In this guide 6 sections
Compare three records for every vehicle: litres filled, odometer readings and the driver’s trip sheet. If one truck burns more on every driver, suspect the engine, tyres or brakes. If one driver burns more on every truck, suspect habit. A weekly exception report separates the two causes quickly.
Start with litres per kilometre for each vehicle
Take the fill slip and the odometer reading at each fill, then divide the litres by the distance since the previous full tank. Do it per vehicle. Never for the whole fleet.
A fleet average hides the problem, because one tired diesel van can sit inside an average that looks perfectly fine. Plot each vehicle against its own last three months.
Fill to the brim each time, or the sums mislead. A part fill and a full fill in the same week will make a healthy vehicle look thirsty.
- Vehicle number and fuel type
- Date, litres and pump or card used
- Odometer at the fill
- Full tank or part fill
- Driver who signed the slip
Separate the driver from the vehicle
Build a small grid. Vehicles run down the side and drivers across the top. Each cell holds litres per kilometre for that pair, and the grid fills itself within a month on fleets that rotate drivers.
Read down a column first. One driver high on every vehicle is a habit: hard starts, speeding, a heavy foot on hills. Read across a row next. One vehicle high with every driver is mechanical.
Mechanical causes are usually dull. A dragging brake, soft tyres, a clogged air filter or a worn injector. Tell the workshop the pattern and the vehicle number before they start guessing at causes.
Look for idling and route drift in the trip sheet
The trip sheet records start and end odometer, stops, customer drops and waiting time. Compare the distance claimed with the distance the route should take. A van that covers extra kilometres on the same drops has drifted.
Idling shows up differently. The distance is right but the litres are high, and waiting time at a loading bay is long. Engine hours, where the vehicle reports them, make this plain.
Ask drivers about it kindly. A long queue at a depot gate is not their fault, and the fix may be a booked slot rather than a warning.
- Planned route against actual distance
- Waiting time at each stop
- Engine hours against distance covered
- Detours with no customer drop
Catch off route fills and tank level gaps
A fill far from the route needs a reason. Sometimes the cheaper pump is on a detour and the detour costs more than it saves. Sometimes the reason is not a good one.
The tank gap is the cleanest test. Litres filled should roughly equal litres burned since the last fill, given the distance. If the tank holds sixty litres and a fill of seventy goes in, something is wrong with the slip, the gauge or the cap.
Flag the gap, then ask. Mistakes in the slip are common. Theft is rare, but a regular gap on one card or one pump deserves a closer look.
- Fill location against the planned route
- Litres filled above tank capacity
- Fills on days the vehicle was parked
- Card used on two vehicles the same day
Run a weekly exception report
Keep it short. One page lists the vehicles and drivers whose litres per kilometre moved beyond a limit you set from their own history. Everyone else is left out.
Review it on a fixed weekday with the workshop lead and the dispatcher. Each line gets one of three outcomes: inspect the vehicle, speak to the driver, or correct the record. Write the outcome down and check it the next week.
Start this Monday with your three thirstiest vehicles. Pull their last month of slips and odometer readings, and build the grid by hand once before you ask any software to do it.
Weekly fuel exception sheet
A sheet of one page holding a vehicle by driver grid for litres per kilometre. Columns hold vehicle number, driver, litres, distance, tank level gap, off route fill and idling hours. A last column records the outcome: inspect, coach or correct, naming who acts and when the vehicle is rechecked.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
How many fills do I need before the numbers mean anything?
Use at least three full tank fills per vehicle before you judge it. Fewer than that and a part fill or a hilly route can mislead you. Longer histories make drift easier to see.
Do fuel cards replace paper slips?
Cards give you litres, time and place without typing. You still need the odometer reading and the driver at the pump, so many fleets ask for both at the pump or on a phone.
What if drivers resist being measured?
Share the grid with them and show the vehicle side as well. When a mechanical fault is found and fixed, the numbers improve for everyone, and trust follows.
Can small fleets do this in a spreadsheet?
Yes, for a handful of vehicles. The weekly review becomes slow once you have dozens of vehicles, several fuel cards and drivers who rotate between trucks.