Gary Sheedy, UK and Ireland sales director for Blue Tree, explains that, since fuel data from truck engine ECMs is not accurate, commercial vehicle fleet engineers can’t rely on it.
Blue Tree, he says, has found that reported figures are typically overstated by 5—10%.
This new white paper suggests that the only robust solution is to calibrate each vehicle’s ECM data.
Once this is done, it becomes possible to compare drivers objectively, measure the performance of one vehicle to the next or compare a make and model with another.
“If you are a transport manager trying to reward drivers for safer and more economical driving, or a fleet manager trying to decide which truck to buy, or a fuel specialist investigating possible fuel theft, you need to be able to rely on your fuel consumption figures,” insists Sheedy.
“Accurate measurement of fuel in the tank at both the start and end of the audit period, automated purchase receipt data and reliable fuel burned data are the cornerstones of these decisions,” he continues.
“The best practice outlined in this white paper is a good start to understanding how accurate fuel monitoring can be accomplished.”
Blue Tree Systems has developed the Fuel Auditor, which applies a software calibration on fuel CANbus data collected from the engine.
By totalling the amount of fuel burned as reported by the truck’s CANbus, and then applying a calibration factor to remove the inaccuracy, Fuel Auditor shows any discrepancy between fuel purchased and fuel burned, says Sheedy.