Every fleet manager knows the feeling of watching the pump price tick up and realizing there is nothing to be done about it. Diesel is set by forces no carrier controls. What a carrier does control is how much of every gallon it puts to work, and elevated fuel prices have a way of exposing habits that were quietly costing money all along. Idling that seemed tolerable at lower prices gets harder to ignore. So does a truck whose fuel economy has slipped unnoticed, or a driver whose habits show up in the fuel bill before they show up in a crash report.
“None of us can control the price at the pump,” said Josh Lovan, Industry Business Advisor at J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. “What fleets can control is how efficiently they operate, how closely they monitor their costs and how quickly they respond when something doesn’t look right.”
That framing shifts the question. Instead of asking how a fleet absorbs a fuel spike, it asks which parts of the operation are leaking value, and whether anyone is positioned to catch it.
Start With the True Cost of a Mile
Cost control begins with knowing the real number and Lovan says the first step is understanding what higher fuel prices are doing to profitability.
“Understand your true cost per mile and how higher fuel prices are affecting profitability. Review your fuel surcharge programs regularly so they reflect changing fuel costs,” Lovan said. “Then use the telematics and fleet management systems you already have to find excessive idling, inefficient routing and unnecessary deadhead miles.”
Fuel economy tracking is the next layer. “Monitor MPG by vehicle,” Lovan said. “An unexplained decline could indicate a maintenance issue, inefficient operation or even fuel theft.”
That last risk is why he urges fleets to look closely at how fuel is purchased. “Review fuel card controls and transactions for unusual purchasing patterns or unauthorized use. And reinforce secure parking and fueling practices with drivers, because higher fuel prices make fuel theft more costly.”
Safety Is a Cost Control Strategy
Safety and fuel efficiency are often managed by different people against different goals, yet they are driven by many of the same behaviors.
“Some of the same behaviors we coach for safety, like controlling speed, avoiding aggressive driving and planning trips properly, can also help control operating costs,” Lovan said.
He points to specific behaviors and the tools that expose them. “Speeding, hard acceleration, hard braking and unnecessary idling are the ones to address through driver training and coaching. Telematics, dash cameras and driver scorecards show you which behaviors need attention. Use that fleet data to give targeted coaching instead of relying exclusively on broad annual training.”
The financial case extends well beyond fuel. “Reducing preventable crashes also reduces the costs that come with them, including repairs, downtime, towing and insurance exposure,” Lovan said. “And monitor roadside inspection and CSA data for recurring driver behaviors, because they can point to a larger training need.”
Good trip planning ties it together, helping drivers manage fueling, parking and hours of service safely and efficiently.
Maintenance Costs More When Fuel Costs More
Preventive maintenance is usually framed as a compliance obligation. When fuel is expensive, it is also a cost control measure. Tire pressure, condition and alignment all affect fuel efficiency as well as safety, so a small lapse in upkeep can add up across a fleet. Keeping preventive maintenance schedules matched to equipment and operating conditions keeps those lapses from compounding.
“A well maintained truck is not just more likely to pass an inspection,” Lovan said. “It is also more likely to perform the way the fleet expects it to.”
The details matter. “Maintain preventive maintenance schedules based on your equipment and operating conditions, and pay close attention to tire pressure, tire condition and alignment, because they affect fuel efficiency as well as safety,” Lovan said. “If you see an unexplained decline in fuel economy, investigate it. It could point to an underlying mechanical problem.”
He also cautions against measuring maintenance by the shop invoice alone. “The cost of maintenance includes more than repairs. Breakdowns can also mean towing, roadside service, missed deliveries and equipment downtime.”
Compliance Supports Profitability
Compliance rarely gets credit as a cost control tool, but its failures can take drivers and equipment out of service, interrupt operations and create administrative inefficiencies on top of citations and penalties.
“Good compliance makes the operation more predictable,” Lovan said. “When driver qualifications, hours of service, maintenance and vehicle records are managed correctly, you’re reducing the surprises that can take a truck or driver out of service.”
For Lovan, the foundation is accurate records and proactive monitoring. “Maintain accurate driver qualification files and have a system for monitoring expiring credentials and required documentation. Manage hours of service and ELD compliance proactively to minimize violations and improve trip planning,” he said. “Keep your vehicle inspection, repair and maintenance records current under 49 CFR Part 396, and keep IFTA mileage and fuel records accurate so applicable interstate vehicles are properly credentialed.”
Lovan adds that recurring problems tend to surface in the data first. “Monitor roadside inspection and CSA data to identify recurring compliance issues before they become bigger problems. For fleets managing a lot of moving parts, a centralized compliance platform that tracks driver, vehicle and regulatory requirements and alerts you to upcoming deadlines can help.”
Bring the Data Together
Fuel, safety, maintenance and compliance rarely operate in isolation. A drop in MPG can be a maintenance problem. A pattern of speeding can be both a coaching opportunity and a fuel problem. Managing each area separately makes those connections harder to see.
“Bring fuel, safety, maintenance and compliance data together instead of managing each area independently,” Lovan said. “Track a focused group of KPIs, such as MPG, fuel cost per mile, idle time, maintenance cost per mile, preventable crashes and downtime. Use the technology already available in your fleet to identify exceptions and trends that need attention.”
The harder part, he says, is follow-through. “Assign responsibility for acting on alerts and data. Technology provides little value if nobody responds to what it identifies. And if your fleet lacks the staff or resources to manage safety and compliance effectively, consider outside expertise.”
None of this requires a single sweeping cost-cutting initiative. The savings come from closing smaller inefficiencies consistently, and it works best as a standing approach rather than a reaction to a fuel spike.
“The goal isn’t just to burn less fuel. It’s to get more value out of every mile you’re already running,” Lovan said. “When safety, maintenance and compliance are working together, the fleet is generally going to be more efficient, more predictable and better positioned to handle whatever happens with fuel prices.”
Fuel prices will keep moving, and no fleet will ever control them. The operations that stay resilient treat the factors within their reach as a connected system and manage them that way.
