Impact of maintenance on fleet fuel efficiency

You need to understand maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency to plan better and optimize your fleet's savings.

Fuel costs, besides being a constant concern because of price volatility and fuel's essential role in transport, are also becoming a focus because of growing demands for more sustainable operations aligned with ESG in transport.

One of the most effective ways to improve fuel efficiency is through regular maintenance, as it ensures that vehicles operate without issues, optimizing fuel consumption and reducing pollutant gas emissions.

Proper maintenance ranges from regular checks of engine and transmission systems to correct tire calibration. Understanding maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency and how this also affects your management is therefore essential.

See below:

• What is the relationship between regular maintenance and fuel consumption?
• What impact does maintenance have on fuel efficiency?
• How can you analyze maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency?
• How can a maintenance plan improve fleet fuel efficiency?

What is the relationship between regular maintenance and fuel consumption?

The relationship between maintenance and fuel efficiency is direct: regular, well-performed maintenance can lead to a significant reduction in fuel consumption.

On the other hand, neglecting maintenance can result in a considerable increase in fuel spending.

Some actions that affect fuel efficiency through maintenance include engine checks, tire calibration, and alignment and balancing. 

And they need to be performed before their deadlines, as specified in the maintenance schedule, to ensure an effective reduction in the fleet's fuel spending.

What impact does maintenance have on fuel efficiency?

Maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency can be positive when maintenance is on schedule, or negative when the fleet has no established preventive maintenance routine.

Scenario 1: Increased fuel costs

When a vehicle undergoes fewer preventive maintenance processes and receives only corrective maintenance, it is a sign of trouble, and if you look, you will see that fuel costs are higher.

This happens because corrective maintenance generally fixes a vehicle symptom, not necessarily the underlying issue that led to the failure.

It is also a process that frequently involves replacing original parts with other types that are not always good quality.

Another issue that increases fuel costs is a lack of engine servicing, a process also included in the fleet's preventive maintenance schedule. 

The engine may have issues such as overheating, oil leaks, a need for water, an oil change, among other minor repairs that increase engine effort and fuel burn.

Scenario 2: Reduced fuel costs

On the other hand, maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency can be very positive. In this case, a strict routine of vehicle inspections and maintenance analysis is needed.

This includes not only carrying out inspections and maintenance services, but also recording and analyzing these data in an organized, strategic way.

Understanding failure patterns and their frequency, and identifying specific issues, are essential to optimizing fuel consumption. They also enable better decision-making in your fleet management.

Both caring for the vehicle and understanding driver behavior are important for more efficient fuel combustion and lower fuel costs.

How can you analyze maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency?

By keeping track of maintenance and vehicle performance. This means understanding distance traveled, the number of services performed, the amount of fuel added, tire spending, and so on.

Some questions you can analyze to better understand maintenance's impact on fuel efficiency are:

Mileage x Amount spent on fuel

Greater fuel efficiency is indicated by a longer distance traveled with less fuel. If you notice that vehicles are consuming more fuel to travel the same distance, this may signal a need for maintenance.

Number of maintenance services performed (by type) x Average fuel consumption

An increase in preventive maintenance may lead to improved fuel efficiency, indicating that vehicles are performing better after servicing.

Likewise, an increase in corrective maintenance may indicate a drop in both vehicle efficiency and fuel efficiency.

Tire wear level x Average fuel consumption

Calibration pressure, as well as tire wear, directly affects fuel consumption.

When calibration is below the ideal level, the tire's contact area with the ground increases and the vehicle needs more force to move and gain speed, which means more fuel burn.

The same issue occurs when tires have irregular or excessive wear.

Keeping tire maintenance management on schedule is therefore also essential to improving fuel consumption efficiency.

How can a maintenance plan improve fleet fuel efficiency?

The maintenance plan organizes all activities that need to be performed to keep a vehicle fully operational. The inspection checklist and the necessary services are described in it. 

In addition, the estimated available budget and deadlines for each activity are essential items for the plan to be effective.

With this plan, it is easier to delegate tasks to the maintenance team and ensure that everything takes place without unexpected downtime or surprise issues.

To optimize this routine and create more efficient maintenance plans, ensuring a more positive impact on fleet fuel efficiency, using a dedicated system is an interesting alternative.
Gain practical, centralized control of vehicle maintenance and automation of basic tasks. Learn more in a free system demonstration — schedule here.