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Read moreFuel costs remain one of the largest and most volatile line items in fleet operations.1 But while fuel prices may be outside your control, how efficiently your vehicles use fuel is not. Driver behavior and daily vehicle care remain the most controllable levers fleets have for improving fuel efficiency and reducing cost per mile.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, aggressive driving behaviors like speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking can lower fuel economy by as much as 15-30% at highway speeds and up to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.2 At the same time, drivers who receive feedback on their driving habits can improve fuel economy by an average of 3%, and by as much as 10% when the goal is explicitly fuel savings.2
That means the daily decisions drivers make — how they accelerate, brake, idle and care for their vehicles — often matter more than the vehicle itself. Those fleet fuel savings add up quickly when multiplied across dozens or hundreds of vehicles.
The good news is that fuel efficiency improvements do not require new vehicles, major capital investments or extra fleet management costs. Many of the most impactful changes come from consistent habits, basic maintenance and better visibility into how vehicles are actually being driven.
Best practices for vehicle care and maintenance
Vehicle maintenance and fuel efficiency are inseparable. Research consistently shows that maintenance variables such as tire pressure, axle alignment and emissions system health have measurable effects on fuel consumption.3 When maintenance slips, fuel cost per mile can rise quietly and continuously.
For fleets, this makes maintenance a direct input into cost per mile.
Tire pressure is paramount
Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance, forcing engines to work harder and burn more fuel. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that keeping tires properly inflated can improve gas mileage by up to 3.3%.3
Drivers should be trained to check tire pressure regularly as part of a Daily Vehicle Inspection Report and match manufacturer recommendations, which are typically found on a sticker inside the driver’s door jamb or in the owner’s manual. The maximum PSI listed on the tire sidewall is not the operating pressure and should not be used as a guide. Consistent tire pressure not only improves fuel efficiency, but also extends tire life and reduces the risk of blowouts.
Reduce unnecessary vehicle weight
Extra vehicle weight reduces efficiency. According to the Department of Energy, carrying an additional 100 pounds can reduce fuel economy by around 1%, with smaller vehicles feeling the impact most.2 Removing unused equipment, excess tools or cargo that isn’t required for the day’s work is a simple way to improve average miles per gallon across the fleet.
Routine maintenance checklists that protect fuel miles per gallon
Basic maintenance tasks also have a direct impact on fuel consumption:
- Clean air filters improve airflow and combustion efficiency.
- Healthy oxygen sensors help maintain the correct air-fuel mix.
- Fuel system cleaning removes carbon buildup that reduces injector performance.
- Spark plug replacement prevents misfires and incomplete combustion.
A vehicle that fails an emissions test or is noticeably out of tune can see fuel economy improve by an average of 4% once corrected, according to the Department of Energy.3 These are small gains individually, but they compound across a fleet operating thousands of miles per week.
Manage aerodynamics and equipment drag
Aerodynamic drag increases fuel consumption dramatically at highway speeds. Keeping windows rolled up, removing unused roof racks or external equipment and using trailer side skirts or gap reducers where applicable can all reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. For larger vehicles, matching the vehicle type to the job — rather than defaulting to oversized equipment — can also produce meaningful fleet fuel savings.
Driving strategies that protect fuel economy
Once a vehicle is in motion, driver behavior becomes the dominant factor in fuel consumption.
Maintain steady speed
Vehicles achieve optimal fuel economy at different speeds, but average miles per gallon generally decreases rapidly above 50 mph.2 Using cruise control on highways helps avoid unnecessary RPM fluctuations and keeps fuel consumption steady. For many commercial vehicles, the fuel-efficiency “sweet spot” falls between 45 and 55 mph, depending on load and terrain.4
Smooth acceleration and braking
Aggressive driving wastes fuel. The Department of Energy estimates that rapid acceleration and hard braking can reduce fuel economy by up to 33% at highway speeds and 5% in city driving.3 Drivers who anticipate traffic flow, maintain momentum and brake gradually use significantly less fuel and reduce wear on brake systems.
For heavy vehicles, techniques like progressive shifting — shifting at lower RPMs and staying within the engine’s optimal torque curve — can produce meaningful fleet fuel savings while reducing engine strain and noise.
Proper gear usage and RPM control
Heavy-duty engines are designed to operate most efficiently within a specific RPM range, often referred to as the green band on the tachometer. Staying within this range maximizes torque, improves fuel efficiency and reduces wear. Training drivers to understand and use this band correctly can improve average miles per gallon across long routes and variable terrain.
Reduce idling wherever possible
Idling can consume between a quarter and a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and accessory use.3 Turning the engine off during extended stops is one of the simplest ways to reduce idle time percentage and wasted fuel. It takes only a few seconds worth of fuel to restart the engine, making idling one of the easiest habits to correct.
Choose smarter routes
The fastest route is often the most fuel-efficient, but not always. Routes with fewer stops, less congestion and smoother elevation changes tend to consume less fuel. This is where route planning technology plays an increasingly important role.
Fleet cost management starts with driver visibility
Driver visibility is where behavior, maintenance and routing finally come together — and it’s where fleet cost management becomes actionable.
Without data, fuel efficiency efforts rely on assumptions. With telematics, fleets can see exactly how vehicles are being driven, where fuel is being wasted and which behaviors are creating unnecessary cost.
Telematics systems track the behaviors that matter most for fuel efficiency, including:
- Speeding and excessive speeding
- Hard braking and rapid acceleration
- Total idle time and idle percentage
- After-hours usage
- Distance traveled versus planned routes
Verizon Connect, for example, provides a dedicated fuel efficiency dashboard that aggregates these signals into a clear operational picture, showing wasted fuel, idle time, harsh driving and maintenance-related impacts. Tracking and coaching drivers to improve these metrics is one of the best practices for reducing fuel costs in fleet management.
Data shines a light on how drivers use fuel
Driver scorecards translate raw telematics data into clear, easy-to-understand performance metrics. These scorecards allow fleet managers to identify patterns, not just incidents. A driver who brakes harshly once is not a problem; a driver who does it daily is creating both safety risk and fuel waste.
By using scorecards in driver coaching sessions, fleets can correct habits before they turn into breakdowns, accidents or unnecessary fuel spend.
Gamification helps fuel-efficient driving stick
Many fleets now use leaderboards and driver incentive programs to reinforce positive behavior. Gamification taps into natural competition and has been shown in multiple workforce studies to improve engagement, retention and consistency. When drivers see their progress in real time and understand how their actions affect fuel consumption, efficiency becomes part of the culture, not just a rule.
Fuel card integration offers greater cost control
Setting up fuel card integration within your fleet management system connects fuel purchases with telematics data. By comparing fuel transactions with location information and vehicle performance, fleets can verify fuel card reporting data, pinpoint fuel card abuse, reduce fuel usage and costs and help control fuel-wasting driving behaviors.
The future of fuel economy with mixed fleets and EVs
As fleet electrification accelerates, fuel efficiency strategies are evolving rather than disappearing.
Regenerative braking changes driver habits
In electric and hybrid vehicles, regenerative braking converts deceleration into stored energy. Smooth, anticipatory braking increases energy recovery and extends range, while aggressive braking wastes potential regeneration. Drivers trained on this behavior can reduce electric vehicle range anxiety and improve overall energy efficiency.
Energy-efficient routing matters more for EVs
For EV fleets, route planning must account for elevation, congestion and stop-and-go conditions, not just distance. Energy-efficient routing can reduce charging frequency, improve scheduling reliability and extend vehicle range — all of which are essential to managing fleet electrification costs.
Mixed fleets require mixed strategies
Fleets operating both internal combustion and alternative fuel vehicles need flexible strategies that adapt to different fuel types, vehicle ranges and maintenance needs. Telematics plays a central role here by providing consistent visibility across the entire fleet, regardless of powertrain or use of alternative fuels.
Disciplined behavior delivers the highest return
Fuel efficiency is not a single initiative but a system. When drivers maintain their vehicles, adopt smoother driving habits and receive consistent feedback, fleets reduce fuel consumption, extend vehicle life and lower cost per mile.
Telematics connects all of these elements, turning everyday actions into measurable savings and giving fleet managers the insight needed to coach effectively, plan smarter routes and prevent waste before it happens.
For fleets looking to improve fleet cost management, the highest return still comes from the simplest source: consistent, disciplined driver behavior supported by visibility and coaching.
Ready to save on fuel? Book a demo to see how Verizon Connect helps fleets cut waste and lower cost per mile.
Resources
1 ATRI: Operational Costs of Trucking
2 U.S. Department of Energy: Driving More Efficiently