4 Tips for Preventing Fleet Fuel Theft
Fuel and fuel operations represent the largest budget lines for any fleet or logistics company, regardless if it is a small, medium or large fleet company. Fuel really adds up, which is why an effective fleet and fuel management system is so crucial to your company’s success.
While you unfortunately cannot control fuel prices, there is one area where you can make a difference: fuel theft and the prevention thereof. For the average fleet or logistics Company, fuel theft represents a minimum of 3% of the fuel budget. Just think of all the things you could do with that extra 3% in savings!
Now, just because fuel theft is a real threat to your fuel budget, doesn’t mean your drivers or other employees are ski mask-wearing criminals. Chances are, if you or your employees are manually recording fuel expenses, you’ll find some inefficiencies. Without a proper fuel management system in place, you can expect a certain amount of miss allocation, or even the occasional budgetary mystery that you just can’t solve. These fleet and fuel management reports should be done by a proper life system that documents and reports on fuel usage and when and where fuel was added or stolen with an amount specified to the event.
Here are some tips for preventing fuel theft and other losses:
Keep your yard secure.
Fuel theft isn’t always because of your drivers. Outside thieves may break into your yard to siphon fuel from your vehicles. Keep your yard secure with fences or walls and camera monitoring systems. Make sure to include signs advertising these security precautions to deter thieves before they even attempt fuel theft.
Educate your drivers.
Your company should have policies in place that explain what exactly is expected from drivers in regards to fueling and purchasing fuel. This policy should also explain the consequences of misuse or wrongful purchasing. You should also run through more basic fuel safety practices, like locking fuel caps, closely monitoring vehicles while fueling, covering the keypad when entering PIN and only parking in safe zones.
Review all transactions.
Without a proper fuel management system, this part can get tedious; however, if you feel that fuel theft is an issue for your company, reviewing all fuel transactions is a necessity. Check for anything out of the ordinary, like unknown locations, inconsistent odometer readings and irregular fueling times, on a regular basis.
Invest in a fuel management software system.
When it comes down to it, the only way to accurately and efficiently track fuel operations is to invest in a comprehensive fuel management software system. Systems like the DFuel fleet and fuel management system can track fuel data in real-time, so you don’t have to pour over spreadsheets and tank levels.
Digit fleet and fuel is a feature rich fleet and fuel management system, so you can view fuel levels in real-time. With DigitWeb, you have real-time access to pre-processed data, meaning you see vehicle trip information being processed as they happen. The completed, Secure Level data comes through within a few minutes. This data integrates directly into the offline Digit Software package that saves data to your local PC but also gives you the freedom to see your vehicle information at any time from anywhere via the web application!
Source: http://www.digicell.co.za/
