It’s estimated that roughly 2 million tractor-trailers haul loads around the United States over the course of a given month. That number may very well be higher in reality seeing as how trucking has become a go-to blue-collar profession in many markets and shows no signs of slowing down.
If you own a fleet of trucks and are, therefore, contributing to that 2 million vehicle total, you know firsthand that one of the most frustrating parts of keeping your trucks moving is filling them with diesel. Hiring a fuel delivery service can mitigate most if not all of that stress.
Are you exploring hiring a fuel delivery service to streamline the way your fleet gets gassed up? If you are, here are things to consider that’ll help you find a great service and weigh your options as you assess the market.
Keep an Ear Out for Word of Mouth
One of the best ways to find a great fuel delivery service is to talk to your network about who they’re using. Believe us when we say that if you’re well networked with others in your industry, you’ll find more than a couple of fleet owners that are using and will be happy to recommend a fuel service.
By bringing on help via a recommendation, you can be sure that the help you hire will be extra motivated to do right by you. That’s because if they don’t, they risk losing you as a client and embarrassing the existing client that recommended them.
Check Lot Affiliations
If your trucks are parked in a shared commercial lot, chances are, that lot has fuel delivery options they offer to tenants via an arrangement they’ve made with a local contractor.
Explore what’s being offered, if anything, as those services could be discounted. Also, ask if it’s a problem to bring your own service onto your lot if you choose not to go with the “house contractor”. Getting approval on that front will be important if the delivery service affiliated with your lot represents a bad deal.
Scrub Online Reviews
Online references and reviews are key to getting a no-risk understanding of the kind of service companies are going to give you. When it comes to fuel delivery, while it can be hard to find many services with online review profiles, some do have well-trafficked pages that are worth exploring.
Our advice is to bring on a service professional that has earned a 4-star review average or better and has 10 or more reviews.
Explore Fuel Prices
At this point, you should have a shortlist of potential fuel contractors you’re considering. As you dig into each of them, take note of their fuel prices.
Chances are, your delivery service will make their money on up-charging fuel prices against what you’d pay at the gas station. How much that up-charge is and what that’s likely to cost you over the course of a year of service should weigh heavily into who you choose to work with.
Look Into Fueling Schedules
When would you need your fleet to be fueled up? At 5 am? Are you an overnight driver that’ll need someone to come and fuel your fleet at 10 pm? Midnight?
Whatever your needs are, you’ll want to make sure the types of fuel delivery services you’re exploring are flexible enough to meet them.
Understand Additional Services Offered
If possible, don’t just hire a fuel delivery service that only delivers fuel at your agreed-upon time. Hire a contractor that can do more so you don’t have to have a separate contractor for everything your trucks may need when parked in your lot.
For example, several fuel delivery services like those you’ll find at fuellogic.net offer emergency fuel delivery for when your truck gets stranded on a run. Other services offer on-site truck maintenance and even truck washes.
The more robust the offerings are of your service provider, the less stress you’ll have getting what your fleet needs as quickly as possible.
Compare Contract Requirements
Nobody likes getting stuck in a bad contract which is why you’ll want to be vigilant when hiring a fuel contractor.
Terms of doing business with a delivery company will vary but some will want you to sign onto their services for a specified term. You shouldn’t be taken aback by this as contracts are standard, particularly for well-managed operations that are just trying to build consistency for themselves and their employees.
Still, long contracts with no trial periods can be a recipe for disaster so seek as much flexibility as possible from someone you’re considering hiring, especially in the first month of your relationship together.
Assess As You Go and Change If Needed
You could consider all of the factors necessary to find and pick a fuel contractor and still end up with one that lets you down. If that happens, don’t be afraid to ask for service adjustments or contract termination.
There are a lot of fuel provider options, particularly in larger cities so most will be inspired to do by right by you so long as you communicate where things are falling short.
Take the Time to Explore a Fuel Delivery Service Today
A great fuel delivery service can increase your fleet’s productivity and put a ton of money into your company’s pocket. If that’s a scenario that sounds good to you, start engaging delivery services today!
It doesn’t hurt to make a phone call and take in pricing information, and it could very well revolutionize the way you do business.
Have more questions about fuel for vehicles? Curious to learn more about commercial trucks? Whatever your needs are, we welcome you to explore your curiosities by digging deeper into the content on our blog.