That’s the message from Ashley Sowerby, managing director of Chevin Fleet Solutions, who says that while diesel may have dipped below £1/litre, fleet managers can still benefit from increased price competition.
“The fairly dramatic fall that we have seen in fuel prices is definitely a bonus for fleets, but it should very much be viewed as a jumping off point for additional reductions in spending, we believe,” says Sowerby.
“What the £1/litre is really indicative of is a market that is highly competitive and any buyer in a highly competitive market can make savings by following the right strategies. Fuel is a major expense for fleets and this is an opportunity to manage costs even lower.”
By using fleet software and fuel cards together, he says, managers should be able to create savings above and beyond those available from falling prices.
“Simply by monitoring prices online and guiding drivers towards the cheapest local outlets, you could easily gain an extra five pence per litre above what you are already saving through the general price decreases across the market.”
Fuel card data and software analysis tools “let you see which drivers are complying and also allow you to demonstrate the kind of savings that are being achieved”, he adds.
“It is a worthwhile win for relatively little effort.”