World Business

Prices are high, but you can optimize efficiency

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by Amy Barrett

FOR ONE OR TWO TRUCKS: A number of free online calculators can help you cut your fuel costs. At aaa.com (click onward “public affairs”), you can plug in your Zip Code and the station wish perceive the cheapest gas in your circle. Google (GOOG) Maps not only provides directions but also will predict traffic patterns in the same manner with far as concerns the times you’ll be traveling.

FOR SMALL FLEETS THAT RACK UP A LOT OF MILEAGE: Get yourself a GPS system of the like kind as TomTom or Garmin, (GRMN) at hind part before $199 each. At the very least, they’ll cut into a denser consistence on the time spent lost. TomTom can now discovery the best route to your destination and give for the day of the week you’re traveling. For $14.95 a year, TomTom sends updates to your Bluetooth-compatible phone on the cheapest place to buy gas. Another option is Sprint (S), which have power to get the best route to your drivers via its Nextel walkie-talkie phones. The phones cost about $50; the Web-based route optimization service is about $55 per month per phone.

FOR BIG FLEETS: For $1,500 plus $300 a year, Rand Mcnally’S Intelliroute is one of the most complete route-finding services, figuring your lowest-cost destination by including everything from tolls to construction to your vehicles’ highway mileage. UPS (UPS) offers Roadnet, aimed at big operators, and Roadnet Anywhere, for fleets of ten or less trucks, a official function that helps optimize routes with regard to multiple deliveries. Roadnet Anywhere is $110 per month per excipient.

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