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Diesel-powered vehicles are often more fuel-efficient than other vehicle types, making them a popular choice for businesses with fleets. Diesel engines are also known for having a longer lifespan, which adds to the reasons why they are preferred by fleet businesses in particular. As a fleet manager, you need to have the right fuel management system to take full advantage of the diesel benefits and save more.
So what kind of diesel management system should you look for? Well, let’s dive into this article and find out.
In this article, you will:
Discover what a diesel fuel management system entails
A diesel fuel management system refers to a technological solution that integrates software and hardware tools to monitor and gain greater control over the amount of diesel fuel used in fleet vehicles or company equipment. This system typically consists of fuel sensors, data collection units such as telematics devices, and software that stores and processes the data to provide analyses and generate reports in a way that is easy to understand.
What is the purpose of a diesel fuel management system, and how do you plan for it?
The purpose of a diesel fuel management system is for the business to monitor, control, and optimise fuel usage by applying various measures. This system not only works for fleet vehicles driving across cities but is also ideal in multiple other industries, such as mining and agriculture, where fuel is stored on-site for vehicles and heavy machinery.
The main objectives include:
Accurate fuel tracking: You get a clear understanding of where all the fuel goes. You can spot fuel usage patterns, helping you identify common areas of wastage and detect possible theft. This ensures that every drop of fuel is accounted for.
Cost reduction: Fuel typically accounts for a huge portion of a fleet’s budget. By maintaining precise records of fuel consumption and eliminating inefficiencies, fleet businesses can significantly reduce operational costs. This furthermore allows for better financial planning.
Safety: A fuel management system also includes implementing measures that ensure drivers use efficient routes, reducing the time spent on the road. This reduces wear and tear, which could lead to accidents and breakdowns, thereby increasing safety.
Environmental sustainability: As global efforts to mitigate climate change intensify, many countries worldwide, including South Africa, are taking steps to reduce carbon emissions.
In 2019, the Carbon Tax Act came into effect in South Africa. In 2024, the National Treasury published a discussion paper, which revealed that phase 2 of South Africa’s Carbon Tax will take effect as of January 2025. This means that fleet businesses are now paying more for carbon emissions than ever before, further emphasising the need for improved fuel efficiency.
Now for the planning
Properly assess your fleet’s operational needs to gain a clear understanding of what the objectives are.
Identify the necessary hardware and software tools that the business needs to achieve those objectives.
Map out your preferred refuelling stations and ensure they align with the routes that drivers usually take. If you have stationary fuel tanks, you must know the type of container the fuel should be in and the best location for the tanks to be placed.
Test-run the new system to gather feedback and identify any potential issues or problems.
Why do you need diesel fuel management software?
Diesel fuel management systems offer various benefits, such as:
Fuel theft detection: Through fuel level sensors and cutting-edge software, you can obtain accurate, real-time readings of the fuel in the tanks, allowing you to quickly identify sudden drops. A fuel management system also helps manage transactions, which makes it easier to identify discrepancies.
Lowering operational costs: The primary goal is to reduce costs continually. A diesel fuel management system gives a detailed analysis of fuel usage, making it easier to spot areas where you can cut costs.
Better planning and forecasting: Accurate estimates of fuel expenses simplify the budgeting process. It minimises the chances of your fuel budget being blindsided by unexpected costs, which will affect the bottom line.
Improved compliance: The system keeps a record of every fuel transaction, including the date, time, vehicle, fuel volume, and cost. The records are easily traceable, which helps businesses meet regulatory and internal standards.
Case study: Monitoring fuel with Cartrack Mifleet
This is a real-life story of how we at Cartrack came up with the concept of Mifleet:
With a large fleet of vehicles across all of South Africa, we needed software that would have empowered us to optimise our Cartrack mobile workforce fleet and digitalise our administrative processes. So we built MiFleet.
The challenge was that we suffered from high vehicle running costs but lacked the visibility and analytics to pinpoint our inefficiencies sustainably. We tried addressing this with spreadsheets, but they didn't provide the insight we needed, drained our administrative resources, and with everyone using their own spreadsheets, gaps and inconsistencies started to form.
Our fuel solution came to the rescue in 3 simple ways:
Fuel card fraud: This is instantly picked up by the system, and we experienced 100% accuracy of potential fraud alerts.
Inefficient routes: Drivers with relatively high costs per job were identified as deviating from the route and taking excessive breaks.
Fuel drainage:Fuel syphoning was suspected in vehicles with high costs per km and was detected using our external cameras and regular inspections.
Automated fuel fraud reports are sent each morning and checked immediately to ensure that all fuel fraud is acknowledged and addressed. We no longer need to enter fuel cost data manually; the data is directly integrated from our banking reports. We review our cost per km and cost per trip reports weekly and can quickly compare drivers and vehicles to identify areas where we have leakages.
“Our team completed significantly more jobs whilst reducing their total distance travelled, leading to undeniable operational efficiencies and noteworthy cost reductions. We benefited from increased holistic control over our fleet, and now truly understand our costs and how to optimise our fleet.”
Tracking diesel costs with Cartrack’s fuel management system
Take control of your fuel budget with Cartrack’s fuel management system. Our solutions are designed to provide you with an all-around analysis of where your fuel goes and help you combat any type of drainage. With us, you can:
Detect theft and fraud with MiFleet MiFleet is a feature on our fleet management platform that serves as a cost management tool, helping businesses track fuel usage. It takes into account fuel consumption metrics, such as location, distance, and litres, as well as information from fuel receipts. The system then analyses the data, matching fuel transactions against the amount of fuel that is in the tank and the distance travelled. This enables the detection of possible fuel card fraud or theft.
Optimise routes The Cartrack Route Optimisation feature helps you find the most efficient way for drivers to get to their destinations. This powerful tool will help you strategically plan delivery routes to minimise fuel costs and complete jobs quicker. It takes into account traffic patterns, road conditions, weather conditions, and driver availability to determine the most optimal travel path.
Minimise vehicle wear and tear As already mentioned, a vehicle that is not in good health requires more power, which in turn requires more fuel. Our preventative maintenance feature provides vehicle diagnostics and helps you keep track of fleet maintenance schedules, so you receive reminders in advance when it’s time for vehicles to undergo services such as tyre replacements.
Get reports on driver behaviour Through our telematics system, you will get reports on fuel-inefficient driving behaviours such as long idling, speeding, and harsh acceleration. This encourages driver accountability and enables you to identify which drivers need training on better habits.
Monitor fuel caps Cartrack’s Multi Vision camera solution provides up to eight cameras that cover both the interior and exterior. With this, you can choose to have one of the external cameras installed in a way that gives you a closer look at what's happening around your fuel caps, offering a full view of any suspicious activity.
Choose Cartrack’s diesel fuel management system
Manage your fleet’s fuel expenses and make informed decisions with Cartrack’s diesel fuel management system. We offer solutions that cater to all fuel tracking-related needs, backed by extensive knowledge gained from our years of industry experience. Reach out to one of our fleet consultants so we can discuss your primary concerns and customise a diesel fuel management solution that best suits your business needs.
Frequently Asked Questions about diesel fuel management
How does fuel tracking integrate with telematics? A telematics device equipped with GPS tracking collects data on vehicle location, driving habits, and engine performance. This provides fleet managers with detailed insights into which routes drivers are using, how vehicles are being operated, and the overall performance of the vehicles. Through this information, fleet managers can evaluate fuel consumption patterns to train drivers and implement necessary changes.
What kind of reports can I get from a fuel management system? The reports you get from a fuel management system include kilometres travelled per litre, refuel reports, real-time odometer reports, and driver behaviour reports.
How to extend the lifespan of your diesel engine
Perform regular maintenance.
Avoid using products that enhance engine performance.
Always warm up the engine before the vehicle moves.
Do not wait for the tank to get empty before refuelling, as debris and impurities can build up over time and affect the fuel supply system.
Replace fuel filters.
Keep the engine clean.
Looking for the ideal diesel fuel management system? Find out more about what we have to offer.
