Fuel consumption is influenced by a combination of human behaviour, vehicle condition, operational planning, and environmental factors.
Understanding why fuel usage increases is critical to effectively reducing it. This paper expands key fuel-saving strategies, explaining the underlying causes of inefficiency and how telematics enables measurable, sustained improvements with strong ROI.
Aggressive driving behaviours - such as rapid acceleration, harsh braking, and speeding—force the engine to work harder and burn more fuel. Frequent speed changes reduce engine efficiency, while excessive idling burns fuel without producing any useful output. Even small inefficiencies repeated across a fleet compound into significant waste.
Telematics Impact:
Telematics identifies exactly which drivers are causing excess fuel burn through behaviour metrics. Instead of guessing, managers can coach specific drivers, leading to faster and more sustained reductions.
Symtech Insight:
20 years of experience has proven that drivers claiming to be the best are often not.
Technology has no ‘favourites’.
ROI Example:
10% reduction on $300,000 fuel spend =
Engines operating with worn components, clogged filters, or incorrect tyre pressure require more energy (fuel) to perform the same work.
For example:
Underinflated tyres increase rolling resistance
Dirty air filters restrict airflow, reducing combustion efficiency Poorly tuned engines burn fuel inefficiently
Telematics Impact:
Usage-based maintenance alerts ensure vehicles are serviced when needed—not too early, not too late—keeping them in optimal fuel-efficient condition. Prestart checks will identify excessive fuel consumption conditions allowing for servicing or preventative maintenance before the issue becomes a significant problem.
Symtech Insight:
Inclusion of type pressure in a weekly prestart check will ensure they are not neglected for extended periods. It takes a driver 10 mins but could add significant saving across the fleet.
ROI Example:
3% savings on $400,000 =
Engines operating with worn components, clogged filters, or incorrect tyre pressure require more energy (fuel) to perform the same work.
For example:
Underinflated tyres increase rolling resistance
Dirty air filters restrict airflow, reducing combustion efficiency Poorly tuned engines burn fuel inefficiently
Telematics Impact:
Usage-based maintenance alerts ensure vehicles are serviced when needed—not too early, not too late—keeping them in optimal fuel-efficient condition. Prestart checks will identify excessive fuel consumption conditions allowing for servicing or preventative maintenance before the issue becomes a significant problem.
Symtech Insight:
Inclusion of type pressure in a weekly prestart check will ensure they are not neglected for extended periods. It takes a driver 10 mins but could add significant saving across the fleet.
ROI Example:
3% savings on $400,000 =
Unplanned or inefficient routes increase distance travelled, time spent in traffic, and stop-start driving—all of which raise fuel consumption. Congestion forces frequent braking and acceleration, one of the least efficient driving patterns.
Telematics Impact:
Real-time GPS data allows dynamic rerouting and post-trip analysis, helping eliminate inefficient patterns over time.
Symtech Insight:
Never presume the shortest route is the fastest. Do periodic tests of frequented routes to establish if different routes should be taken between, say, 3pm-6pm. Starting and stopping consumes more fuel than constant speed.
ROI Example:
10% distance reduction on $900,000 =
Using oversized or underutilised vehicles wastes fuel because larger engines consume more energy regardless of load. Similarly, older vehicles lack modern fuel efficiency technologies, leading to higher consumption.
Telematics Impact:
Data reveals which vehicles are overused, underused, or inefficient, enabling smarter fleet decisions.
Symtech Insight:
Before replacing a vehicle, compare total cost of ownership across your fleet. A cheaper purchase price may equate to higher maintenance and fuel burn costs. And be sure to understand when the cost to keep it exceeds the value it derives.
ROI Example:
15% efficiency gain on $700,000 =
Idling burns fuel while the vehicle is stationary, delivering zero productivity. In many fleets, idling can account for 5–15% of total fuel usage due to habits like leaving engines running during stops or waiting periods.
Telematics Impact:
Idling time is precisely tracked, with alerts and reports that make enforcement simple and measurable.
Symtech Insight:
A 3-minute allowable idling time will allow for traffic lights and Give Way signs. Everything beyond that should be monitored for relevance. Idling is a constant significant profit drain.
ROI Example:
5% reduction on $500,000 =
Heavier vehicles require more energy to move, increasing fuel burn. Poor aerodynamics increase drag, especially at higher speeds, forcing the engine to work harder to maintain velocity.
Key Factors:
Excess weight increases rolling resistance Poor load distribution reduces efficiency Air resistance rises exponentially with speed
Telematics Impact:
Operational data helps correlate fuel use with load types, routes, and speeds, enabling more refined optimisation.
Symtech Insight:
Choose your route to eliminate big hills that produce slow progress at high revs, when logical. A slightly longer route with less high revving will offset a slightly later arrival and will increase profitability.
ROI Example:
5% savings on $600,000 =
Purchases ‘on the company card’, while individually viewed by the recipient to be small and inconsequential, are all misappropriation of your fuel, therefore they not only increase cost, reducing profit, but they are also an abuse of trust.
Key Factors:
Fuel consumed through:
Unauthorised use of vehicles, or
Filling a private car, boat, or chainsaw Jerry can
Telematics Impact:
Operational data helps correlate fuel use with load types, routes, and speeds, enabling more refined optimisation.
Symtech Insight:
Fuel misappropriation occurs for a myriad of reasons. It could be straight theft, it may be “entitlement’ or it could be loyal staff struggling to manage with household costs. Telematics provides an opportunity to deal with all of these cases very differently.
ROI Example:
3% saving on 750,000 =
Fuel inefficiencies are often the result of small, compounding factors—driver habits, poor visibility, suboptimal maintenance, and operational inefficiencies. Understanding why fuel consumption increases allows organisations to target the root causes rather than symptoms. Telematics stands out as the unifying solution, enabling:
Visibility into all fuel-related factors.
Accountability across drivers and operations.
Continuous optimisation through data.
10-15% reduction in fuel consumption
%20(500%20x%20100%20px)%20(6).png)