Unfortunately, businesses whose services require the driving of delivery trucks, public transportation or employee cars are feeling the brunt of high gas prices. Since it is usually the business, and not the employee, that absorbs traveling costs, business owners should be aware of the problem and the ways to cut down on gas prices.
Know the Routes
Business owners and management teams should be cognizant of the routes their delivery trucks and employees take to get from one place to another. Gas can be wasted on long, round-about routes that fail to maximize usage of proper roads. This is especially true if your business is located in a large metropolis; there are usually unlimited was to get from Point A to Point B.
Sit down with your employees and map out the routes that they take each day. Determine whether or not they are using the fastest routes, and if there are better roads to take. Be sure to take traffic, stop lights and speed limits into account; it helps to have driven each road on your own before making a decision.
Evaluate
Every week, your employees should be turning in gas receipts or expense reports. Go back over each report or receipt and make a spreadsheet that details the money spent on gas by each employee. Is there a particular employee using more gas than another?
This will help you to identify problem areas and to correct them in the most effective way. Maybe routes need to be examined or the employee needs to be questioned. Identifying problem areas will give you a head start on reducing gas prices.
Practice Good Maintenance
Are all of your vehicles in excellent repair? If not, you could be wasting money on gas. Factors like oil levels, air conditioning belts, brake condition and tire tread can greatly affect how much gas is used.
Take all of your vehicles back to the dealership every three months for tune-ups. Have the oil changed, the tires rotated and the transmission checked for problems. The money you spend on repairs will greatly lower how much you spend on gas every day.
Spread the Word
It is entirely possible that your employees are not considering gas prices when making decisions on the road. For example, sales employees that drive company cars may not even be aware of high gas prices because the business pays for it.
With this in mind, have a talk with all of your employees – perhaps a company meeting – during which you discuss the problems with high gas prices and suggest ways to cut down on costs. Although this might not immediately affect your gas spending, it will eventually sink in. You might even offer bonuses to employees who use the least gas every month.
Use Credit Cards to Save
There are many business credit cards that give you an incentive when making gas purchases. There are also many fleet gas credit cards to help keep high gas prices from damaging the bottom line.
