Businesses across industries today require logistics and transportation services to run their business efficiently. Whether it is a goods-producing company or service provider, they need a fleet of vehicles, large or small, depending on the scale of the business. As a result, logistics and transportation account for almost 40-50% of operating expenses for most companies. Fuel is the most significant logistics and transport operation component, accounting for 30-50% of the cost, depending on the industry. The rising cost of fuel has been hurting businesses for years and has become a significant pain point. Hence, it is the need of the hour for businesses to manage their fuel efficiency to bring down their operational expenses. This can be achieved using efficient fuel management systems and better Fuel Monitoring.
What is a fuel Monitoring system?
As the name suggests, fuel monitoring systems software is a technology-driven solution for private and commercial use. A fuel monitoring system aims to manage and monitor fuel consumption for a vehicle or the entire fleet of vehicles. The Thingsup fuel monitoring system is part of the more comprehensive Thingsup management solution that is technology-driven software for efficient Thingsup management.
Fuel monitoring systems are typically used by industries or companies operating a large Thingsup of vehicles for commercial transportation, including railways, airways, waterways, and roadways. Basically, any mode of transport requires fuel to run. Thingsup fuel management system collects fuel-related data like fuel consumption, inventory, and purchase from all vehicles in the fleet. Then, using telematics and analytics-based tools, it processes that information and transmits it to the central server. Computerized software then converts this data into meaningful insights, which can be used for better fuel management and improving fuel efficiency for the entire fleet.
Fuel Efficiency and fuel monitoring systems India.
fuel monitoring systems are used extensively by the transportation industry, primarily to improve fuel efficiency. However, fuel efficiency is a very vague term that can be interpreted in various ways. In the context of transportation, fuel efficiency can be defined as how much distance a vehicle covers in one unit of fuel. In India, the most common fuel used for commercial vehicles like trucks is diesel, followed by petrol and CNG.
The unit of fuel efficiency in India is calculated as kilometres per litre (kmpl). The goal is to maximize fuel efficiency by maximizing the distance a vehicle could cover per litre of diesel or minimizing fuel consumption for the distance covered. In addition to this, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, India, in 2017, has set fuel efficiency norms for commercial vehicles (CV) based on Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of 12 tonnes or higher. Hence, it has become necessary for manufacturers and transporters to improve vehicle fuel management for compliance with regulatory requirements.
In a nutshell, to briefly touch upon the need for a fuel management system for trucks and other vehicles, we can say,
- An electronic fuel management system can assist companies and transporters in improving fuel efficiency for their fleets to reduce operational costs.
- Fuel Management systems can be a tool for better compliance with regulatory requirements set by the government.
- Engine fuel management systems can provide insights into fuel consumption and usage to reduce fuel wastage.
- A smart fuel management system can help increase overall efficiency by assisting companies in optimizing driver behaviour for better fuel management.
Thingsup fuel management systems using technology and data helps companies manage such issues better and execute effective fuel management strategies. Let’s look at some of how engine management systems can improve fuel efficiency for transport.
What issues do fuel monitoring systems resolve & what are their benefits?
Earlier in this article, we understood how fuel monitoring systems work and briefly had a look at a few uses cases for the same. Now, let’s immerse into these use cases a bit more to understand how it can benefit companies looking for particular features in a fuel monitoring system.
Get better fuel usage insights.
A fuel monitoring system for the fleet lets you see fuel data for the entire fleet at once to spot any problem or irregularities. Fuel usage insights offered by advanced fuel monitoring system software like Thingsup provides corresponding map location & time along with fuel insights for more transparent and complete analytics. Fleet managers can generate rich analytical reports on fuel transactions by fuel type, distance covered, efficiency, amount, and cost.
Reduce the risk of fuel theft & pilferage.
Some of the best fuel monitoring systems help companies considerably reduce the risk of fuel theft, a common problem rampant across the industry. They collect and provide detailed historical fuel filling and theft records to users. It allows them to analyse fuel usage data minute-by-minute for all fuel usage points for each vehicle in the fleet. Such data will enable them to assess the amount of fuel stolen with the exact location, time, and other details of the fuel theft to support the claim. This can further help them improve operations by eliminating malpractices in their operational process.
Get real-time alarms and notifications.
The best fuel monitoring system utilizes technology to offer real-time alarms and notifications if there is any deviation from normal fuel usage. For example, a sudden drop in fuel capacity or levels can be flagged, and fleet managers and drivers are notified. This helps them detect fuel thefts or poor engine performance, which can further be fixed before commencing a trip and avoiding unwanted breakdowns.
Detect early fuel wastage.
The combination of a Fuel management system and fleet tracking can better predict fuel wastage to improve fuel efficiency. Some of the best fuel monitoring systems like Thingsup equip their offering with advanced sensors and intelligent analytics to offer the vehicle’s most accurate mileage and fuel consumption. It detects fuel wastage based on parameters such as engine idling, hard acceleration, and deacceleration, which, when detected and prevented, can save substantial fuel costs.
Easily track and manage fuel transactions.
Fuel monitoring systems offer the service of tracking and managing fuel purchases efficiently for on-route vehicles. Drivers can easily log in all their fuel purchases and upload transactions to save the hassle of maintaining paper receipts that are perishable in nature.
This gives customer return on their investment within 6 months.
The installation of the wireless fuel level sensors on vehicles of the Thingsup significantly reduced the fuel costs.
- The equipment and services expenses amount.
Aside from preventing thefts, installing the sensors and other telematics solutions help ensure that the drivers stick to their routes and timetables and become less prone to violating the discipline.
Conclusion
An efficient Fuel-monitoring system is the need of the hour for companies and transporters. With fuel prices touching new heights, companies are forced to rethink their operations strategy to minimize consumption and maximize efficiency. Fuel monitoring systems can be a great tool to manage fuel efficiency.
