In an unprecedented response to the national emergency declaration made by President Trump, the U.S. Department of Transportation is relaxing the hours-of-service regulations for drivers transporting emergency supplies to relieve pressure on hospitals and retailers.
The hours-of-service rules have been in place for 82 years. During that time, they have never been suspended on the federal level, though there have been instances, in response to hurricanes and other natural disasters, for instance, when states have temporarily suspended those regulations.
Among specific items falling under the relief requirements are:
- Medical equipment and supplies for diagnosing and treating COVID-19.
- Supplies and equipment designed to improve community safety, such as hand sanitizer, faces masks, gloves, soaps, and disinfectants.
- Food supplies for restocking depleted store shelves.
- Equipment and supplies necessary to manage temporary housing and quarantine facilities for COVID-19.
- Medical services personnel and equipment.
Operating a fleet isn’t cheap. With the quest for drivers becoming even more competitive, it is growing costlier still. There are things you can do, though, that will help you save money while operating your fleet and even growing it. These are some of the top things you’ll want to do to keep your costs down while meeting the needs of your customers and keeping quality drivers on staff.
End Idling
It’s a huge expense for your fleet in wasted fuel, does nothing good for the planet, causes unnecessary engine ware, and substantially eats into your profits. According to the Department of Energy, idling costs fleets up to $20 per day, per truck when diesel runs $2.50 per gallon (when was the last time you’ve seen that price for diesel?). The more trucks you have in your fleet, the more idling can cost you. Consider investing in battery-powered or electrically wired APUs (auxiliary power units) for long-haul drivers to maintain climate control and some electrical devices.
Route for Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficient routing can cut hours and miles off your trips for long haul truckers. Routing more efficiently for in-town drivers can help you schedule fewer drivers to cover the same routes. It can save you a tremendous amount of money and fuel if your drivers follow their prescribed routes. Which means you must also have a method in place, like GPS tracking to help plan those efficient routes and to ensure your drivers are sticking to them.
How Bad Driver Habits Increase Fleet Costs
19 Mar 2020Bad driving habits drive up fleet costs in big ways. When this happens, your entire organization pays. These are some of the bad driver habits that can rob your entire organization of profits and growth.
Wastes Fuel, Driving Costs Higher
One of the big cost factors is that bad driver habits waste fuel. These habits can cost your fleet an enormous amount of money each year and include the following types of behaviors by drivers:
- Speeding
- Excessive idling
- Aggressive accelerations
- Distracted driving
- Hard braking
Finding a way to discourage these types of behaviors among drivers and adopting policies that explicitly discourage them is the fastest way toward improving your bottom line year after year.
