Fleet managers have an unprecedented opportunity to take control of fuel costs thanks to the impetus provided by the recession and likely future price rises, says fleet software company CFC Solutions.

The firm says that, with the Petrol Retailers' Association forecasting that motorists can expect to be paying 123p for a litre of unleaded by the end of 2010 up from a current price of 108p, genuine momentum for action could be created.

Neville Briggs, managing director at CFC, said: “We have been advising fleet managers for years that fuel is a key area where costs can be reduced.

"However, it has always been a difficult ‘sell’ for them within their organisations thanks to lack of understanding about how petrol and diesel buying and use can be managed, so take up has been low.

“However, now could be the time when they can push for genuine change.

"The fuel price increases being forecast are considerable and, combined with the pressure for cost cutting created by the recession, they may finally win director level backing.”

Briggs explained that the key difficulty surrounding perception of fuel costs was that senior managers believed that there was nothing that could be done to control them and that price increases simply had to be accepted and suffered.

He said: “In fact, our experience is that the opposite is true. Fuel is a major expenditure for most fleets and responds very well to managerial control.

"Savings in expenditure of 5-10% are reasonably common.”