The ongoing fuel price hikes and the weak Rand are having a significant negative impact on transport owning and operating costs says Max Braun, transport guru and compiler of the FleetWatch Truck Operating Benchmarks.
“With the inland wholesale price of diesel now standing at just a fraction under R12.50 a litre, this translates into R1,4-million a year for a seven-axle interlink covering 200 000 kilometres a year,’ he says.
Given this, it is imperative that transport operators do all in their power to save fuel without compromising operational efficiencies and it is thus FleetWatch welcomes the fact that Shell has stepped into the arena with tips for drivers to be more efficient.
According to Shell, by following some simple driving rules, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 30% and advocates ten golden rules that truck drivers should keep in mind as they navigate their loads through South Africa’s road system. These include keeping idling to a minimum; avoiding unnecessary braking; avoiding congested traffic; doing proper route planning , and others.
To enable operators to easily access these tips for their drivers, Shell has produced a special poster which operators can download and print from this FleetWatch newsletter to hand to their drivers. Every drop now counts and remember, fuel efficient driving also translates into safer driving so the benefits are all round.
