Fuel cost is one of the biggest expense items for heavy commercial fleets. Ensuring fuel security should be the priority of fleet managers. Let’s take a look at what we should do to reduce fuel theft in fleets.
Fuel theft does more damage to businesses than you think. For this reason, companies absolutely need a plan or a system to minimize fuel theft. It is also very important to make sure that your drivers are honest. You should always aim to minimize the operating costs resulting from fuel.
What should companies and fleet managers do to reduce fuel theft in fleets?
1. Educate Your Drivers About The Dangers of Fuel Theft
Be sure to thoroughly discuss the risk of fuel theft with your drivers. Inform them in detail about this and raise awareness. Mention that this problem could hurt the profitability of the fleet and put their business in jeopardy as a result. As a fleet manager, share the measures and actions you take to prevent fuel theft in vehicles. In addition, remind them of basic vehicle safety details such as safe parking at night, locking the fuel tank.
2. Increase the security level of fleet centers
Fleet hubs are one of the most popular locations for fuel thieves. The most important thing to do in this situation is to make it as difficult as possible for thieves to enter these areas unnoticed. For example, a security fence and strong lighting will be a deterrent for thieves as they can be seen from afar very easily. In addition, you can increase the level of deterrence by displaying warning signs such as “This workplace is monitored and protected 24 hours a day” at as many points as possible.
3. Surveillance of fleet centers with security cameras
By following the fleet center with the security camera, you can take action both as a deterrent and to detect theft. Thieves usually scout during the day and take action when night falls and darkness falls. For this, you can instantly detect any suspicious behavior during the day by using the cameras.
4. Defensive Parking
Park your vehicles side by side in a way that makes access to fuel tanks difficult and obstructs. Thus, you make the job of thieves one step more difficult. When things get tough, thieves will always turn to easier targets. Don’t be one of the easy targets.
5. Use a fuel security system in your vehicles
There are already some mechanical fuel security systems available in the market. However, the fuel theft problem requires a better and more advanced approach to be solved. You can add a maximum layer of difficulty for thieves by using the Trak fuel security system, which has already started seeing high interest from the industry leaders. Trak Smart Fuel Cap is both deterrent and preventive approach against fuel theft and differentiated from already existing solutions from two main perspectives;
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- It is effective against both internal (employee) and external (thieves) risks by giving fleet managers the maximum visibility about fuel cap activity.
- It is the only plug & use solution compared to existing solutions which requires certain assembly procedures ranging from screwing to drilling.
By following above mentioned steps, fleets can avoid being an easy target for fuel thieves. All the efforts that will be made towards achieving this goal will prevent serious financial losses and negative effects that the business may suffer, and increase profitability.