A haulage contract with a fast moving consumer goods company (FMCG), if properly managed, guarantees a steady stream of revenue, considerable vehicle/driver utilisation and good return on investment. Sure you would love to have one (and if you have one already, warming up for yet another one wouldn’t be a bad idea…). The following are some of the conditions you […]
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Truck Drivers and the fad called Alcoholism! Drinking and doing drugs on the job are commonplace among truck drivers around the world and not a few would agree that this has in fact become a fad. Ask any truck driver why he takes alcohol and he will probably tell you that he drinks to: stay awake for the journey, steel […]
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True-Life Story A trucker arrived at about 6pm from a 5-Day delivery trip covering a distance of about 3,300 Kilometers to and fro. Upon arrival, he got the news that there was an opportunity for a quick local delivery. Straightway, he joined the queue to load. By 10pm, loading was done. In view of the prevailing traffic regulation in some […]
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Diesel Fuel Cost In Nigeria, fuel for trucking rank way ahead of the other major uses either as a source of domestic energy supply for most homes or as the power behind the productive activities in many industrial establishments and corporate enterprises (this is directly traceable to the not so impressive condition of public power supply). The proportion of diesel […]
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I saw it coming… I had just driven past Magboro and gradually approaching the tail-end of the popular ‘long bridge’ inward Lagos when my professional roving eyes wandered to my left, the outbound portion of the Lagos-Ibadan express road. Then I saw it and suddenly I was overtaken by a cold chill that ran all the way down to my spine. […]
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The Root Cause The World Bank Report of 2000 and several other reports have shown that kerosene is principally used to adulterate diesel on account of the price differences between the two fuels. Facts on ground at least in Nigeria tend to give some credence to this. As stated in one of our articles, diesel market is a completely deregulated […]
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Prologue: An Unpleasant Experience A couple of months ago, a notable haulage operator shared a sad experience on diesel fuel contamination with us. Mid 2012, six units of less than a year old 30tonnes truck-trailer were dispatched to haul products for a contract client. Trucks were loaded and fueled at client’s fuel dump. Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was […]
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Whether you run a large fleet or a modest one, there is a fueling option that works better for you. Except in a worst case scenario as you would find in a ‘force majeure’, there is absolutely no justification for why an up and doing fleet manager should fail in ensuring his trucks are adequately fueled and ready to go […]
Continue reading »Why you need a Strategic Fleet Fuel Management Plan Rising diesel prices, epileptic product availability, increasing incidences of fuel contamination, an unsteady economic outlook and shrinking supply of qualified drivers have all combined to change how you need to manage your fuel program. In an era where fuel expense occupies the biggest slice of every haulage company’s total operating cost […]
Continue reading »Fuel Economy and Efficient Driving Behavior The following is a short list of behaviors exhibited by those drivers that consistently obtain good fuel economy. Studies have shown that a consistently efficient driver can achieve 30% or more fuel economy than an inefficient driver. Simple behaviors, like coasting to a stop instead of staying on the accelerator until the last minute […]
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Fuel Economy in Haulage The importance of fuel economy to the successful operation of a trucking company cannot be understated. Fuel is one of the largest variable costs in a trucking venture, and, while no trucking operation can control the cost of fuel, it has at least some control over the amount or rate of consumption which in turn determines […]
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