You can’t control the price of fuel, but there are several ways you can reduce fleet fuel costs.
You already know proactive fleet maintenance is essential to keep trucks rolling and maximize fuel efficiency. But many cost-cutting strategies for fleet fuel have nothing to do with truck maintenance.
Technology, tax breaks, pricing strategies, and payment methods can help you slash fleet fuel costs in 2025. Read on for seven money-saving tips!
7 Ways to Reduce Fleet Fuel Costs
1. Use Fuel Cards
Fleet fuel cards include incentives like flat discounts or cash pricing for fuel, and some — like QuikQ and Comdata — include fuel-fraud prevention features, so you don’t have to worry about card skimming.
When looking at fuel cards for your fleet, make sure they work for major chains like Love’s,
TA, and Pilot Flying J. (Some branded cards only work at fuel stations managed by the brand).
You might also look at whether fuel cards can integrate with your transportation management system. Comdata, QuikQ, and Multi Service Fuel Card integrate with PCS TMS for Carriers, so your fuel card purchases automatically sync to the platform to give you real-time visibility into fuel costs.
2. Anticipate Fuel Price Surges
Contracts should be based on real-time fuel prices, but you also want to account for potential fuel price surges to ensure profitability. To do that, you need a TMS.
PCS TMS integrates with Department of Energy weekly rates and can predict surge pricing. With just a few clicks, you can add fuel surge prices to your line haul rates (no manual calculations required).
3. Monitor ELD Data
ELD data does more than ensure HOS compliance. It can show you where and how you’re wasting fuel.
The PCS TMS Geotab ELD integration can help you identify fuel-wasting behaviors like excessive idling or rapid acceleration/deceleration. You can also see which travel lanes are increasing your fuel costs and plan new routes to improve fuel efficiency.
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4. Reduce IFTA Costs
It’s not just the fuel costs that eat into profits — it’s the taxes, too. Understanding and managing IFTA obligations can lower your fuel taxes in a few ways:
- You can plan fuel purchases based on state IFTA rates. If you know the IFTA rates for every state, you can ensure interstate drivers fuel-up where costs are lower.
- You can increase your rates for higher-tax states. Sometimes, drivers have no choice but to fuel up in a high-cost state. For example, even if you fill up in Nevada where IFTA rates are low, you’ll have to buy fuel in costly California if you’re driving to Los Angeles. Price your contracts to account for higher IFTA rates.
With PCS TMS, you can quickly calculate IFTA based on mileage and state and automate IFTA reporting.
5. Use Biodiesel
Most diesel engines can run on B20 and B5 biodiesel. Granted, biodiesel fuel isn’t available everywhere, but there are some advantages to using it if it’s available in your travel lanes.
Biodiesel improves fuel lubricity, which reduces friction in diesel engines and can extend their longevity. You can also claim tax credits for biodiesel fuel, and in some states — Texas, for example — biodiesel purchases are exempt from IFTA.
6. Assign Loads Strategically
Load weight has a big impact on fuel efficiency. If you have older trucks in your fleet, they’re already less efficient than newer trucks, so consider using them for your lighter or LTL loads and letting the newer models do the heavy lifting.
7. Adopt New Technologies
According to The North American Council for Freight Efficiency, fleets that are “high adopters” of fleet technology are more efficient than low adopters.
In January, the NACFE released results of its 2024 Fleet Fuel Study, which involved 14 fleets. The top technology among these fleets — whose trucks had an average of 7.77 mpg — included predictive cruise control and high efficiency alternators. The NACFE noted, however, that the technology and efficiency gains may not be conclusive, because of the variation in vehicles, routes, and other factors.
New technology can seem like a risky expense when you don’t know if it’ll save you money. Perks like the IRS excise tax exemption for idling-reduction technologies can make tech upgrades more appealing. If you want technology that improves efficiency and provides the most value, you can’t go wrong with fleet telematics.
Fleet telematics technology collects an enormous amount of data from every vehicle and syncs it to your TMS. With PCS TMS for Carriers, you can slice-and-dice that data in almost infinite ways to see where you’re leaking money and immediately plug those gaps. You can also use PCS to get paid faster, reduce maintenance costs, and automate compliance and reporting.
Reduce Fuel Costs With PCS
Now you know how to reduce fuel costs. But first, you need a way to collect and monitor fuel usage data. PCS TMS can do that for you.
See how PCS TMS helps you manage and grow your fleet, automate complex tasks, and keep trucks rolling. Schedule a demo today!
