By Tristan Kruth, Head of Marketing, FuelCloud
March 5, 2025
Tristan Kruth of FuelCloud
Recently, Jim Perkins, Director of Shell Fleet Solutions USA, noted that “data is a game-changer” in fleet management. I couldn’t agree more. Powered by a series of game-changing innovations, fleet management software now delivers more accurate and timely data than ever, which in turn is revolutionizing fleet management best practices. While vehicle fleet management tools have advanced significantly, however, fuel management remains surprisingly analog in key areas. In particular, bulk fuel management remains largely untapped for data-driven insights.
The Bulk Fuel Data Gap
The gold standard for fleet management is to have a complete picture of fuel and fleet data in one place. Unfortunately, the gap between the advanced telematics available through fleet management tools and the traditional data streams from fuel management makes creating this picture incredibly challenging.
Many fleets operate without any fuel monitoring on their bulk tanks, much less a robust system that could deliver visibility into who accesses their fuel, usage amounts, or whether consumption patterns indicate inefficiencies or theft. Even fleets that are using fuel management systems often struggle with outdated interfaces or archaic data structures.
Further, fleets using fuel cards may not be immune to these challenges. While card providers will provide fleet managers with basic transaction data, the data may be siloed and difficult to incorporate into the complete operational picture.
The Hidden Costs
This lack of visibility doesn’t just create accounting headaches – it represents missed opportunities for significant savings and operational improvements.
Without complete data, fleet managers cannot:
- Correlate fuel consumption with specific routes, vehicles, or drivers
- Identify potential theft or unauthorized usage
- Optimize maintenance based on actual consumption
- Calculate true cost per mile
- Make data-driven fleet composition decisions
The Fuel Management Revolution
Fortunately, the tide is turning. Innovative fuel management systems that can bring sophisticated data analysis to bulk fuel consumption are now emerging. These systems provide real-time monitoring, automated tracking, and integration with existing fleet platforms, which in turn gives fleet managers access to the types of higher-level insights that can make a significant operational impact.
One great example of this kind of data in action is in calculating the total cost of operation. Without knowing the cost per gallon of your bulk fuel supply and how much that bulk fuel is being used in comparison to cardlock or retail fueling, it’s difficult to determine the most cost-effective way of fueling your fleet. Since FuelCloud integrated with Fleetio last summer, customers using both services have been able to directly compare vehicle operating costs, and in some cases been able to provide drivers with specific day-to-day fueling instructions that ultimately reduce operating costs.
Embracing the Future
Forward-thinking fleet managers should reevaluate how fuel data fits into their broader strategy and consider whether they have the data they need—and if so, how to integrate these insights into existing operations. In uncertain times with tightening margins, treating fuel as a data afterthought means ignoring massive opportunities for new efficiencies, reduced costs, and competitive advantages.
The technology to unlock your fuel data is coming. Is your fleet ready?
