How to control fuel in a fleet

Fuel is lost through unlogged fill-ups, unexplained consumption and tanks nobody measures. These are the steps to put it in order.

Last reviewed: October 2026

1. Log every fill-up with its vehicle and date

Without a record per fill-up there is nothing to compare. Write down litres, date, vehicle and which tank it came from. If the driver does the filling, have them log it from the phone on the spot.

2. Measure consumption per vehicle

Divide the litres filled by the kilometres driven in the same period (litres per 100 km), or by working hours for machinery. Compare each vehicle against itself and against others of the same type: the trend matters more than a single number.

3. Use the real kilometres from GPS

The odometer can be broken or tampered with. Distance calculated over the full GPS route is an independent reference for spotting consumption that does not add up.

4. Reconcile the tank with a physical reading

If you have site tanks or tankers, measure the real level from time to time and compare it with what the system says (inflows minus outflows). Set a tolerance that makes sense for your operation and review the differences that exceed it.

5. Set alerts for the abnormal

A fill-up larger than the vehicle's tank, consumption outside the expected band or a fill-up far from its source tank deserves a review. Being told on the spot helps more than finding out at the end of the month.

6. Review by vehicle, by tank and by period

A dispatch report per tank and a consumption report per vehicle show you where to look first. Keep the history to compare seasons.

Fleetrak brings these pieces together: fill-ups that deduct from the tank, readings with reconciliation, anomaly alerts and CSV reports, with distance taken from each vehicle's GPS.

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