How Increasing Gas Prices
Affect Fleet Management
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sa le s@chev in f lee t . co . uk
Current events pushed petrol prices through the roof, causing the
freight industry to inspect their current operating models and
look for ways to optimise their operations.
While the global fuel crisis is slowly stabilising, it only
emphasised the importance of finding cost-efficient ways to
manage fleets of vehicles dependent on the resource.
Smart fleet management can mitigate the effects volatile fuel
prices can have on a transport fleet. That’s why businesses must
understand how these prices affect a fleet’s on-road performance
and what caused the increase.
The main force that drives prices upwards is the countries and
companies that provide crude oil. If there are any shortages in
supply, the increased competition for supply naturally drives
prices upwards.
One of the clearest examples of this is the current Russia-Ukraine
conflict. Due to the sanctions the United States and many
Western nations imposed against one of the world’s biggest oil
producers, other producers had to spike their prices to balance
the overwhelming demand.
However, the limited supply isn’t the only reason for the hike. The
Royal Automobile Club accused retailers of not cutting their
prices despite the global rates for oil going down for four
consecutive weeks.
The retailers blamed the oil refineries for not catching up with
current prices, keeping the figures around the price they set
during the early days of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Reasons Behind High Petrol Prices
The British economy relies heavily on
land transportation to transfer goods
all over the Union. Around 77% of the
Union’s 176 billion-kilometre domestic
freight in 2020 were transported by
transport fleets, and the volume has
only increased since the nation relaxed
its COVID-mandated quarantines.
As fuel is what keeps trucks on the
road, any sudden and continuous
changes in its price can impact how the
logistics
industry—and
the entire
economy, in extension—operates.