Gone are the days of countless diesel trucks idling endlessly in parking lots, burning away a company’s profits. Fleet sustainability has become a center of attention, and while diesel emissions are certainly one component that the industry is trying to combat, reducing environmental impact goes much further than just fumes from the tailpipe.
Platforms are continuously in development, and they are quickly being implemented to become fleet management best practices. These solutions add expenses to a company’s operating costs, and not always without pushback. How necessary is sustainability and what types of solutions should fleets be looking into?
How sustainability connects with your fleet management strategy
According to Statista, medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks accounted for 6% of all greenhouse gases in the United States in 2015 and 23% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions. That’s more impact than most would care to admit, and fleet management trends that focus on sustainability aim to reverse the impact on the environment.
Among the thousands upon thousands of fleets in operation today, a concentrated effort on everyone’s part is necessary to make an impression on the figures. Those best practices can be direct in reducing emissions or indirect in addressing fleet efficiencies. Putting one or more of the following fleet management technologies and strategies into place can effectively improve your company’s impact on the environment.
Electrified fleet vehicles
Much has been said about electrified fleet vehicles. Amazon has ordered 100,000 Rivian delivery all-electric vehicles and Walmart has committed to a fully electrified fleet of trucks by 2040 including Tesla Semi trucks. Concentrated efforts from major corporations like these validate EVs for fleet use, whether for fleets of five units or fifty thousand. It’s true for trucking as well as corporate and rental units. Even Hertz has ordered 100,000 Tesla models to integrate into their fleet.
Of course, there are stumbling blocks to overcome such as range anxiety and route planning to accommodate for charging. There’s no question that maintenance costs are lower and emissions are nil compared to internal combustion engine vehicles, promising to make the jump to electric worthwhile for sustainability and much more.
Reduced emissions from ICE engines
Not all fleet vehicles will switch to electric, and fleets that do will take years to transition. As a result, most fleets will contain diesel-powered units for years to come. They’re the unintentional offenders that contribute more than their share of greenhouse gases.
ICE engine-powered vehicles can be optimized to lower the emissions expelled into the atmosphere. Fleet management technologies like Avrios and Webfleet report on fuel consumption and emissions that can indicate when a unit needs a repair. These tools also promote better driving behaviors that can positively affect fuel economy and CO2 output.
Real-time diagnostics and maintenance tracking
Maintenance costs are unavoidable for any fleet. There are brakes, tires, driveline fluids, and many other service points that add up over time. However, some maintenance is done too early while other items often aren’t caught in time, resulting in an expensive and time-consuming repair.
Predictive and preventative maintenance is more possible than ever with 5G integrations in fleet vehicles, just like automotive digital solutions. Whether it’s over-the-air (OTA) diagnostics and updates or customizable system monitoring, developers like CarTrack and Fleetio make it possible to get ahead of problems before costs unnecessarily rise.
How does that relate to sustainability? It can reduce emissions by correcting problems and prevent unnecessary maintenance and related disposal costs.
Routing efficiencies
Even with a vehicle operating at peak fuel economy, there’s often ways to improve efficiency. That’s the case with route optimization. How many extra miles does a fleet vehicle put on every year that could’ve been avoided, or with less stop-and-go traffic?
Automotive & mobility services like Automile have applications like Advanced Routing that calculate a driver’s route to reduce time spent in traffic and miles driven. These efficiencies might be time-savers primarily but make no mistake, they’re crucial for a sustainability-focused fleet.
Expert automotive & mobility solutions developers like Star are continuously working to improve fleet management. Whether for sustainability or to stay on the leading edge of innovation, it pays to seek out and integrate new technologies that can benefit your fleet.
