New Fuel Scoring and Coaching Brings Context-Rich, Recognition-Based Approach to Fuel Efficiency

Author: Pramod Akkarachittor, Chief Product Officer, Netradyne

Fuel is one of the most visible line items in a fleet budget—and one of the hardest to move. Fleet managers can see MPG declining, watch idling creep up, and feel the cost pressure quarter after quarter. The data is rarely the problem. Most fleets already know that fuel is an issue.

What's missing is the ability to turn that awareness into action. Without a structured way to coach drivers on fuel-wasting behaviors, without context to make assessments fair, and without recognition to make improvement feel worth it, fleets are left hoping for change that doesn't happen consistently—or at all.

Most fuel management tools stop at the dashboard. They surface average MPG, flag idle time, and leave the rest to the manager. That approach treats fuel as a data problem when it's really a behavior problem—and behavior only changes when drivers are engaged.

Today, Netradyne is extending the same recognition-based coaching approach that has driven meaningful safety improvements for thousands of fleets to fuel efficiency.

Introducing Fuel Scoring and Coaching

Netradyne's new Fuel Scoring and Coaching capabilities bring the same trust-based driver engagement model behind GreenZone® Score directly to fuel performance—giving fleet managers the visibility, structure, and tools to drive real behavior change at scale.

The connection between safety and fuel efficiency isn't coincidental. On a fleet that deployed Netradyne’s Driver·i® system, a 10-point increase in GreenZone Score correlated to ~5-6% better fuel efficiency. The behaviors that make drivers safer—smooth acceleration, controlled speeds, appropriate following distance—are the same behaviors that improve MPG. Fleets that have already built a culture of safety are better positioned than they may realize to accelerate fuel savings with the right tool.

Full Context to Drive Trust and Fuel Efficiency

Netradyne’s fuel management solution gives fleet managers a unified view of fuel performance across every driver, group, and vehicle in the fleet—not just a fleet-wide average that masks where the real opportunity lies.

The new Fuel dashboard ranks driver and group performance using a combination of MPG, Fuel Score, idling time, drive time, and behavior data.  

• Managers can immediately see who's performing above the fleet goal, who's trending in the right direction, and who needs attention.

• Drivers can see how they rank against peers, understand which specific behaviors are affecting their fuel usage, and earn recognition for meaningful improvement.

Smart Scoring That Makes Assessment Fair

A new Fuel Score measures each driver's fuel efficiency by analyzing 100% of drive time, factoring patterns of fuel-wasting behaviors including harsh acceleration, braking, turning, and inconsistent speed. This score goes beyond trigger-based inertial alerts to provide full context and therefore better evaluation.  

Importantly, the fuel dashboard accounts for real-world variables that make fair assessment possible. Each driver's profile includes their driving classification—city, rural, or highway—along with terrain, vehicle type, and drive time.  

These contextual insights enable a manager to evaluate a driver running steep mountain routes or heavy urban stop-and-go differently than a highway driver logging straight miles. Context makes coaching credible, and credible coaching changes behavior.

A 3-Step Coaching Workflow Built for Fuel Efficiency

Knowing who to coach is only half the challenge. Netradyne's guided coaching workflow gives managers everything they need to turn fuel data into productive conversations that lead to lasting improvement.

Step 1: Overview. The session opens with a clear snapshot of the driver's fuel performance—average MPG, Fuel Score, idling percentage, and peer ranking. The platform automatically surfaces AI-generated recognition points for improvements the driver has already made, so the conversation starts with what's working before turning to what can improve. A manager coaching a driver who cut their idling from 11% to 2% in a week has something meaningful to recognize before any corrective conversation begins.

Step 2: Video Review. This is where context becomes a coaching advantage. Managers can review video clips tied directly to the fuel-impacting behaviors flagged in the driver's profile—hard acceleration, hard braking, unnecessary idling—with AI-recommended talking points already surfaced alongside the footage. Instead of generic guidance, managers can show a driver exactly what happened, explain why that behavior affects fuel efficiency, and offer specific techniques to improve. The coaching becomes concrete, not abstract.

Step 3: Final Notes & Recognition. The session closes with a recap of highlights, final performance rankings, and the option to formally recognize the driver's progress. Completed sessions are logged, follow-up reminders are set, and the cycle continues. That structured cadence—recognize, review, coach, follow up—is what makes improvement stick over time.

One Platform, Compounding Impact

What makes Fuel Scoring and Coaching different isn't any single feature—it's that it runs on the same platform already delivering safety outcomes for Netradyne customers.

There's no additional hardware, no separate system to manage, and no coaching workflow to build from scratch. Fleet managers already familiar with Netradyne's safety coaching experience will find the fuel experience immediately intuitive. And because safety and fuel insights share the same driver profile, the same video context, and the same recognition infrastructure, gains in one area reinforce the other. Safety and fuel performance aren't competing priorities on this platform—they move together.

Get Started

Fuel Scoring and Coaching is now available for Netradyne Fleet Management and Fuel Management customers. Learn more about our Fleet Management solution or book a demo.