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:

Check your calendar. The day of the week you fill up can make a difference, explains DeHaan. In general, getting gas earlier in the week is better, he notes, adding that prices tend to rise more frequently mid- to late week, particularly before the weekend. "Gas prices after the weekend, come Monday, are among the more attractive," he notes. Part of this is impacted by the weekly market fluctuations in crude oil on the trading floor, he says.

Consider a wholesale club. You might buy some of your office goods at a wholesale club like BJ's or Costco, but consider them for filling up your gas tank as well. "Wholesale clubs generally have a better price than some other stations," DeHaan says; savings could range from 2 to 12 cents a gallon.

Look for rewards. Gas credit cards offering cash back/rebates have become popular, he says. "Motorists could get up to 3 percent back on gas purchases." Just be mindful of the interest rates they can carry. Check out sites like nerd-wallet.com and pumpandsave.com.

Search for competitive pricing. Before filling up check a gas comparison site like GasBuddy.com. Or access AAA's fuel price finder at aaamaps .com, clicking on places, entering your location, clicking "get map" and then the gas icon. "Keep in mind gasoline tends to be consistently higher in certain locations like highways and affluent areas," says Robert Sinclair Jr., spokesman for AAA New York in Garden City.

Slow down. Every 5 miles per hour you drive over 60 mph, is like paying 25 cents more per gallon for gas, says Sinclair.

Map it out. With a GPS or other mapping system, make sure you're plotting out the best routes possible, says Sinclair. Consolidate delivery trips and avoid sending drivers on overlapping assignments.

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.

Avoid idling. Unnecessary idling wastes gas. To combat this, Schwartz has instituted a rule requiring drivers to turn the vehicle off after three minutes.

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.