Reduce Engine Idling and Save Money
Excessive engine idling is expensive. It wastes fuel, causes additional wear and tear on the vehicle, and is bad for the environment. In this blog we discuss the impact of engine idling and how GPS tracking can help reduce it. At the end of this blog there is a list of online resources for more information.
Engine idling is when the vehicle’s engine is running and the vehicle is not moving. There are many reasons why your vehicles might be idling. For example, stuck in traffic, doing paperwork inside the vehicle, sleeping, eating lunch, etc. Unfortunately, engine idling comes with a cost.
How Does Excessive Engine Idling Impact Your Business?
Excessive engine idling can impact your business in two ways. First, it is expensive. Excessive idling can cost you big money. One hour of engine idling can burn up to 1 gallon of gasoline. Multiply that over the course of a year or with a large fleet and the costs go up very quickly.
Two, excessive idling is bad for the engine. It causes additional wear and tear on the vehicle without any benefit. The cost for maintaining your vehicles will go up because you will have to perform routine maintenance more frequently.
How Can GPS Tracking Reduce Excessive Engine Idling?
GPS tracking can help reduce engine idling in 2 ways.
1. The GPS tracking unit records the idling event.
2. You can review the idling events in an easy to read report.
1. Develop Company Policy for Engine Idling
2. Discuss Engine Idling Policy with Drivers
2. Use the Engine Idling Report
3. Setup Engine Idling Alerts
What Next?
If you already are an Efficient Fleets customer then you do not need to do anything. The Milo GPS system is already setup to monitor engine idling. All of the GPS tracking equipment that we sell automatically records idling. Whenever the vehicle is idling for more than 5 minutes the GPS unit sends that information to your GPS tracking account.
Engine Idling Resources
Below is a list of online resources related to engine idling.
Ford – How Idle Time Impacts Engine Maintenance
U.S. Department of Energy – Idle Fuel Consumption for Selected Vehicles