MORE
FOR THE
BANG BUCK
TRANSPORTATION EXPERTS ADVISE DUE DILIGENCE WHEN MANAGING FUEL, OIL AND TIRES
WRITTEN BY ERIC WOOLSON
according to three industry professionals. Bob Pudlewski, STN’s technical editor and a
T
consultant to school districts across the nation, said districts can influence fuel pricing in three areas: pro- curement, storage and consumption. Te last one has the biggest impact. “Like any commodity, there’s not going to be much bargaining. Te only leverage you have is the size of your fleet,” he said. “Te price of transporting and delivering fuel is usually dictated by what you can take. It’s always beneficial to have to largest amount of storage you can have, preferably a minimum 10,000-gallon tank. If it’s less than that, there’s a penalty.” Districts considering a fuel-sharing arrangement with another district or government entity should do all their research. Price advantages gained through larger purchases can quickly disappear on the back end. “For instance, any time you’re deadheading to fill up,
you’re consuming fuel. you have to do the math,” warned Pudlewski, the retired vice president of fleet operations for Laidlaw and First Student. Still, he advocated greater inter-agency collaboration to cut costs through bulk oil and tire purchase, shared maintenance and other measures. »
72 School Transportation News March 2013
here are no short cuts for transportation directors looking to extend their fuel, oil and tire budgets, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to improve the bottom line,
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