Small Business: Manage fuel costs for savings

Whether you have a fleet of vehicles or just use your vehicle frequently for business, you're likely feeling the pressure of rising gas prices. As they continue to climb, it's important to understand how to manage fuel costs more effectively, say experts.

Even the most basic fuel-saving measures, like avoiding idling and excessive speed, can help shave dollars off your tab.

"In the long run, gas prices are only going up," says Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com, a Chicago-based gas-price tracking website, noting that "every penny will count" when it comes to finding savings.

Here are some tips to saving at the pump:

Douglas Schwartz, president of the Long Island Limousine Association and owner of Executive Limousine in Bellmore, says with his fuel costs 25 percent higher year over year, he's "paying more attention to make sure we don't have vehicles crossing on the road." If one vehicle can handle multiple jobs in one location, he's scheduling it so he doesn't have to dispatch another vehicle. Schwartz is also considering purchasing more fuel-efficient livery sedans like the new Cadillac XTS.

Other companies like UPS have drivers shut off the vehicle no matter how short the stop is, says Chris Travaglia, a business manager with UPS in charge of the Valley Stream Center in Uniondale. Upon getting in the truck, the driver "puts the seat belt on first and then starts the vehicle," he notes. Drivers also plot out their routes to avoid left turns when possible, which helps decrease idle time.

Over the past year, UPS has reduced the average idle time by 5.7 minutes, or 127.9 hours daily for the roughly 1,330 vehicles delivering packages each day on Long Island, says Travaglia.