Ownersite.com Makes Fuel Economy Recommendations Says Fleet Operators Can Save More Than They May Realize

ROSWELL, GA - April 16, 2012 - With gas and diesel prices hovering near $4.00 per gallon nationally (and expected to go higher), fleet owners are bracing for an expensive summer. The damage can be mitigated, cautions Steve Eppinger, if fleet owners and operators implement focused strategies that target excessive fuel consumption. Eppinger is the Founder and CEO of Ownersite.com, the cloud-based vehicle asset management platform optimized for small to medium-sized fleet owners.

"Fleet owners often hear how much fuel they can save by driving conservatively or using cruise control, and indeed these two tactics can reduce fuel consumption by up to 25%," says Eppinger. "But there are many other steps owners can take that cumulatively have just as much value—and also extend the life of their vehicles, These include not only better maintaining their vehicles but also implementing tracking and reporting systems that keep them apprised of fuel efficiency breakdowns."

In a 30-vehicle fleet with an average MPG of 27.3 (the corporate fuel economy standard in 2011) and an average mileage of 25,000 per vehicle per year, a one-dollar increase in gas prices equates to nearly $28,000 yearly in added fuel cost. Improving that number of 15% nets the fleet owner more than $4,000 in lost revenue, Eppinger points out.

"Some methods of improving mileage may appear negligible, given the amount of manual effort they require," says Eppinger. "However, dismissing these "lesser" improvements can be a fleet owners' biggest and most expensive mistake."

Eppinger offers these advanced strategies for fleet owners alarmed by the spike in fuel prices:

• Look at MPG reduction potential cumulatively, not individually. The MPG loss from an out-of-tune engine (4%), under-inflated tires (1.5%), and the wrong oil (1.5%) combined is greater than driving at high speeds 20% of the time (6%). Run with increased rolling resistance tires and you’ll net another 4% increase in MPG for a total of 11%.
• Evaluate fleet vehicles as a group and not just individually. Rank vehicle fuel economy (compared to what you expect) and then examine the worst underperformers more closely. If two 2006 Ford Econoline vans are 25% apart in fuel economy, the poorest performer—or its driver—needs serious help.
• Track mileage with each fill-up individually, not just averaged over time, to pinpoint the underlying causes of bad fuel economy. Reasons for poor MPG can be very specific. For example, a driver who fills in on the weekends may have a lead foot or not know how to use the GPS efficiently, throwing off a vehicle’s figures for the entire week.
• Get help in the form of tracking software. It's not easy to stay on top of fuel-saving strategies unless you run an easy-to-use (preferably mobile) vehicle maintenance and management solution. The best programs not only track mileage and remind you to do important maintenance; they also generate reports that help you identify problems.

Source for all statistics in this news release: Transportation Research Institute at The University of Michigan, September 2011

About Ownersite Technologies
Ownersite Technologies, whose customers have maintained 225 million miles of records using the solution to date, provides comprehensive web-based and mobile solutions to enhance the safety, reliability and value of its customers’ personal and commercial assets and vehicles. Our low cost asset management tools put the advantages usually reserved for large fleet owners into the hands of small business owners for a fraction of the cost. Ownersite.com is distributed directly to businesses and consumers online as well as through our channel of financial service and insurance providers, automotive service shops, and enthusiast networks. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Roswell, GA, Ownersite Technologies is a privately held technology company formed by the original creators of http://www.F150online.com. For more information, visit http://www.ownersite.com.

Ownersite.com Helps Fleet Managers Control Fuel Expenses During Gas Price Spike

ROSWELL, GA – May 18, 2011 – Ownersite Technologies, developer of asset management software for vehicle and home owners, today announced that fleet managers utilizing Ownersite.com to track the maintenance of their vehicles are feeling less pressure from rising fuel prices because of the greater fuel efficiency of their vehicles. Ownersite.com, the maintenance reminder and expense tracking system popular with fleet owners, has been shown to help car and truck owners who keep their vehicles in top condition achieve a measurable reduction in fuel usage.

When fuel prices rise, service-based businesses are often the first to feel the pinch at the pump. Businesses who can maintain the same level of quality service with a smaller increase in the cost of doing business gain a competitive advantage.

"We depend on Ownersite's technology to remind us when to service our vehicles – from oil to air filter changes," stated Paul Hartnett, president of Axis Coach, LLC. "Keeping our fleet well maintained has saved us between five and ten percent on our fuel costs."

Ownersite.com's developers recognize that in some fiercely competitive service industries that five to ten percent savings may contribute straight to the profit margin of a sale. Business owners recognize that with gas at $4/gallon, they could potentially recapture $500/year for each vehicle averaging 20,000 annual miles.

"Our software is designed to help vehicle owners operate their vehicles more efficiently and extend their lifetime on the road," said Steven Eppinger, President and CEO of Ownersite Technologies. "Ultimately we're helping them gain more value from their vehicle investment."

Ownersite.com users range from limousine and car services to pest control providers and landscapers. They drive a wide assortment of cars, trucks, vans and buses but are all searching for ways to deliver their service or reach their destination more efficiently.

Ownersite.com capitalizes on what automotive manufacturers have long advocated: that well maintained vehicles will experience better performance – including seeing better gas mileage – and have greater resale value when it comes time to upgrade.

About Ownersite Technologies

Ownersite Technologies provides comprehensive web-based and mobile solutions to enhance the safety, reliability and value of our customers' personal and commercial assets and vehicles. Our low cost asset management tools put the advantages usually reserved for large fleet owners into the hands of small business owners for a fraction of the cost. Ownersite.com is distributed directly to businesses and consumers online as well as through our channel of financial service and insurance providers, automotive service shops, and enthusiast networks. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Roswell, GA, Ownersite Technologies is a privately held technology company formed by the original creators of http://www.f150online.com. For more information, visit http://www.ownersite.com.

Ownersite adds better maintenance & reminder integration, mpg per fuel record

We are in the process of wrapping up our customer survey and we wanted to thank everyone for their support, feedback, kind words and suggestions. Several hundred people replied, so I think the information we have collected is going to serve our users very well. Of the suggestions, two items were requested more frequently than any other:

1) add a column to the fuel display page that shows fuel consumption by record
2) better integrate the maintenance record and reminder functionality

I am happy to say that we have listened to your feedback and have made these very useful enhancements to Ownersite as a result.

There is now a column on the fuel display page that shows your fuel consumption by record. (we have maintained this information in the past on the fuel graph and text-based fuel usage report, but not on the main page) The column will include a value only if two consecutive fuel records are both fillups. (if they are not fillups there is no way to know accurately how much fuel was used for the calculation)



In what was probably the number one request, we have enhanced how maintenance records and reminders integrate with each other. Ownersite has been able to detect if a reminder already exists for a maintenance, tire or oil change record that has been added for a couple of years now, but it was handled by popup messages, which we suspect were simply not being seen as a result of popup blockers being on by default in most browsers now. We have done away with the popup and the functionality is now handled by standard screens. Combined with the recently introduced reminder reset feature, we suspect this will accomodate the needs of 95% of our users.

Here is the existing reminder...


Now let's add a maintenance record...


Ownersite detects if there is a reminder scheduled for this service..


The reminder has been updated to reflect maintenance record...


There are a couple of caveats to the integration right now, in that it only works for odometer-based reminders. It will also do its best to detect user-defined reminders, but in some cases differences between the maintenance labels and reminder labels will not be detected.

We hope these features enhance your experience with Ownersite. We are always looking for ways to improve the product and we are listening to your suggestions. (and we have more things in the works) As always, thank you for your support!