Idle Fuel Consumption
In Arabicاستهلاك الوقود أثناء الخمول
Fuel the engine burns while the vehicle stands still: ignition on, speed zero, no distance covered.
What is idle fuel consumption in fleet management?
Every minute of idling burns fuel with nothing to show for it. A heavy truck uses roughly 2 to 4 litres per idle hour, more with the air conditioning on, which is the norm in a Gulf summer.
A vehicle counts as idling when the ignition is on and speed is zero. Idle fuel is measured from CAN Bus or a flow meter, or estimated by multiplying idle hours by a fixed hourly rate.
How it works
- 1Ignition on, speed zero
- 2Fuel measured or estimated hourly
- 3Shown with its share of usage
Why does idle fuel consumption matter in fleet management?
Idling is one of the easiest kinds of waste to fix and one of the hardest to see. A truck idling two hours a day at 3 litres an hour burns about 1,500 litres a year without moving a metre. It also adds engine hours, bringing services forward, and raises emissions.
What you gain
- Waste made visible in litres
- Idle share for every trip
- Basis for an engine-off policy
How does Safee help measure idle fuel consumption?
Safee measures idle fuel for each vehicle with a fuel measurement source, and its share of every trip's consumption; for vehicles without one, you enter an hourly rate in the vehicle's Idle fuel consumption parameter and the Fuel Consumption Report estimates it from idle time. You see in litres how much was burned with the engine running and the wheels still, and which drivers account for most of it.
A field example
A parcel delivery company in Riyadh runs 120 vans. Its figures showed idling accounted for 14% of fuel, mostly drivers waiting at customers with the air conditioning on. Management set a five-minute limit on stops with the engine running and tied it to the monthly driver review. Two months later idling was down to 8% of fuel, saving about 4,000 litres a month.
Frequently asked questions
How much fuel does a vehicle use per hour of idling?
A car uses roughly half a litre to one and a half litres; a heavy truck 2 to 4 litres, more with air conditioning or a reefer unit running.
How can I estimate idle fuel without a fuel sensor?
Multiply idle hours by a fixed hourly rate suited to the vehicle type, for example 3 litres for a heavy truck.
Want to put this to work in your fleet?
Talk to a Safee fleet expert about your vehicles and how you operate, and we will suggest what fits.
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