Fuel consumption
Summary
Fuel consumption is the amount of fuel a vehicle uses to travel a certain distance or operate over time. Commonly expressed as liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km), miles per gallon (MPG), or kilometers per liter (km/L), it reflects how efficiently energy is converted into motion. Fuel use is affected by speed, load, driving behavior, terrain, aerodynamics, and maintenance. In freight operations, it can also be normalized by payload (for example, liters per ton-kilometer) to show how efficiently goods are moved. Tracking fuel consumption supports cost control, route planning, maintenance, and emissions reporting.
What Is Fuel Consumption?
Fuel consumption is how much fuel a vehicle uses to travel a certain distance or operate over time. In road transportation, it’s usually expressed as liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km), miles per gallon (MPG), or kilometers per liter (km/L).
It’s one of the biggest factors in fleet efficiency and operating cost—fuel consumption drives decisions on route planning, pricing, environmental impact, and overall performance.
How Fuel Consumption Works in Road Transportation
Fuel consumption depends on how much energy a vehicle needs to overcome rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, acceleration, idling, and terrain. Heavier trucks, higher speeds, frequent stop-and-go traffic, and poor maintenance drive consumption up. Smooth driving, optimal loading, well-maintained engines and tires, and streamlined routes keep fuel burn down.
In freight operations, fuel use can also be normalized by payload or work performed. Metrics like liters per ton-kilometer (L/ton-km) or fuel per delivered stop show how efficiently energy is used to move goods—not just the vehicle itself.
Telematics systems track real-world variables like idling time, harsh braking, cruise control use, average speed, and engine load to pinpoint where fuel is wasted and where driver coaching or maintenance can make an impact.
Key Benefits and Components
Cost control and margin protection: Fuel is one of the largest expenses in trucking. Lower fuel consumption directly improves cost per mile and job profitability.
Pricing and quoting: Accurate historical fuel data by lane, vehicle type, and load factor supports reliable quotes and fuel surcharges.
Sustainability and compliance: Fuel consumption ties directly to CO₂ emissions. Tracking it supports emissions reporting, reduction targets, and green logistics initiatives.
Maintenance insights: Unexpected fuel use can flag underinflated tires, axle misalignment, clogged filters, or engine inefficiencies.
Fraud prevention and accountability: Comparing telematics data with fuel card transactions helps detect anomalies and fuel theft.
Operational planning: Understanding how consumption changes by route type (urban vs. highway, flat vs. hilly) guides dispatch and equipment choices.
Core metrics and components:
L/100 km, MPG, km/L: main fuel economy indicators
Fuel per ton-km or per pallet: freight efficiency measures
Idling percentage and fuel burned while idling
Average speed bands and time in optimal RPM ranges
Route profile factors—grade, traffic density, stop frequency, and weather
Real-World Examples
City delivery vs. highway haul: A 26-ton rigid truck doing dense city routes burns more fuel because of idling, frequent starts and stops, and lower average speeds. A tractor-trailer running long highway stretches performs better thanks to steady speeds and cruise control.
Driver coaching impact: Telematics shows one driver idles 20% of engine time and accelerates hard. After coaching on smoother driving and better cruise control use, fuel consumption drops 8–12% on the same routes.
Maintenance win: A fleet spots a gradual rise in L/100 km for one truck. The check finds low tire pressure and a misaligned axle. Fixing both restores fuel economy and cuts tire wear.
Load planning: By consolidating partial loads and balancing trailer weight, a carrier boosts fuel per ton-km efficiency even if total L/100 km stays about the same.
How Fuel Consumption Is Measured and Improved
Organizations track fuel consumption using fuel card data, onboard fuel-flow sensors, and engine control unit (ECU) telematics. The best results come from combining precise fueling records with GPS-based distance, payload data, and route profiles.
Practical ways to cut fuel use:
Optimize speed and use cruise control on suitable roads
Reduce idling with automatic shutdown policies and auxiliary power units
Keep tire pressure, wheel alignment, and engine servicing on schedule
Improve aerodynamics with side skirts, roof fairings, and gap reducers
Use transportation management software (TMS) to plan efficient routes and consolidate loads
Match vehicle size and engine to the duty cycle
Train drivers in eco-driving and provide real-time feedback through telematics
Many fleets are also turning to alternative fuels and electrification to cut fossil fuel use. See renewable energy use for more on the options and trade-offs.
Conclusion
Fuel consumption is a key performance metric in road transport. It links cost control, service quality, and environmental impact. Fleets that measure it accurately, analyze it by route and payload, and act on driver behavior and maintenance data can lower costs, boost margins, and shrink emissions—all without sacrificing delivery reliability.
See also: Glossary for related terms.
FAQ on Fuel Consumption
Fuel consumption is the amount of fuel a vehicle uses to cover a distance or operate over time. It’s expressed as L/100 km, MPG, or km/L and indicates both fuel efficiency and operating cost.
Common methods include fuel card records matched to odometer or GPS distance, onboard fuel flow sensors, and ECU/telematics data. Units include L/100 km, MPG, km/L, and payload‑normalized metrics like liters per ton‑kilometer.
Key drivers include speed, vehicle weight, driving behavior (acceleration, braking, idling), terrain and traffic, aerodynamics, tire pressure/alignment, engine condition, and weather (temperature, wind).
Maintain steady speeds and use cruise control where suitable.
Cut idling with shutdown policies or APUs.
Keep tires inflated and aligned; service engines on time.
Improve aerodynamics (skirts, fairings, gap reducers).
Optimize routes and match vehicle to duty.
Train drivers in eco‑driving with telematics feedback.
Burning fuel emits CO₂ in proportion to the amount burned. Tracking consumption enables accurate emissions reporting and reduction targets; lowering fuel use directly reduces greenhouse gases and often costs.