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Additionally, the latest machine integration technology allows your machine to track and report fuel consumption and system diagnostics. With this technology, you can check for patterns of excessive fuel usage by machine, date and time. If this is found, it presents an opportunity to implement training sessions or other initiatives to help the operator(s) perform tasks utilizing more fuel efficient settings or techniques.

Machine idle time also factors into overall fuel consumption and operating costs—idle time uses 0.7 gallons of fuel an hour. That may not sound like much. However, if you consider jobs that involve a substantial amount of idle time — such as highway construction where machines are often idling while waiting for trucks to return to be loaded back up with dirt and/or rock—the cost adds up quickly. This is why many of today’s advanced machines are engineered with an auto idle shutdown feature that allows you to set a period of time the machine will be allowed to idle. At the end of this period, it sends the operator a warning and then automatically shuts the engine down if the operator does not respond. This feature is especially helpful in regions where there are regulatory idle time restrictions mandated by the government.

While the latest machine technology allows you to closely monitor and manage fuel use, operator behavior still plays a major role in overall fuel consumption. Operator training should always be a priority so you and/or your operators stay on top of the latest advancements and methods to operate the machines in the most efficient way possible.