FLEET managers should follow a basic checklist when choosing vehicles for the fleet to guarantee fuel efficiency - a vital move as petrol and diesel costs are forced up by Government tax rises. Will Murray, senior researcher at the University of Huddersfield's Department of Transport and Logistics, says simple steps could save fleets thousands of pounds on their fuel bills.

He was speaking after it was revealed that fleet managers were wasting £450million every year because they were failing to monitor fuel bills. A survey by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions found that only 10% of fleet managers knew their total fleet fuel expenditure. Murray said: 'There are three themes to improving fuel efficiency. The first is ensuring that you have accurate fuel consumption figures. The second is getting the best from your present fleet, and the third is making fuel-efficient purchasing decisions when buying new or second-hand vehicles.'

The examples of good fuel efficiency were given at the University of Huddersfield's Fuel Efficiency conference, held at the university last week. His checklist is based around the vital need for accurate data, but the actual checking is based on simply keeping an accurate track of the fleet.