Three things to take away
- Align fuel sources, mileage definitions and reporting periods.
- Separate essential working idle, traffic delay and avoidable idle.
- Compare similar jobs and assess fuel actions within total transport cost.
Build a comparable fuel and mileage baseline
Fuel use may come from supported vehicle CAN data, sensors or a refuelling and inventory calculation. Their accuracy, reporting frequency and operating conditions differ. Fuel purchased is not automatically fuel consumed in the same period: opening and closing stock, late entries, units and time zones matter.
Calculate litres per 100 kilometres as litres consumed divided by kilometres travelled, multiplied by 100. Compare similar vehicle types, loads, routes and jobs. Ranking frequent-stop urban duty directly against line-haul duty rarely produces a fair action plan.
- Task
- RT-081
- Distance
- 600 km
- Accounted fuel
- 150 L
- Fuel rate
- 25 L / 100 km
Opening 80 L + Added 180 L − Closing 110 L = Accounted use 150 L. Keep purchase payment separate from journey fuel cost.
Separate idle into actionable categories
The U.S. Department of Energy AFDC identifies unnecessary idling as a fuel-saving opportunity, while noting that some work vehicles require stationary engine power. Do not classify every engine-on stop as waste or ignore equipment protection and safety needs.
Combine reliable engine state, speed, duration and site or job labels to distinguish working idle, traffic waits and avoidable waiting. Without engine-state data, a stopped vehicle is only a clue; stopped time is not confirmed engine-idle time.
Three definitions for three different questions
| Metric | Calculation | Confirm before use |
|---|---|---|
| Litres per 100 km | Fuel consumed (L) ÷ distance (km) × 100 | Vehicle, load, route and fuel definition |
| Operating cost per km | Attributed operating cost ÷ corresponding distance | Currency, cost scope and mileage source |
| Transport cost per job | Attributable job costs ÷ completed jobs | Completion definition and shared-cost allocation |
Put fuel use back into transport cost
Lower consumption does not necessarily mean lower cost per completed job. Include attributable empty running, waiting, tolls, labour and maintenance. Cost per kilometre uses costs and distance from the same scope. Cost per job also needs a definition of completed jobs and shared-cost allocation.
A return load, for example, may add distance and loading time as well as revenue. Evaluate changes over comparable periods, documenting fuel prices, job mix and seasonality so that changing conditions are not mistaken for intervention results.
Start with one improvement you can verify
Choose a problem with a clear business cause, such as repeated queuing, adjustable bookings or waiting without a job. Assign an owner and a review period. Check punctuality, safety and service alongside fuel use.
LEAVE fuel and transport-cost scenarios can connect these records. Available data depends on vehicle interfaces, sensors and cost entry. The definitions below are calculation examples, not promised savings or customer results.
Questions, answered
Does stopped time equal idle time?
No. Idling requires an engine running. Zero GPS speed alone cannot distinguish an engine-off stop, offline reporting and engine idle.
Can installing a system guarantee a fixed fuel-saving percentage?
A percentage needs a valid baseline, sound data, an implemented action and a comparable observation period. Document duty changes that affect the result instead of assuming a saving.
