What Is a Fuel Management System?

According to research done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fuel expenses can take up to 60% of total fleet business costs. With the ever-rising fuel prices, having a fuel management system will save your business a large sum. This is why it is important for every fleet business to have a fuel management system.

Let’s have a closer look at how this works.

Everything you need to know about a fuel management system

A fuel management system is a combination of hardware and software technology that is used to optimise fuel consumption in various industries such as mining, construction, and transportation. 

Fuel management systems ensure that fuel is being used efficiently by monitoring factors such as fuel consumption and engine performance. Businesses without a fuel management system battle with the cost of fuel daily. 

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How do fuel monitoring systems work?

Fuel monitoring systems work hand in hand with fleet management software and telematics to be able to translate the data. Here is a brief breakdown of two components of fuel monitoring  systems:

• Engine Control Unit
  Also called an engine control module, this unit controls both the engine and the transmission. It collects data related to fuel consumption, engine operating hours and mileage. 
   
• Fuel level sensors
  These are filters installed in vehicle tanks to monitor fuel levels. A tube connects to the fuel measuring system, and when fuel is added, it fills the tube and the spaces around it. The information is then sent to a telematics system, which gives readings such as tank capacity, litres and vehicle location.

Benefits of a fuel management system

There are many benefits that come with having a fuel management system, such as: 

• Improved driver behaviour
  Driving habits such as excessive idling, harsh braking or speeding not only put drivers in danger of possible collusion but also drain fuel faster. With a proper fuel monitoring system in place, fleet managers will be able to monitor driving habits that increase fuel as well as vehicle wear and tear.
• Reduces human error
  Fleet technology simplifies administration and speeds up operations. A fuel monitoring system reduces the manual work and is more accurate, eliminating any miscalculations of fuel expenses.
• Fuel theft prevention
  Integrating a fuel card with a fleet management system catalysis the process of matching fuel receipts with the vehicle’s location and fuel level status, making it easier to detect fuel theft.
• Reduced maintenance and repair costs
  Using engine technology to monitor fuel can save your fleet from breaking down and needing more repairs.

Boost your fuel savings with a Cartrack fuel management system!

Cartrack is an industry leader in the fields of telematics and has helped many from different industries, such as transport, construction and mining, to maximise their fuel savings. With us, you get: 

MiFleet‍

Mifleet is cost management software that can help you detect fuel theft and fuel card fraud by validating transactions with vehicle telematics data such as location, litres and tank capacity. This powerful tool gives you alerts whenever there is suspicion of fuel fraud, allowing you to further investigate and resolve the matter.

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Fuel sensors‍

You can monitor your vehicle or machinery’s in-tank fuel levels with any of the following three fuel monitoring tools:

1. Float sensors: Every vehicle comes with a floater and a variable resistor installed inside the tank. This moves up or down as fuel is added or while the vehicle consumes fuel. Cartrack connects to the wires the wire to the IoT device in order to read the voltages produced and translate them into litres. This information is then accessible for your use on our fleet management platform.
    
2. Fuel probes: These are fuel level measuring devices that use a float system to track fuel levels. They are for external tanks or fuel tanks that are not connected to the vehicle and are connected to a telematics device inorder to send fuel level data.
    
3. CANBus: The Control Area Network bus (CANBus) clamp is connected to our telematics device to enhance the ability of vehicle components, such as the engine and transmission, to “‘communicate” with each other. This then makes it easier for vehicles to detect when fuel is needed, and the data is then stored and sent to our fleet solutions.

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Preventative maintenance‍

An overworked engine uses more fuel. Cartrack has a preventive maintenance feature that tracks engine hours. This feature provides real-time alerts of engine faults and automated maintenance schedules for each vehicle, so you know in advance which vehicles are due for servicing.
 

Route optimisation‍

Find the best order for drivers to complete tasks and create job routes for drivers to minimise mileage and fuel consumption.
 

AI LiveVison

Promote driver safety by installing our AI LiveVison Camera solutions to help you monitor driver behaviour. Drivers get real-time alerts whenever distracted behaviour such as yawning, cell phone use or smoking is detected, allowing the drivers to make corrections quickly. The goal is to avoid driving habits that increase fuel consumption, such as harsh braking, which often happens when the driver is distracted and suddenly has to stop. You can also have external cameras that monitor your fuel cap installed into your vehicles.
 

Driver Scorecards‍

Get reports on driver events such as speeding, harsh braking and harsh cornering for each driver so you can use them to coach drivers on their areas of improvement. 

Cartrack makes saving on fuel so easy!

We are an all-around solution for everything related to running a fleet with a user-friendly platform that gives you peace of mind. We are industry leaders in fuel management and all things fleet-related. 
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Contact us today to help you fuel your fuel efficiency