IN THIS FIRST INSTALLMENT OF THE OWNER OPERATORS’ GUIDE TO MANAGING FUEL COSTS,

Fuel prices are a continual issue for owner operators, regardless of whether they are just beginning their haulage business or have been doing it for years. This is true regardless of experience level. Both large and little tasks need gasoline, which is an expense that must be paid. On the other hand, when it comes to available fuel sources, owner operators do not have the same possibilities as large corporations. Deals and offers are more likely to be made available to you when you are purchasing for large fleets of vehicles. Today, I am going to provide some guidance on the various ways of purchasing fuel that are accessible to smaller operators. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing these techniques to get your cars out on the roads for haulage work. to purchase in bulk or not to buy in bulk the majority of large enterprises buy in bulk. This is the most cost-effective method of acquiring a thing since the more you buy, the lower the price of the item becomes. It is for this reason that it may be tempting to construct a bulk fuel tank in your operation center in order to provide your vehicles with diesel that is more affordable. On the other hand, if you are an owner operator, putting your money in a tank might be a dangerous choice for a number of different reasons. In order to maintain a greener environment, if you do want to store gasoline in a tank, you are required to acquire a tank that prevents leaks from occurring in the surrounding area. In the event that you do not adhere to the regulations, the environment agency has the authority to levy penalties that amount to thousands of pounds. It is possible that purchasing a specialized tank will not be worth the money because of its high cost. The majority of owner operators do not have a significant quantity of cash on hand, which is a common situation. You will require cash. However, if you want to get a decent deal, you will need to purchase around 30,000 liters of diesel, which would set you back tens of thousands of pounds. It is quite doubtful that you will have a lot of cash available once you have secured your car, paid for insurance, and paid for other expenses. in addition to this, as a brand-new company Credit is often difficult to get. When it comes to safety, keeping thousands of liters of fuel in a tank is the same as leaving thousands of pounds of cash out in the open. It is essential that the gasoline be adequately guarded; otherwise, it will be susceptible to theft. When it comes to smaller businesses, the expense of adding additional security measures is not likely to be very cost-effective. other choices include: vouchers for petrol and vouchers for retail fuel When your trucks are out on haulage assignments, you may fill up their fuel tanks as an alternative to transporting them in tanks. It is feasible to do this using a regular credit card; but, doing so will result in you paying the retail price, and you will be unable to accurately forecast how much fuel will cost you from one day to the next by using this method. In the event that you decide to go with this alternative, it is essential that you maintain all of the receipts in order to be able to retrieve the vat at a later time. Make use of a gasoline card as an alternative. Due to the fact that these cards can only be used to buy diesel or petrol (you have the ability to choose this specificity), they are far more secure than credit cards. Additionally, they assist with administration by providing you with a single invoice each week that contains a compilation of all of your expenditures. This saves a significant amount of time and effort that would otherwise be spent fumbling about with receipts. It goes without saying that there is no approach that is foolproof; these cards often bind you to a single supplier, who will charge you a fee for each card. Are you still worried about the techniques of purchasing? I will provide even more recommendations in the next post, with the goal of assisting you in selecting the alternative that is most suitable for your company. publisher’s plate A correspondent for haulage exchange, the most prominent online trading network for the road transport business, norman dulwich is a member of both organizations. Haulage Exchange is a website that connects logistics experts from all around the United Kingdom and Europe. They provide services that match haulage tasks with drivers who are ready to do such assignments. Through the exchange, more than 5,000 member organizations are connected to one another in order to replace vacant capacity, acquire new customers, and establish long-lasting commercial connections.