7 Ways Telematics Helps Fleets Manage Fuel Costs

04/23/2026

Summary: Fleet telematics tools that deliver real-time data from commercial trucks empower fleets to more efficiently manage rising fuel costs. With deeper fleet operational insight, improved driver coaching, optimized routes, better-maintained equipment, and theft prevention, fleets can make small but important improvements that reduce fuel costs across the fleet and make the most of every gallon.

Telematics improves fleet fuel management by delivering:

Improved Insight Into Actual Fleet Fuel Spending
More Efficient Driver Coaching
Optimized Route Planning
Better Idle Management
Improved Preventative Maintenance
Fuel Theft Prevention
Fuel-Focused Tech Stacks

As of April 2026, U.S. diesel prices have surged to record highs, with national averages exceeding $5 per gallon, due to supply chain disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. This, combined with low inventories, has resulted in a 50% increase in diesel costs since the start of the conflict. This spike in fuel prices has increased the urgency for fleets to manage fuel costs more efficiently, and fleet telematics tools offer practical ways to do so.

How Does Telematics Help Fleets Manage Fuel Costs?

1. Improves Insight Into Actual Fleet Fuel Spending

According to a recent study by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the average Class 8 truck operating cost per mile was $2.26 per mile, with fuel representing about $0.60-0.70/mile. It is important to calculate and track your fleet’s true fuel cost per mile every week to identify where pricing variability, fees, or driver behavior may be keeping your fuel costs high. Spikes in your data can signal issues such as poor fuel card pricing, excessive out-of-route fueling or idle time, or even fuel theft or misuse.

Telematics tools can automate the collection and processing of large volumes of data, even creating and distributing clean, easy-to-understand reports that keep your fleet better informed and able to identify opportunities for improvement or challenges.

2. Enables More Efficient Driver Coaching

Truck fuel efficiency is directly impacted by driver habits, with negative actions such as speeding and hard braking using up more diesel. Making even incremental improvements in this area can increase fuel efficiency per truck while also benefiting driver safety.

Today’s telematics tools offer managers real-time insights into driver habits, making it easier to deliver immediate and effective coaching. Additionally, the ability to review driver performance over time allows managers to identify trends that need addressing or reward top performers.

3. Optimizes Route Planning

Getting stuck in roadway construction or taking a slow detour not only disrupts delivery schedules but can also burn valuable fuel. Using telematics tools and real-time road and weather information, fleets can plan routes that are optimized for their trucks. This keeps drivers on schedule and safer, saving fuel and meeting customer delivery expectations.

Additionally, fleets can use automated routing tools to create routes that utilize the best fuel prices or to plan stops at pre-approved fueling locations. This can carve out small savings that add up over time across the entire fleet.

4. Supports Better Idle Management

Real-time insight into a truck’s location improves fuel efficiency by increasing awareness for both the fleet and the customer. In today’s shipping, being too early for a drop-off can be almost as inefficient as being too late. Many customers schedule their yard deliveries precisely, and ensuring your truck arrives as close as possible to its delivery window keeps customers satisfied and reduces waiting in their yards, burning precious fuel.

Telematics delivers precise truck location and increases safe and efficient communications between drivers and the back office, improving situational awareness for the route and supporting delivery expectations.

5. Enables Preventative Maintenance

Vehicle maintenance can have a direct impact on a truck’s fuel efficiency. Things like poorly inflated tires, malfunctioning sensors, sticky brakes, aging motor oil, clogged air filters, and even damaged gas caps can slowly steal incremental amounts of fuel that add up to big losses over time.

Fleet telematics tools support preventative maintenance by proactively identifying which parts may need care before they actually begin to malfunction. They can also automate a fleet’s maintenance schedule, ensuring the shop is fully utilized and has all needed parts on hand.

Additionally, telematics tools like eDVIRs make daily inspections more efficient, easily sharing areas of concern with the maintenance team and allowing drivers to attach photos from their inspections to speed the process. Better-maintained trucks are not only safer; they are more fuel efficient as well.

6. Combats Fuel Theft

Fuel theft is an increasing concern for many fleets as prices continue to rise. Telematics helps prevent fuel theft by improving and automating monitoring in real-time, identifying anomalous events like a sudden tank drop from possible siphoning. Telematics tools can also automatically detect “ghost fills” (a card use without fuel delivery) or unauthorized fueling locations. Unfortunately, fuel theft is a very real aspect that fleets must monitor, but telematics can make it simple and effective.

7. Offers Fuel-Focused Tech Stacks

While a general telematics platform can add improvements across the board, fleets wanting to focus specifically on boosting fuel efficiencies may choose to beef up their tech stack. For example, Platform Science offers customers access to its Virtual Vehicle Marketplace, where they can browse and select from integrated third-party, specialized add-on apps, many of which are focused on fuel improvements, including:

Fuel Management: TenStreet’s True Fuel app combines real-time, in-cab driver coaching with automated, precise, and easy-to-use fuel efficiency data to help fleets and their drivers get the highest possible MPG. Fleets have reported savings of 3-10% of their annual fuel spend starting immediately after deployment.
Fuel Theft Prevention: Neural Sentinel by Fleet Defender protects against fuel theft by delivering 24/7 monitoring and artificial intelligence to detect anomalous, unauthorized fuel dispensing events and vehicle tampering in real time.
Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems: There are several comprehensive options for improving fleet tire pressure monitoring. Doran 360 TPMS provides a complete, at-a-glance view of every tire position with color-coded pressure and temperature indicators, while delivering real-time alerts for cautionary and critical low pressure, rapid air loss (FastLeak), and high-temperature conditions.. Phillips Connect continuously monitors tire pressure and temperature, sending instant alerts to flag slow leaks, punctures, or heat buildup before they cause a roadside failure. Aperia Halo is a pre-trip tire inspection tool that delivers comprehensive tire health insights to drivers and allows two-way communication so necessary tire service can be scheduled conveniently and economically.
Idle Management: Idle Smart automatically manages engine idling and cabin temperature to ensure driver comfort, protects against no-starts from dead batteries or fuel gelling, and reduces engine wear.

These and other add-on apps within the Virtual Vehicle Marketplace are pre-vetted for seamless integration within the Platform Science fleet telematics environment so that fleets trust the experience for drivers and back office will be smooth and efficient.

By utilizing fleet telematics technologies, fleets can carve out additional efficiencies and savings to survive the rising diesel prices until they stabilize again. With the help of increased insights, fleets can make better business decisions that benefit the bottom line while also keeping drivers and vehicles safer and more efficient.

Learn more about Platform Science now and its suite of fleet telematics tools that improve safety, efficiency, driver satisfaction, and compliance.

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