By Laura Owens - March 8th, 2010
The popularity and availability of clean diesel is growing. The recent growth in availability of diesel at local filling stations should come with no surprise given that more consumers are turning to diesel for their cars, pickups and SUV’s. Nearly half, 42 percent, of all retail sites in the U.S. today offer diesel fuel.
This increasing demand for diesel fuel worldwide has impacted fuel consumers. Diesel fuel prices, in the US, tended to be lower than gasoline prices up until 2004. What has changed since 2004? Well a lot, a worldwide demand for diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils has been increasing steadily, with strong demand in China, Europe, and the United States. This has put more pressure on the tight global refining capacity. In the United States, the transition to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel has affected diesel fuel production and distribution costs. Also, the Federal excise tax on diesel fuel is higher per gallon than the tax on gasoline.
How can you find the lowest diesel prices in your area? Contact one of our fuel experts at Sokolis Group to help with all your fleet fueling needs. Your fuel management program will be better for it. Reach out to us at 267-482-6155 for more information.
Posted in Fuel Management | No Comments »
By Lisa Hermann - March 3rd, 2010
“If you don’t know where you are going any road will do”
For all its familiarity and common sense this maxim is worth reiterating. No one and no organization works well without clear objectives. The responsibility for setting many of them may well be yours.
Objectives will only be clear if they are SMART:
Specific so that they are clearly understood and no misunderstanding is possible.
Measurable so that everyone knows whether they have hit them, or not.
Achievable because if they are simply pie in the sky they will be ignored and you, and any future process of objective setting, will lose credibility.
Realistic in the sense that they must logically fit within the broad picture and be a desirable way of proceeding.
Timed without clear timing they will become meaningless.
The objectives you set must condition and direct what your people do. Make sure everyone has clear goals and they are committed to achieving them. Reach out to us at Sokolis Group (267-482-6155) and lets work together to set SMART goals for your company’s fuel management program.
Posted in Fuel Management, Office Admin | No Comments »
By Glen Sokolis - February 17th, 2010
When your desk is disorganized and cluttered, it can be difficult to focus on your work. The same holds true for your fleet fueling program. Do you have any fuel deals, do you know what they are? Do yourself a favor and clean it up, your desk that is. Do yourself a bigger favor and hire Sokolis Group to help you with your fuel management program. It will make sure that you are getting the discounts and deals your company deserves.
When cleaning that old desk again, file away documents you want to archive and trash or recycle documents you no longer need, especially if you have copies saved on your computer. These files could be fleet fuel deals that were offered to you but didn’t have time to put it in place or maybe just got over looked because of the increasing amount of work that gets put on that desk.
As you complete projects, get in the habit of immediately saving or discarding documents. Ask people in our fuel management office, I am good at that sometimes, I throw things away before I am complete. Thank goodness everyone knows to never give me the only copy. Use a disinfectant spray or wipes to clean your desk, especially if you spend your lunch breaks there.
For your fuel consulting program, make sure you audit all of your fuel invoices especially if you want to make sure you don’t have theft or your fleet fuel supplier isn’t overcharging you.
Get that desk clean and put extra dollars in your company’s bottom line with our fuel management, Sokolis Group, 267-482-6155, www.SokolisGroup.com
Posted in Fuel Management, G.Sokolis Posts | No Comments »
By Conor Proud - February 15th, 2010
What’s going on? That’s a pretty broad question. A lot is going on would be a pretty simple answer. If you’re talking about the economy, well the unemployment rate took a small dip from 10 percent to 9.7 percent. That’s the lowest rate since August 2009. If you’re talking about the trucking industry, for-hire trucking companies added 2,500 workers in January 2010. How about weather? If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic region you got hit with blizzard type snow twice in one week. Some areas got up to 3 feet of snow, had power knocked out, and had to stay at local shelters. 230,000 federal workers in Washington D.C. were out of work for days.
All of these things affect people across the country. The storm alone affected millions of people. People trying to travel, go to work, doing things that occur daily that we take for granted. Things that we take advantage of sometimes take advantage of us. How about fuel? If you’re like my mom you don’t even compare prices. You need gas, and there is a station right by the house so you get gas there. Well I can tell you that the station she uses has one of the highest margins in the area. Meaning she’s paying on average 10-15 cents a gallon more than the one down the street. This happens all the time and it’s why we’re in business. So you don’t get taken advantage of. If your company or fleet buys a lot of fuel, the deficit to your bottom line can be devastating.
Contact the Sokolis Group, and myself or one my co-workers would be happy to help you. We’ll take a look at your fuel purchases and see how much money we can save you. Call today at 267-482-6155 or myself at 267-482-6159.
Posted in Fuel Management | No Comments »
By Lisa Hermann - February 8th, 2010
What’s in a hand shake? More than you might know. In many cases, this may be the first non-verbal communication you have with a client, so make sure it counts.
- If your hand is above the horizontal, you take a dominant approach. It’s best to have both hands vertical to stay on ‘equal’ ground.
- Do not be any firmer than the other’s grip. This would be construed as an over-bearing personality.
Have you ever met:
- The shaker: the person that keeps shaking and shaking. They must be really happy to meet you.
- The holder: someone who holds on a split second after you start to let go. That look in their eye tries to tell you that they won.
- The crusher: trying to prove they’re stronger, but only proving they feel they’re better than you.
- The weak: what’s up with that?
- The taker: they take your hand with both of theirs, the mothering factor?
Share with us an experience of any of the above approaches so we all can learn from one another or laugh together if you have a funny story to share.
Posted in Office Admin | No Comments »
By Lisa Hermann - February 1st, 2010
Take some time before you leave for the day to plan out tomorrow!
Look ahead: Start your “to do” list for the next day while your focus is still on the job – it’s far more difficult to do in the morning when you’re wondering where you left-off the day before. Carry over any incomplete tasks from your current day’s list and add new priorities. It helps to clear your head to put all this on paper and you’ll be amazed at how much more effective you can be when your brain power is being put to problem solving rather than trying to remember everything you need to do.
Leave it clean: Clear and tidy your desk, throw rubbish in the bin, sort leftover mail and papers and put your files away. Clean your coffee cup, empty your water bottle, wash any leftover dishes or containers from lunch and start each day afresh. By cleaning your workspace you also signal the end of the workday to your mind.
Shut down: Switch your phone to voice mail, remembering to change your message if you’re not going to be in the next day, or if you’re going to be in late. Close out your email and activate your “out of office” message if you’re going to be away, switch off your computer screen.
Are you one of the few that does this? Please share with us some of the secrets that make your planning for tomorrow go smoothly! Lets learn from each other for a stress free day.
Posted in Office Admin | No Comments »
By Joan Gottlieb - January 21st, 2010
What is the cost to fuel your fleet? PPG times gallons? Many fleet owners only consider fuel cost in this equation.
If your drivers are fueling at retail, additional factors should be considered.
How much TIME did it take to fuel at a retail station? What is the wage factor for this unproductive time, is it a 2 manned vehicle, travel time and out of route miles to name a few.
Traveling to a retail station and the time that is taken to fuel therefore can be quite considerable. Have you ever timed how long the whole process takes to fleet fuel.
An alternative fuel savings method to fueling your fleet would be to sign on a mobile fleet fueling supplier. Consider the convenience of having your vehicles fueled up each day ready to make deliveries. Other benefits include no out of route miles searching for a retail station to accommodate large vehicles, reduced liability by not having such large vehicles navigate small retail sites, drivers time is more productive. One last important fact to consider, unlike retail fuel, mobile fuel costs are negotiated; consistent and stable.
Sokolis Group can help you improve the fueling process for your company, recommend and negotiate with a mobile fuel supplier, and reduce fuel costs.
Call today; speak with one of our fuel experts on ways to improve and save on your fleet fuel costs.
Return to Top
Tags: fleet fuel, fleet fueling, Fuel Management, Sokoils Group
Posted in G.Sokolis Posts | No Comments »
By Kelly Quigley - January 19th, 2010
Toward the end of 2009 the Senate had its last few sessions and decided to focus its energy on Health Care Reform and neglected to address the extension of the Biodiesel tax credit, which expired on January 1st. Failure to extend the credit would not only effect the production of the clean burning fuel but would also lose near 23,000 ‘green’ jobs. Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel. Produced domestically and from renewable sources, biodiesel can be blended with petroleum to create a blended fuel (biodiesel.org). The Biodiesel Tax Credit had previously offered a $1 tax credit per gallon sold. With the IEA predicating that 2010 will be the year to date with the most oil demand all the cleaner fuels out there need that helping hand to get on their feet and grow as an industry. The tax credit would keep creating the incentive for fleets all over to consider blending with biodiesel if not going greener. Fuel management consultants keep a watchful eye on the affairs of oil and biodiesel. Without modifications biodiesel can be blended up to 20% and still keeps that old diesel engine running. Even through cold winters, biodiesel can be blended with diesel that already has its mixture of cold weather additives. While the Senate still debates an almost obvious issue, let Sokolis Group help your fuel management program whether it has biodiesel in its future or not.
Return to Top
Tags: diesel fuel, Fuel Management, Sokoils Group
Posted in G.Sokolis Posts | No Comments »
By Laura Owens - January 18th, 2010
Just like anything else in our lives fueling up our vehicles becomes routine. We go to the same gas station, pump the same gas and continue on with our lives without even thinking about it. What if you stopped and thought about the price of fuel or if there are lower priced gas stations in the area you could be fueling up at? Well here at the Sokolis Group we do that for you. One of the many services we provide our fleet fuel clients is to reduce their fuel costs by directing them to the lowest priced station in the areas which they are already traveling. Sokolis Group’s fuel consultant team does extensive research to find the lowest price fleet fuel along the routes our fleet clients take. Sokolis Group also negotiates discounted fuel prices for our fleet fuel clients with the merchants they purchase large quantities of gallons. One of our goals here is to help your fleet company cut fleet fuel cost and increase fleet fuel efficiency, so if you like saving money check out the Sokolis Group at www.sokolisgroup.com and contact us today!
Tags: fleet fuel, Fuel Management
Posted in G.Sokolis Posts | No Comments »
By Conor Proud - January 15th, 2010
During the third quarter of 2009 405 fleets failed. An astonishing 14,135 tractors were taken off the road. I repeat 14,135 trucks were taken off the road. That’s an improvement from the previous years third quarter. Considering prices for fleet fuel were at an extreme level that isn’t saying much.
Fleets failing can be for a number of reasons. It could be due to the industry that company is in, the state of the economy, high fleet fuel prices, or the demand of freight. Whatever the reason is many of them can be from poor fuel management. Believe it or not, but many trucking companies aren’t watching their fleet fueling purchases as close as they should be. They set it and forget it. That is not how the oil industry works. Prices of fleet fuel are constantly changing, and you need someone watching on a daily basis doing fuel audits of your fleet fuel purchases to ensure you’re getting the best possible fuel price. If you don’t watch your fleet fuel vendors they might take advantage and increase their margins day by day.
Here’s a perfect example. A fleet that Sokolis Group manages buys a lot of diesel fuel. They have sites all over the country and we have negotiated deals with those fleet fueling vendors. Just last month by doing our daily fuel audits of their fleet fuel, we found an overcharge of $748.04. We contacted the fuel vendor and immediately received a credit in that amount for our customer. This happens every month. If someone was not watching their fleet fuel purchases they would be spending more money for fuel then they need to be.
Not every company will succeed in their business, and that’s something that every business owner risks when he starts it. However, the more attention and effort you put in will increase your chances of succeeding. Sokolis Group helps tons of fleets across the country save money on their fuel management. We have a great fuel management team, and we enjoy saving money for our clients buying fleet fuel. Don’t let your fleet fail. Try our fuel management services and see where you could be getting charged to much.
Return to Top
Tags: diesel fuel, fleet fuel, Fuel Management, Sokoils Group
Posted in G.Sokolis Posts | No Comments »
|
