations run on fossil fuels. However, much can be done to reduce a fleet’s dependence on this finite resource.
New Zealand fleets are becomingly increasingly aware of the need to reduce their dependence and use of fossil fuels. From free audit checks to a growing line-up of alternative-fuel vehicles, it is becoming easier for Kiwi businesses to reduce their fleet’s carbon footprint. In America, firms such as AT&T and UPS have minimised fossil fuel use by switching their vehicles to run on alternative fuels such as propane, electricity, hydrogen and CNG.
Route optimisation
Route optimisation involves determining the shortest, most economical route for a vehicle between two points. Effective route planning can maximise fleet vehicle usage, meaning that vehicles are more productive and operators will not need to add more vehicles to meet increasing demand.
Some fleets have used GPS route planning software to improve their asset utilisation, making sure the workload is evenly balanced amongst all vehicles, the right vehicle is being used for the right job and workers spend more time on the job and less time behind the wheel.
Whether you use GPS fleet tracking or Internet map sites, the important thing is to make sure drivers plan their routes and all fleet vehicles are being effectively used.
Minimising fuel usage
To minimise fuel usage you first need to be able to effectively monitor it. Unnecessary kilometres and excessive idling have to be eliminated, since four litres of diesel burned pumps over a kilogram of GHG (Greenhouse Gases) into the atmosphere, and idling uses about four litres every hour. There may be better options than having a truck idling for eight hours just to keep a sleeper warm.
Reducing fuel usage also has obvious benefits for fleet profitability.
Fleet upgrades
Upgrading a fleet with newer, more economical and cleaner burning vehicles makes a big difference to how much GHG a vehicle emits. In California, the Port of Long Beach actively encouraged all trucking companies to upgrade their vehicles by banning all trucks manufactured before 1990. They reduced polluting diesel emissions by 80% in just two years.
Fleet upgrades need to be balanced with sensible disposal of existing vehicles. Financial and environmental needs should be taken into consideration before dumping fleet cars or trucks in favour of newer, more economical vehicles. Don’t forget that you can still reduce your environmental impact without having to replace a vehicle. In fact, with route optimisation (see point 2), you may find that you can actually reduce the size of your fleet, identifying vehicles that are not required or not being used.
Scheduled preventative maintenance
Establishing regular, scheduled preventative maintenance can ensure that your vehicles are as efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible. Proper servicing allows operators to monitor and minimise harmful vehicle emissions.
Even basic servicing such as maintaining proper tire pressure can improve fuel economy. A 25% deflation in tire pressure increases fuel consumption by 2%. It might not sound like much but can quickly add up. If your annual fuel bill is $250,000, then simply by making sure your vehicle’s tires are properly inflated could represent a $5,000 savings. Regular maintenance can help you to easily monitor this and other factors that can inflate your fuel bill and create unnecessary GHG emissions.
Promoting efficient, responsible driving
Drivers play an important part in minimising fuel usage and contributing to an economical fleet. Aggressive driving, hard braking, speeding tickets and unauthorised or after-hours use all mean additional carbon emissions and bigger fuel and maintenance bills, not to mention increased insurance premiums. But how can you fairly monitor and measure your drivers?
It’s important your staff know that good driving is important to you, and to back that up with company policies, driver education and reward schemes. Many businesses are using fleet management software to accurately record and manage their drivers using GPS tracking. This can provide a big incentive for drivers to follow through on company policy, reducing their carbon footprint in the process.
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