How to Reduce Fleet Operating Costs

Reducing fleet transportation costs means looking beyond fuel. For specialist vehicles, uptime, payload, loading and unloading time, maintenance and onboard equipment efficiency all affect the cost of each job. Fleet management teams should also assess lifecycle expenses, including vehicle and equipment acquisition, replacement and disposal, to understand total cost of ownership and make informed procurement decisions.

Gardner Denver Transport Solutions helps fleet operators, OEMs and body builders specify compressors, blowers, pumps, vacuum systems and onboard power solutions around the vehicle, application and duty cycle.

By looking at the complete vehicle and onboard system, fleets can identify opportunities to:

• reduce fuel and energy consumption
• increase vehicle uptime
• maximize payload
• reduce loading and unloading time
• lower maintenance requirements
• increase fleet productivity
• reduce total cost of ownership

Small improvements in unloading time, vehicle availability and utilization can create additional productive capacity across a fleet.

The GDT Fleet Check provides an instant estimate of potential time savings, additional vehicle capacity and fleet-wide productivity improvements.

Reduce Fuel and Energy Consumption

Fuel is one of the most visible fleet costs, but specialist vehicles also require power for compressors, blowers, pumps, vacuum systems and hydraulic equipment.

Correct equipment sizing is important. An oversized system may add unnecessary weight or power demand, while undersized equipment may increase operating time.

Fleet operators can:

• monitor fuel and energy consumption
• reduce unnecessary idling
• monitor onboard equipment performance
• match equipment capacity to the application
• operate equipment within its intended duty cycle
• maintain equipment before wear affects efficiency

Driver Fuel Efficiency

Driver behaviour also affects fuel efficiency. Unnecessary idling, harsh acceleration, excessive speed and inefficient use of auxiliary equipment can increase fuel consumption.

Driver coaching can help reduce fuel use and fleet costs. Use telematics data to identify patterns such as harsh acceleration, excessive speed, unnecessary idling and inefficient use of auxiliary equipment. Then coach drivers to accelerate smoothly, maintain appropriate speeds, limit idling and use onboard equipment efficiently. These practical changes can reduce avoidable fuel consumption.

Improve Uptime with Preventive Maintenance

Vehicle downtime reduces productive capacity and can lead to additional repair, scheduling and operating costs.

Preventive maintenance can lower fleet repair costs by helping identify wear before it develops into a larger equipment failure. Regular inspections, planned servicing and equipment performance monitoring can reduce unexpected breakdowns and protect vehicle availability.

Key actions include:

• following recommended service intervals
• monitoring changes in equipment performance
• investigating unusual noise, heat or vibration
• replacing worn components before failure
• using appropriate replacement parts
• planning maintenance around vehicle utilization

Maintenance and Roadworthiness

Regular maintenance also supports vehicle roadworthiness. Relevant vehicle safety systems and onboard equipment should be inspected according to operating hours, mileage, duty cycle and operating conditions.

Maintaining roadworthy vehicles and correctly functioning equipment helps support safer, more reliable fleet operation.

Maximize Payload Potential

Every kilogram of equipment installed on a vehicle can affect the payload available for the product being transported.

Where application requirements allow, compact and lightweight onboard systems can help increase productive carrying capacity.

Equipment selection should consider:

• required airflow or flow
• pressure or vacuum
• duty cycle
• equipment weight
• installation space
• available power
• loading or unloading time

The objective is to achieve the right balance between performance, weight, energy use and reliability.

Reduce Loading and Unloading Time

For specialist transport fleets, productivity is influenced by more than driving time. Time spent loading, unloading or transferring material also affects how many productive cycles a vehicle can complete.

Compressors, blowers, pumps and vacuum systems should therefore be matched to the material, required flow, pressure or vacuum, pipe configuration and duty cycle.

Reducing unloading time can allow vehicles to return to productive operation sooner. Across a fleet, repeated time savings can create additional productive capacity.

Improve Vehicle Utilization

Increasing fleet productivity does not necessarily mean adding vehicles. Fleet management teams can use availability, payload utilization and jobs-per-day data to identify underused capacity, reassign vehicles and match vehicle size to demand. These measures can help determine whether the fleet can meet operational needs more efficiently before considering additional vehicles, while supporting better control of operating costs.

Operators can identify unused capacity by monitoring:

• vehicle availability
• payload utilization
• empty mileage
• loading and unloading time
• equipment downtime
• jobs or loads completed per day

Reduce Unnecessary Mileage

Route and load optimization can reduce unnecessary mileage by matching vehicle capacity to demand, combining compatible work and reducing empty or partially loaded journeys.

Route optimization should be considered alongside vehicle uptime and loading or unloading performance. An efficient route still loses productivity if the vehicle spends excessive time out of service or completing each transfer.

Measure Fleet Performance

To understand where costs can be reduced, monitor KPIs such as:

• cost per kilometre or mile
• cost per load or job
• fuel consumption
• vehicle uptime
• downtime hours
• maintenance cost per vehicle
• payload utilization
• empty mileage
• loading or unloading time
• jobs or loads per day

Track these KPIs consistently and compare results over time to see where fleet management changes can reduce costs. For example, rising fuel use may point to inefficient driving or equipment operation, while increased downtime or lower utilization can signal maintenance or scheduling issues. Compare cost per job alongside fuel use, downtime and vehicle utilization to prioritize changes, then review the same measures to assess whether those changes are improving performance.

Dry Bulk Transport

Equipment designed to support efficient unloading, reliable performance, and reduced maintenance requirements for dry bulk applications.

Liquid Transfer

Solutions for food, fuel, chemical, and industrial liquid transport.

Vacuum Truck Fleets

Reliable vacuum systems engineered for demanding municipal, industrial, construction, and waste-management operations.

Liquefied Gas & Cryogenic Transport

Transport-specific solutions designed for LNG and cryogenic applications.

Delivery, Utility & Mixed Fleets

Helping fleets improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower operating costs across multiple vehicle types.

E-Mobility Platforms

Compressor solutions developed specifically for electric and hybrid vehicle applications.

GDT combines transport-focused engineering with an application-first approach to equipment selection.

Solutions are specified around the vehicle, product, performance requirements, duty cycle, weight, installation and maintenance needs, helping operators balance productivity, efficiency and reliability.

Aftermarket parts, service and technical support also help maintain equipment performance throughout its lifecycle.