Month: January 2022

Fleet Fuel Prices? What Are They Now?

How many of you forget something that you were going to do today but you won’t remember until tomorrow? I know everyone’s hands would be raised if we were in a fleet fuel seminar. If you forgot what you were going to do today until tomorrow, do you remember where fleet fuel prices have been in the last couple of years?

Are you ready for the possible rising oil price storm that looks like it could hit your fleet fueling budget in 2010?

Let’s take a step back and remind you where fleet fuel prices have been for both diesel fuel and gas. These are DOE national averages so they could be slightly higher or lower in your area. We have never been big fans of the DOE national average for fleet fuel. As one fuel expert once said to me, “It’s like using a globe to find your house!”

Just 24 months ago diesel fuel prices were $3.387 a gallon, gas prices were $3.135 a gallon.

12 months ago diesel fuel prices were $2.299 a gallon, gas prices were $1.72 a gallon

January, 2010 diesel fuel prices were $2.882 a gallon, gas prices were $2.677 a gallon.

If you even remember that this happened, you would say ok, prices came down $1.10 from 2008 to 2009 and went up 60 cents from 2009 to 2010. That story in itself would be pretty dramatic seeing that a $1.10 decrease would be 33% reduction in fuel price from 08 to 09 and a 60 cent increase would be a 21% increase in fuel prices.

The story that takes place in the middle is crazy with fleet fuel cost. How about nationally peaking diesel fuel cost at $4.771 in July 2008. What about the low diesel fuel cost of $2.023 in March 2009. No, we didn’t forget about gas that still powers most of our cars. Gas prices topped nationally at $4.099 in July 2008. They hit rock bottom of December 2008 at $1.642.

Yes, I can see the bulb in your head coming on and saying, I remember price swings but $4.099 to $1.642 a change of $2.457 a gallon in less than five months, wow. Wow for sure. Were you and your company carefully watching your fleet fueling cost at that time? I know you were worrying, saying, “what are we going to do?” But were you managing your fleet fuel costs?

Here we are one month into 2010. Are you going sit around wait until things going crazy. Remember most of us didn’t think 2009 was crazy for diesel fuel prices but you did watch them go from $2.09 to $2.88 during the year. Almost 80 cents a gallon or a 28% increase in your fleet fuel costs. Remember that most fuel forecasters are predicting $95 crude oil prices in 2010. That would be over $15 a barrel more than where we were for most of 2009. The economy is going to …

How Success of Wholesale Business Depends on Warehouse Management

While talking about wholesale business we cannot forget the importance of warehouse and its management. Warehouse management plays a vital role in the success and failure of wholesale suppliers or distributors. Most of the wholesalers face the same problem of getting short of space, too high costs and poor productivity. All these problems are due to a warehouse that is not organized and the wholesalers will not be able to use their space with maximum results. There are also some warehouses with such a layout that it creates hurdles in business. To properly digest the idea of warehouse management we have to first understand what is warehouse? Warehouse is a space that is utilized for providing an adequate environment and protection to the merchandise in bulk storage. Warehouses are meant to store products safely in bulk.

Effective management

Warehouse management is particularly important in wholesale business because a wholesale supplier has to deal with large quantities of products. Without proper management and control the wholesaler will surly loose track and record of whole inventory which will ultimately leads to a disorganized warehouse. Effective management of warehouse can bring in a lot benefits. It improves the overall profitability of the wholesaler as there will be no unwanted and unknown items lying vacant in the warehouse. Besides, a lot of precious labor hours will be saved that would have been wasted in finding the right items. With effective management of the warehouse it becomes quite easy to locate any kind of inventory anywhere in the warehouse which will be a frustrating job in disorganized warehouse as items will be piled up randomly.

Designing Layout and Utilizing Space

The layout design of warehouse space should be planned to best accommodate the wholesale products and business service requirements. The warehouse economics dictate that a good and efficient warehouse is that in which products are processed in minimal turnaround time.

Using Advanced Technology

With the expense of technology and use of IT software now the warehouse and inventory management and control have been made very easy. The advanced technology has provided an integrated solution to manage the entire inventory faster, smarter and in leaner manner throughout the inventory lifecycle. IT has played a great role and revolutionized the way of doing wholesale business. Now wholesale suppliers can easily monitor inventory status in real time, manage warehousing and shipping costs which ultimately improve business efficiency and customer satisfaction that leads to success.…

How Success of Wholesale Business Depends on Warehouse Management

While talking about wholesale business we cannot forget the importance of warehouse and its management. Warehouse management plays a vital role in the success and failure of wholesale suppliers or distributors. Most of the wholesalers face the same problem of getting short of space, too high costs and poor productivity. All these problems are due to a warehouse that is not organized and the wholesalers will not be able to use their space with maximum results. There are also some warehouses with such a layout that it creates hurdles in business. To properly digest the idea of warehouse management we have to first understand what is warehouse? Warehouse is a space that is utilized for providing an adequate environment and protection to the merchandise in bulk storage. Warehouses are meant to store products safely in bulk.

Effective management

Warehouse management is particularly important in wholesale business because a wholesale supplier has to deal with large quantities of products. Without proper management and control the wholesaler will surly loose track and record of whole inventory which will ultimately leads to a disorganized warehouse. Effective management of warehouse can bring in a lot benefits. It improves the overall profitability of the wholesaler as there will be no unwanted and unknown items lying vacant in the warehouse. Besides, a lot of precious labor hours will be saved that would have been wasted in finding the right items. With effective management of the warehouse it becomes quite easy to locate any kind of inventory anywhere in the warehouse which will be a frustrating job in disorganized warehouse as items will be piled up randomly.

Designing Layout and Utilizing Space

The layout design of warehouse space should be planned to best accommodate the wholesale products and business service requirements. The warehouse economics dictate that a good and efficient warehouse is that in which products are processed in minimal turnaround time.

Using Advanced Technology

With the expense of technology and use of IT software now the warehouse and inventory management and control have been made very easy. The advanced technology has provided an integrated solution to manage the entire inventory faster, smarter and in leaner manner throughout the inventory lifecycle. IT has played a great role and revolutionized the way of doing wholesale business. Now wholesale suppliers can easily monitor inventory status in real time, manage warehousing and shipping costs which ultimately improve business efficiency and customer satisfaction that leads to success.…

Improving Your Warehouse Efficiency and Productivity

The center of any wholesale distribution system is the warehouse. It is a place where the merchandise initially arrives and is stored, packaged and finally transported to numerous stores or outlets for sale. The inventory is constantly in motion and tracking it properly is necessary for keeping your business running efficiently. Mistakes and errors in your warehouse’s operational management can lead to a financial nightmare and dissatisfied customers.

In order to improve warehouse efficiency, it is essential to utilize operational techniques that can optimize your inventory and shipping operations while maintaining a high rate of productivity.

As your business grows, it is easy to fall into a routine that, over time, starts to become ineffective and outdated. Make a conscious effort to regularly review the practices that your operation uses and tweak standards and processes to better suit an evolving business. Your main focus should be a high rate of productivity with little or no delays that cause the warehouse to run backed up. Make certain to eliminate any potential problems that may cause longer processing time. This will ensure you are reducing operating costs, improving service quality and saving space within the warehouse.

It is imperative that employees be trained to maintain a certain level of productivity that is consistent in delivering positive results and improves the overall quality of service. Well-trained employees follow proper procedures and adhere to the guidelines that will generate a higher rate of output. Management can supervise a well-trained employee easier when the associate has an understanding of what amount of productivity is expected.

The standards you employ in your warehouse can evolve over time to meet the various functions of the operators and employees who perform these jobs on a day-by-day basis. By allowing your standards to be flexible, you are running your business based on the changing work functions rather than what looks good on paper. It encourages feedback amongst your employees that can be used to determine future operational procedures.

It is essential to look over productivity reports to judge the effectiveness of your warehouse system. A productivity tracking report shows you data that can be used to assess performance, implement motivational programs and chart efficiency. Productivity software can provide this data for the many different aspects of a warehouse, from the department level down to the individual associate. The reports generated by the software can give you an overall assessment of the strength of your warehouse operation.

To be certain that your warehouse system is running at maximum efficiency, it is necessary to constantly be monitoring it’s standards, productivity and employee training levels. The efforts you make with process optimization will pay off in the form of a significant cost reduction and more organized, streamlined operations.…

Chevrolet Captiva SUV Review

The seven-seater D segment SUV by Chevrolet called the Captiva is a big impressive vehicle with a powerful engine and performance. It is available in enticing colors and its muscular design is a delight for the onlookers.

Engine and other specifications

Captiva has got a 1991cc four cylinder VCDi displacement engine. The diesel 2.0 liter engine produces a maximum power of 148 Bhp at 4000 rpm and the maximum torque of 320 Nm at 2000 rpm. This new class of diesel engine has been made by GM Powertrain and GMDAT with VM Motori. The suspension is Mc Pherson strut with Twin tube gas strut.

The ground clearance comes to 197.00mm and the kerb weight is 1820.00 kilograms. The front brakes are ventilated whereas the rear ones are disk. It has the five manual gear system and the tyre size is 235/60 R17. The dimensions of Captiva are 4660mm length, 1870mm width and 1755mm height.

An on demand system has been given in the vehicle wherein rear axle is selected through an electromagnetic coupling. This gives maximum traction. ESP and ABS systems are too given in Captiva to make the drive safer and convenient. Some additional functions included in the vehicle include hydraulic brake assist, hill descent control and active rollover protection.

Design and style

Captiva’s design is envied by all SUV manufacturing automobile companies. Its muscular and meaty appearance makes it every man’s favorite sports utility vehicle. This SUV has got plastic side mouldings and roof rails to make its design appealing. The six spoke alloy wheels and its striking wheel arches add to its masculine look. The tyres are tubeless. Chrome handles and cylindrical prism appearing headlamps are again counted among its beautiful features. The turn signal lamps are LED type and the turn signal repeaters are given in its side rear view mirrors. The design of the tail lamps is great too.

Electrically Adjustable Driver’s Seat

The dashboard has a chic and clean design with a great looking console look. The build quality of the cabin interiors is solid and durable. They are made of upgraded plastics. The second and third rows have folding seats. The driver’s seat is electrically adjustable eight way. All the audio controls have been placed on the steering wheel itself. Air conditioning controls too are within a comfortable reach of the driver.

Reminders for putting up a seat belt and key in ignition are among its sophisticated features. You can easily change the layout of the seats in the car depending upon the number of passengers traveling in it. You never need to raise the tailgate to reach to the boot as the rear glass opens no matter which seating arrangement you choose.…

Cultivating the Best Hydration Habits for Running

Just as a car needs fuel to run, our body needs to be properly hydrated to function during a run. Here are some practices you should consider implementing as part of your life as a runner.

1. Develop a normal routine

Each runner’s hydration needs are different. So the rule of thumb we suggest is this, “Drink what your body needs.” As part of your normal routine, try to stay away from diuretic fluids like coffee and caffeinated sodas, as these sap your body’s water, and leaves it parched. Instead, go for decaf products, or good old water.

2. On race day, do what you do in the dojo

The common mistake many of us make on race day is to over compensate on our body’s hydration needs. And this could lead to hypnotremia, a condition brought about by an over dilution of our body’s sodium levels through the over consumption of water.

We mentioned earlier that you drink what your body needs. But how does one determine what the body needs? Thirst often times may not be the best indicator, as thirst often comes too late, only after the body is starved of fluids.

The scientific way to do it is to determine your body’s needs during your training sessions. Weigh yourself before a run, and keep count of your fluid intake. If your body weight before and after a run is the same, then you know how much it is you have to drink to replace all that your body has lost.

3. Pre-race hydration

The best time to load up on fluids is during the 24 hour period before a race. But don’t over do it. It is best to stop your heavy consumption of water 2 hours before the race starts, to prevent you having to stop for a bathroom break once the race starts. You can take sips if you like till the race starts.

4. During the race

If you have loaded up on fluids as we suggested above, you need not consume too much during the race itself. This of course depends on the distance you are running. For something like a 10K race, a few mouthfuls of water at the midway point should be sufficient.

5. Running the long format

If you are running in a marathon, you will have to consume a lot more water to keep your body hydrated. You should also consider sports drinks to replace the sodium your body has lost, and in some instances, drinks with sugar in it for energy. Stay away from drinks with too high a sugar content, as these could cause your body to have a sugar crash. The recommended value is 4-5 percent sugar.

6. Hydration after a race

What you drink after a race is crucial to enable your body to restore itself to health. Immediately after a race, what most needs to be replaced are electrolytes and glucose. Feel free to drink as …

Warehousing Management Software And Getting This Software For Your Warehouse Operations

Any business owner that has to operate a warehouse knows that the process cannot operate efficiently if there isn’t a solid system in place. A solid system enables for every phase of the warehouse operations to be solid as possible.

So all of these warehouses are going to have a system they are using. The only issue is some of them choose not to make upgrades by means of implementing warehousing management software.

Now for smaller businesses, these types of businesses are usually put off by the high cost of having warehousing management software. A lot of them feel it is simply not a wise investment to make.

That might have been the case a long time ago, but now this type of software has been made affordable and easily accessible. Incorporating it into your warehouse management process would not be difficult at all.

Computer technology has advanced greatly over the course of the past few years. This means advanced warehousing management software is available to those who otherwise would not have had access to it before.

Smaller businesses can decide to utilize it by means of very affordable subscription plans. The amount you pay would be dependent on the features you need and or how long you plan on using the software.

Now what would this mean to the average business owner, particularly those who are smaller? This would mean the upfront cost of implementing warehousing management software would be greatly reduced.

This also means a business would not have to worry about hiring someone to help them decipher or implement the software. There will be no need to purchase additional equipment such as computer servers.

And in most cases the warehousing management software you would be utilizing would be completely hosted and maintained by means of the Internet. No need to worry about security or reliability problems either.

The software that is available these days is going to be extremely reliable and is going to be very secure. After all, you would not want to put your warehouse operations in the hands of any product you felt didn’t offer both to the highest degree.

Some of the key advantages to using warehousing management software would include the ability to reduce problems with shipping. Shipping errors cost a lot of money to correct and that can greatly impact the businesses bottom line. The software will give you the ability to greatly increase inventory visibility as well as accuracy.

Whatever carrying costs you have at the moment can be reduced as well. This is going to definitely help you in the long run, particularly in tough economic times.

Warehousing software will also allow you to increase order fulfillment capacity without having to hire additional staff. There are other benefits as well that you can learn about easily since the program can be taught in a relatively short time frame.

This type of logistics software is beneficial, because as a …

Vital Parts of a Vehicle’s Fuel Delivery System and Their Functions

The main function of a vehicle’s fuel delivery system is to provide constant flow of fuel to the engine at required volume and pressure. Various mechanical and electrical components constitute a vehicle’s fuel delivery system, each of which has its own function. Proper functioning of every component positively impacts the performance of the engine, while even a little malfunction of any part could seize its operation. Hence, understanding this system enables the user to identify and fix minor issues, helping him minimize the negative impact on the engine’s performance on the whole.

Main components: A typical fuel delivery system consists of various components such as tank, pump, pipe, in-filters, strainers, injectors, pressure regulators, return pipe, pulsation damper, etc. Here, we will discuss only about the vital components of the system.

• Fuel tank: A fuel tank, as we all know, stores the fuel in a location, away from the engine. These are constructed using different materials like pressed corrosion-resistant steel, aluminum, or molded reinforced polyethylene plastic. Many modern tanks incorporate slosh baffles or surge plates, which prevent the fuel from splashing around inside the unit. The tank also has a filter (to filter the fuel) and a vent system with an inlet line (through which fuel from the cap enters the tank) and an outlet line (to send the pumped fuel to the engine).

• Fuel pump: It is often called as the heart of the fuel delivery system. Its main function is to pull the fuel from the tank and to pump it to the injectors at required pressure. Many of the modern engines are equipped with electric pumps that are usually located inside the tank. We can still find mechanical pumps in the old styled carburetor engines. The basic difference between them is, electric pumps generate high pressure, whereas, mechanical pumps generate low pressure. However, there are some new models of mechanical pumps which pump at high pressures.

• Pressure regulator: Pressure regulator maintains constant fuel pressure across the lines and injectors, in order to ensure accurate fuel delivery to the engine. In simple words, it regulates the amount of fuel that is to be delivered to the engine (not all engines require the same amount). The excess amount which is not consumed by the engine returns to the tank through a return line.

• Injector: Injector is an electro-mechanical device that delivers pressurized fuel into the engine’s combustion chamber. Most of the diesel injectors are made of heat-treated alloy steel and are controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU). The injectors convert the gasoline into vapor under high pressure and spray the vaporized gasoline into the engine.

• Strainer/filter: A filter is small yet important component of the system. Its function is to filter the fuel from the tank before it reaches other parts of the system. It traps the dirt, dust, and other solid contaminants and sends filtered fuel. A strainer is located between the …

Why Fuel Management is More Important Than Ever For Businesses

When it comes to saving money for your business, you have to be careful about where you cut the budget. Many companies begin by cutting payroll, but by cutting payroll, you’re putting more stress on other employees. Business owners need to start thinking outside of the box. A great way to save money, for example, is to cut down on fuel costs. In this article, you will learn why fuel management is more important than ever for businesses.

When we talk about fuel management, we’re talking about watching how much fuel your company uses. This can refer to car, truck, multi-modal, or aviation fuel. It all depends on the kind of travel your business engages in. The trick here is to decide which kind of travel is most affordable for your business. If your company can’t operate without large deliveries, then try to focus more attention on trucks. Get your trucks into a fleet program for easier management. If you provide aviation services to your customers, then look at your aviation program and ways to get discounts to save money.

The truth is that the price of fuel is going to remain high, and it might even get higher. If you have trouble believing this, then read the news and watch the markets. You’ll see that fuel is actually a very fickle thing. The price might go down a little now and then, but don’t be fooled. Especially with the geopolitical situation, fuel prices are bound to rise again in the near future. Be smart when it comes to fuel. Only use what you need, and make sure you’re utilizing a fuel card program that gives you discounts.

In a world where reducing cost is essential for any business to prosper, you have to concentrate on waste. If you look at records and receipts, you will no doubt see that fuel is probably used irresponsibly. By joining a fleet program and monitoring the amount of fuel used, you will be able to save money by making more responsible decisions. In today’s tough economic climate, making the right decisions with regard to expenses is more important than ever.…