Have you heard about DWD? It is Driving While Distracted, talking on phones, texting, heck even fiddling with the radio. According to Nationwide.com the number one source of driver distraction is due to wireless device. This connotation is mostly associated with teen drivers, but that is not always the case. Truck drivers have more opportunities for distraction due to their time on the road, and the equipment in the vehicles. They may have just finished using their fleet fuel card to tank up and didn’t have time for a sit down lunch, so they eat on the road. Distraction. Using a navigation system for directions, or re-routing due to road conditions also causes distractions. With the rise of oil prices and fuel management already on the mind, safety may have taken temporary back seat. Don’t let you driver become a statistic.
Archive for the ‘G.Sokolis Posts’ CategoryLet is Snow, Let it Snow, Let it SnowBy Lisa Hermann - January 4th, 2010When the weather outside is frightful, it’s important that drivers make sure their vehicles are prepared for wintery weather conditions. Snow and ice can turn a normally safe road into a slippery hazard. According to the United States Department of Commerce, “70 percent of the fatalities related to ice and snow occur in automobiles.” Sokolis Group recommends a few vehicle maintenance and safe driving tips to help families stay safer on the road this winter holiday season. Although it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together, winter weather often magnifies existing vehicle problems. It’s important to visit an automotive service provider to make sure a vehicle’s engine, battery, cooling and exhaust systems are in tip-top shape before the winter months. If outside the snow is falling, drivers should check their tire inflation pressure and tread depth. A tire may lose one pound per square inch (psi) for every 10ºF temperature drop. Try to check your tire air pressure weekly. If a driver lives in a snowy area, he or she may want to consider buying a set of dedicated winter tires. Winter tires are designed to improve a vehicle’s stability and handling in adverse driving conditions. When in the lane, snow is glistening, drivers should slow down to improve vehicle traction and be prepared for longer stopping distances. Abrupt braking, accelerating and turning can cause the driver to lose control of his or her vehicle. If a car or truck begins to skid, a driver should avoid slamming on the brakes; instead, he or she should gently take his or her foot off the accelerator and try to regain traction. If over the river and through the woods, a vehicle gets stuck in the snow, kitty litter, sand, an asphalt shingle or gravel placed under the tires can help regain traction. Drivers should not spin their tires. This could cause the tires to overheat and cause damage. Driving in a winter wonderland can be dangerous, but reviewing these simple vehicle maintenance and safe driving tips can help enhance your holiday season. “Time Is Money” for EnergyBy Lisa Hermann - December 31st, 2009Given the recent economic turmoil and fragile recovery, the old adage “time is money” has never been more relevant. In the context of the energy business, time is directly related to the rate of change. And, more importantly, an organization’s ability to either proactively address that change or risk competitive disadvantage through delayed reaction. As it relates to customers served by Sokolis Group, the rate of change continues to accelerate. We are seeing greater fuel price volatility, stricter environmental regulations, and increase in fleet fuel price changes year-over-year. So the question I encourage you to ask is whether your business, at a minimum, is prepared to adequately comply with the changing rules, rates and laws within the mandated timeframes, and then, to what degree is your business better instrumented to capitalize on change compared to peers. At Sokolis Group, we strive every day to ensure our customers are being charged the correct rate, taxes and environmental regulations and capitalize on price changes by optimizing their fuel supply chain. Sokolis Group will put discount fuel deals in place with your fleet fuel vendors to help save on your fuel management program. We’re firm believers that the ability to accept change and harness it to your benefit can separate you from your competitors. So start your New Year off right with Sokolis Group on your team and let us help you save in 2010. For more information on how Sokolis Group and you can team up together, link to www.sokolisgroup.com. Contact us today for more information. Your 2010 fleet fuel budget will like you for it Inventory, Inventory, Inventory!By Kelly Quigley - December 29th, 2009With head splitting speeds the price for oil this past year has gone from $33 a barrel in early January of 2009 to tipping the $78 mark these few days. Having such a fluctuation in fuel can make any fuel management team dizzy. Many factors had contributed to the ups and downs of the fleet fuel world and a main one was the crude oil inventories. Crude oil saw a minimal decrease in September, while the rest of the year saw supplies increase to 375.83 million barrels at one point. A few contributing factors to an over abundance of supply included less traveling, low demand from consumers, online shopping and high unemployment. Consumers put in place their own fuel management programs it seems. Online shopping replaced the trip to the fuel pump for many during this holiday season. There was less travel throughout the 2009 year and that includes plane and automobile traveling. According to AAA travel will decline 2.1% this year from last. Unemployment led to a decrease on the roads as well. Fuel management was on the minds of all as the economy struggled to recover. Inventories were in such a mass that the floating storage of crude oil that at the end of January 2009 approximately 80 million barrels were a float. Refineries have even slowed production to decrease the supply. Crude oil inventories are expected to drop as cold winter weather hits parts of the U.S. and as the unemployment rate drops, down to 10% in November, not great but it wasn’t an increase. This is a true example of a cohesive relationship. Consumers will still rely on oil and oil will rely on the demand of consumers, the obstacle is fuel management. How can the consumers rely comfortably on oil without breaking the bank? Sokolis Group will be on your side to always find the best fleet fuel card, fueling locations or fuel management program. Going Green: A Good ResolutionBy Laura Owens - December 24th, 2009With a struggling economy, holiday season in full swing, fuel management and finding ways to go green may not be on the top of your to do list; but with the new year fast approaching it should be one of your New Year’s Resolutions, for a good fuel management program may help you make your fleet fuel budget. It may seem that implementing ways to go green will be too costly especially in an economy like the one we are currently in. But in reality going green will not only save money but will also help improve our environment and your fuel management. Over the past few years fleet companies have added hybrid vehicles to their fleets in efforts to go green. These “Green fleets” reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants as well as fuel consumption. For example, PepsiCo’s green fleets have seen a 10-12 percent decrease per vehicle in overall fleet fuel consumption since 2007. In October the annual Green Fleet Conference was held in Chicago where the Environmental Defense Fund provided tips to fleet fuel managers on new ways to go green. Putting these green fleet management practices to work can improve performance, save cost, and reduce fleet management emissions by an average of 14 percent. The Sokolis Group is also doing its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by having a hybrid company car along with several other greening methods. Visit us at www.sokolisgroup.com to learn more ways we have gone green and to see what our team of fuel consulting experts can do for you in 2010. The Twelve Days of Sokolis Group ChristmasBy Glen Sokolis - December 23rd, 2009On the twelfth day of Christmas, Fleet Fuel Management employees-a staff of talented individuals with fleet fuel expertise in all aspects of fuel management, highest level of customer service, moral and ethically responsible to provide timely communication of the fleet fuel supply chain to the client. Fleet Fuel locations-fleet fueling takes place at truck stops, card lock locations, retail fleet fuel locations as well as fuel management client facilities when mobile fleet fueling takes place. These fleet fuel locations are usually kept very clean to improve the environmental commitment of the companies who are doing the fuel dispensing Fuel Manager-a person working through a fleet management system that puts together fleet fueling programs for their companies. Alternative fuel products-alternative fuel, renewable fuel, bio fuel, bio diesel fuel, ethanol are all examples of these types of alternative fleet fuel products. These alternative fleet fuel products help take the strain off of the dependence on crude oil. Alternative fuel burns cleaner and is usually renewable fuel from a source such as corn or grain. This fuel usage lowers fuel management client’s carbon footprint and carbon offsetting. Fuel Buying buyers-skilled people that understand the fleet fuel market. They are able to guide fuel management clients in fuel buying so the fleet fuel client’s rates are low and fuel delivery service is outstanding. Fleet Fuel Auditors-are specially trained individuals with specialized fuel data to monitor, review, audit, and inspect fleet fuel transactions. The training of these people takes thousands of fleet fueling transactions to review before they start to understand the fuel data. Fuel dispensing islands-this is a location at a fuel management client’s location and/or truck stop and/or card lock fuel location that a fleet fueling card is usually used to activate the fueling pump. This allows fuel dispensing to take place into a fleets operation. Most fuel dispensing islands are hooked up to bulk fuel tanks that have fuel inventory monitoring systems to ensure safe environmental operations. Fuel Consulting experts- people that have spent years in the fleet fuel industry and understand how to provide fuel management clients with maximized value. A fuel consulting expert knows all of the ins and outs of fleet fueling cards, fleet fuel discounts, fleet fuel auditing, fuel rebates, federal & state fleet fuel taxes to name a few. Mobile Fleet Fueling companies- fleet fuel companies that go to the fuel management client’s location with their fuel truck during off hours. This type of fleet fuel service is best for a company with fleet management issues such as labor rates or labor time to fleet fuel at a fuel island. Mobile fleet fueling will save fuel management clients money in their labor expense. Fleet Fuel Planning programs- a fleet fuel plan is a strategic plan for a fuel management client to meet his fleet management goals of lowering fleet fueling costs, staying under the fuel budget, improving fleet fuel audits to lower overcharges and fraud, increase fleet fuel knowledge through outsourced fuel management programs Fleet Fueling cards- a fleet fueling card is a plastic fuel card used to purchase gas and diesel fuel. It has controls in place within the fleet fueling card to protect the fuel management client from fraud and abuse. The fleet fuel cards also provide fleet management with fleet fuel information such as miles per gallon, fleet fuel usage, number of times a fleet fuels in a day, etc Fuel Management-when your fleet fuel program is actively managed by fleet fueling experts to achieve lower fuel costs for your gas and diesel fuel purchases. This increased visibility to your fleet fueling program on your fleet fuel cards, bulk fuel deliveries, mobile fleet fueling and fuel inventory is reviewed and audited daily providing you with up to date fleet fuel data. Twelve Days of Sokolis Group ChristmasBy Glen Sokolis - December 22nd, 2009On the eleventh day of Christmas, Fleet Fuel locations-fleet fueling takes place at truck stops, card lock locations, retail fleet fuel locations as well as fuel management client facilities when mobile fleet fueling takes place. These fleet fuel locations are usually kept very clean to improve the environmental commitment of the companies who are doing the fuel dispensing. Fuel Manager-a person working through a fleet management system that puts together fleet fueling programs for their companies. Alternative fuel products-alternative fuel, renewable fuel, bio fuel, bio diesel fuel, ethanol are all examples of these types of alternative fleet fuel products. These alternative fleet fuel products help take the strain off of the dependence on crude oil. Alternative fuel burns cleaner and is usually renewable fuel from a source such as corn or grain. This fuel usage lowers fuel management client’s carbon footprint and carbon offsetting. Fuel Buying buyers-skilled people that understand the fleet fuel market. They are able to guide fuel management clients in fuel buying so the fleet fuel client’s rates are low and fuel delivery service is outstanding. Fleet Fuel Auditors-are specially trained individuals with specialized fuel data to monitor, review, audit, and inspect fleet fuel transactions. The training of these people takes thousands of fleet fueling transactions to review before they start to understand the fuel data. Fuel dispensing islands-this is a location at a fuel management client’s location and/or truck stop and/or card lock fuel location that a fleet fueling card is usually used to activate the fueling pump. This allows fuel dispensing to take place into a fleets operation. Most fuel dispensing islands are hooked up to bulk fuel tanks that have fuel inventory monitoring systems to ensure safe environmental operations. Fuel Consulting experts- people that have spent years in the fleet fuel industry and understand how to provide fuel management clients with maximized value. A fuel consulting expert knows all of the ins and outs of fleet fueling cards, fleet fuel discounts, fleet fuel auditing, fuel rebates, federal & state fleet fuel taxes to name a few. Mobile Fleet Fueling companies- fleet fuel companies that go to the fuel management client’s location with their fuel truck during off hours. This type of fleet fuel service is best for a company with fleet management issues such as labor rates or labor time to fleet fuel at a fuel island. Mobile fleet fueling will save fuel management clients money in their labor expense. Fleet Fuel Planning programs- a fleet fuel plan is a strategic plan for a fuel management client to meet his fleet management goals of lowering fleet fueling costs, staying under the fuel budget, improving fleet fuel audits to lower overcharges and fraud, increase fleet fuel knowledge through outsourced fuel management programs. Fleet Fueling cards- a fleet fueling card is a plastic fuel card used to purchase gas and diesel fuel. It has controls in place within the fleet fueling card to protect the fuel management client from fraud and abuse. The fleet fuel cards also provide fleet management with fleet fuel information such as miles per gallon, fleet fuel usage, number of times a fleet fuels in a day, etc. Fuel Management-when your fleet fuel program is actively managed by fleet fueling experts to achieve lower fuel costs for your gas and diesel fuel purchases. This increased visibility to your fleet fueling program on your fleet fuel cards, bulk fuel deliveries, mobile fleet fueling and fuel inventory is reviewed and audited daily providing you with up to date fleet fuel data. The Tweleve Days of Sokolis Group ChristmasBy Glen Sokolis - December 21st, 2009On the tenth day of Christmas, Fuel Manager-a person working through a fleet management system that puts together fleet fueling programs for their companies. Alternative fuel products-alternative fuel, renewable fuel, bio fuel, bio diesel fuel, ethanol are all examples of these types of alternative fleet fuel products. These alternative fleet fuel products help take the strain off of the dependence on crude oil. Alternative fuel burns cleaner and is usually renewable fuel from a source such as corn or grain. This fuel usage lowers fuel management client’s carbon footprint and carbon offsetting Fuel Buying buyers-skilled people that understand the fleet fuel market. They are able to guide fuel management clients in fuel buying so the fleet fuel client’s rates are low and fuel delivery service is outstanding. Fleet Fuel Auditors-are specially trained individuals with specialized fuel data to monitor, review, audit, and inspect fleet fuel transactions. The training of these people takes thousands of fleet fueling transactions to review before they start to understand the fuel data. Fuel dispensing islands-this is a location at a fuel management client’s location and/or truck stop and/or card lock fuel location that a fleet fueling card is usually used to activate the fueling pump. This allows fuel dispensing to take place into a fleets operation. Most fuel dispensing islands are hooked up to bulk fuel tanks that have fuel inventory monitoring systems to ensure safe environmental operations. Fuel Consulting experts- people that have spent years in the fleet fuel industry and understand how to provide fuel management clients with maximized value. A fuel consulting expert knows all of the ins and outs of fleet fueling cards, fleet fuel discounts, fleet fuel auditing, fuel rebates, federal & state fleet fuel taxes to name a few. Mobile Fleet Fueling companies- fleet fuel companies that go to the fuel management client’s location with their fuel truck during off hours. This type of fleet fuel service is best for a company with fleet management issues such as labor rates or labor time to fleet fuel at a fuel island. Mobile fleet fueling will save fuel management clients money in their labor expense. Fleet Fuel Planning programs- a fleet fuel plan is a strategic plan for a fuel management client to meet his fleet management goals of lowering fleet fueling costs, staying under the fuel budget, improving fleet fuel audits to lower overcharges and fraud, increase fleet fuel knowledge through outsourced fuel management programs. Fleet Fueling cards- a fleet fueling card is a plastic fuel card used to purchase gas and diesel fuel. It has controls in place within the fleet fueling card to protect the fuel management client from fraud and abuse. The fleet fuel cards also provide fleet management with fleet fuel information such as miles per gallon, fleet fuel usage, number of times a fleet fuels in a day, etc. Fuel Management-when your fleet fuel program is actively managed by fleet fueling experts to achieve lower fuel costs for your gas and diesel fuel purchases. This increased visibility to your fleet fueling program on your fleet fuel cards, bulk fuel deliveries, mobile fleet fueling and fuel inventory is reviewed and audited daily providing you with up to date fleet fuel data. Tis the season of giving…By Joan Gottlieb - December 21st, 2009Just this week I happily mailed to my client a $797 refund check obtained from their fleet fuel supplier. Last month, I happily mailed to the same client another refund check in the amount of $615 from the same fleet fuel supplier. Both refunds were the result of daily fuel audits that caught fuel pricing errors. Not only is my client happy with his managed fuel program provided by Sokolis Group, they are even more gratefuel to know that Sokolis Group is always working to ensure fleet fuel savings. Tis the season to have great fuel management. The Twelve Days of Sokolis Group ChristmasBy Glen Sokolis - December 18th, 2009On the ninth day of Christmas, Alternative fuel products-alternative fuel, renewable fuel, bio fuel, bio diesel fuel, ethanol are all examples of these types of alternative fleet fuel products. These alternative fleet fuel products help take the strain off of the dependence on crude oil. Alternative fuel burns cleaner and is usually renewable fuel from a source such as corn or grain. This fuel usage lowers fuel management client’s carbon footprint and carbon offsetting. Fuel Buying buyers-skilled people that understand the fleet fuel market. They are able to guide fuel management clients in fuel buying so the fleet fuel client’s rates are low and fuel delivery service is outstanding. Fleet Fuel Auditors-are specially trained individuals with specialized fuel data to monitor, review, audit, and inspect fleet fuel transactions. The training of these people takes thousands of fleet fueling transactions to review before they start to understand the fuel data. Fuel dispensing islands-this is a location at a fuel management client’s location and/or truck stop and/or card lock fuel location that a fleet fueling card is usually used to activate the fueling pump. This allows fuel dispensing to take place into a fleets operation. Most fuel dispensing islands are hooked up to bulk fuel tanks that have fuel inventory monitoring systems to ensure safe environmental operations. Fuel Consulting experts- people that have spent years in the fleet fuel industry and understand how to provide fuel management clients with maximized value. A fuel consulting expert knows all of the ins and outs of fleet fueling cards, fleet fuel discounts, fleet fuel auditing, fuel rebates, federal & state fleet fuel taxes to name a few. Mobile Fleet Fueling companies- fleet fuel companies that go to the fuel management client’s location with their fuel truck during off hours. This type of fleet fuel service is best for a company with fleet management issues such as labor rates or labor time to fleet fuel at a fuel island. Mobile fleet fueling will save fuel management clients money in their labor expense. Fleet Fuel Planning programs- a fleet fuel plan is a strategic plan for a fuel management client to meet his fleet management goals of lowering fleet fueling costs, staying under the fuel budget, improving fleet fuel audits to lower overcharges and fraud, increase fleet fuel knowledge through outsourced fuel management programs Fleet Fueling cards- a fleet fueling card is a plastic fuel card used to purchase gas and diesel fuel. It has controls in place within the fleet fueling card to protect the fuel management client from fraud and abuse. The fleet fuel cards also provide fleet management with fleet fuel information such as miles per gallon, fleet fuel usage, number of times a fleet fuels in a day, etc. Fuel Management-when your fleet fuel program is actively managed by fleet fueling experts to achieve lower fuel costs for your gas and diesel fuel purchases. This increased visibility to your fleet fueling program on your fleet fuel cards, bulk fuel deliveries, mobile fleet fueling and fuel inventory is reviewed and audited daily providing you with up to date fleet fuel data. |
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