Cutting Wasteful Habits To Make Every Penny Count.
There are plenty of one-truck roofers out there, and many roofing companies run a fleet of vehicles. Either way, your spending on fuel adds up. If you’re one of the roofing pros running several trucks, fuel spend is likely one of your most significant operating costs. Add in the cost of maintenance and repairs, and you’re taking a bite out of profitability every day.
Here are 5 tips to help keep those costs at bay.
1. Stop Idling.
We’ve all done it. Answering emails, sending texts, making calls, writing up notes … all while sitting in your truck with the engine on. Sure, it’s more comfortable on scorching hot summer days or blistering winter mornings, but that habit costs more than you think. If you idle just 15 minutes each workday, you’ve burned an average of more than 34 extra gallons of gasoline at the end of the year. Now, multiply that by how many trucks you are operating. It adds up.
Idling will also increase your maintenance and repair costs. When an engine idles, it doesn’t fuel combust the fuel. That leads to residue build up which damages exhaust systems and engine components. The costs aren’t only in repairs, but in vehicle downtime, too.
2. Drive Better.
It’s a fact: bad driving burns fuel. According to FleetOwner, industry experts say that a driver can have as much as a 30% impact on fuel efficiency. Sudden acceleration, speeding, harsh braking … these bad habits aren’t just dangerous to others on the road, they waste gas and increase other operating costs as well.
How these habits increase fuel consumption is easy to see. But these actions also increase wear and tear on your engine, tires, brakes, brake pads and more. The result? More frequent replacement and repairs, and higher costs.
Poor driving also increases the chance of accidents. And since the cost of an accident is on average 36 times higher than the cost of a basic repair, it could have a devastating effect on your bottom line.
3. Load For The Job.
Make a point to load for the job you are heading to. Carrying around the extra weight of items you don’t need just causes you to use more fuel. In fact, studies show that for every 100 pounds removed from the vehicle, fuel economy increases by 1-2%.
4. Plan Your Route.
Usually, you know where you’re going. But the most obvious route may not be the most efficient route, even if it’s shorter. Choosing a route that includes more efficient, fast-moving highways with consistent speeds of 55-65 can improve fuel efficiency over start-and-stop side streets.
5. Don’t Skip Preventative Maintenance.
Regular checks and scheduled maintenance will help you avoid unexpected repairs and vehicle downtime. This won’t only lower repair bills and avoid lost revenue due to an out-of-service vehicle, it will also extend the life of your work trucks. Have you seen the prices of new trucks lately? This will save you a ton. And don’t forget depreciation. Maintaining your fleet positively impacts depreciation, which accounts for as much as 40% of the total cost of running a company vehicle.
Even something as simple as weekly tire checks can make a positive impact on your operating costs (underinflated tires can increase fuel consumption by as much as 15%).
These savings may seem small when taken one at a time, but little things add up quickly. And in today’s roofing market, every penny counts. So, in addition to using superior quality roofing solutions like those from Marco that will save you on callbacks and reputation-damaging failures, make these 5 tips part of your regular operating procedures. Your bottom line will thank you.
To learn more about Marco, visit www.MarcoIndustries.com. To contact Marco directly, you can email or call 1-800-800-8590.
