An application of operations research for reducing fuel costs

Abstract

The objective of this work is to identify gas stations out of the route predeter-mined by a transport company based both on refueling feasibility and on lower fuel costs. The work consists of a case study that collected data such as kilometers run, amount refueled, product transported, type of operation, and average diesel consumption during the trip. Through the Operations Research, we were able to evaluate the feasibility of deviating the vehicle from the current route (mainly highways) to stations in the surroundings. The aim was to check if the organization would obtain any significant fuel cost reduction from this deviation. Our findings suggested cost reduction for the route used in the model, as well as the need to apply the mathematical model whenever there was an intention to deviate from the route in order to refuel at stations with lower diesel prices.