A UK forklift supplier is cautioning the materials handling sector to adopt stringent fuel management techniques for diesel-powered forklifts to combat the soaring price of crude oil.

Finning Materials Handling, the UK's Caterpillar dealership, is urging customers to follow guidelines that could potentially reduce fuel costs up to 20 per cent.

Technical manager Trevor Clifton said inadequate truck care and poor driving could have a severely detrimental effect on fuel efficiency.

Deflated pneumatic tyres could create rolling resistance, which can increase fuel consumption up to 8 per cent. Leaving a truck running over a meal break was also a common habit that inflated fuel costs, Clifton said.

Finning's fuel management tips

• Ensure tyres are properly inflated to the manufacturer's guidelines
• Regularly change engine lubricants to reduce component wear and tear.
• Don't leave an idle truck ticking over for longer than 10 minutes.
• Consider, where appropriate, use of speed limiters to help reduce fuel use.