There’s a threat and worry of a fuel shortage thanks to geopolitical conflicts. Many business owners are worried about how this’ll affect their operations, which is why our team at Cartrack put together this FAQ page to answer all the pressing questions you may have!
Keep reading to see questions and answers!
No, according to the government, there isn’t a fuel shortage in South Africa. However, fuel prices are rapidly rising because of global conflicts, but currently there’s no threat of a fuel shortage.
Before the fuel increase in April, many people started panic buying, which caused a temporary fuel shortage at local fuel stations across South Africa. However, there doesn’t seem to be a worry of a fuel shortage at the moment, so it seems petrol will still be available for a long time.
Cartrack's fuel management system assists with fuel savings by providing businesses with real-time fuel management. This helps fleet managers with:
All of these assist with saving fuel.
The current fuel crisis is affecting both petrol and diesel; however, there’s no actual shortage. It’s affecting their prices and creating delivery delays, which could make it seem as if there is a fuel shortage in some areas.
From the 1st of April 2026, the significant fuel increase for 93 and 95 octane petrol rose by R3.06 per litre, and diesel increased by over R7.30 per litre (wholesale). For May 2026, although nothing has been officially stated, fuel is estimated to rise by over R3.50–R4.70 per litre for petrol and R4.00 to over R13.00 per litre for diesel.
You can monitor fuel theft in your business with a fuel management system from Cartrack. Our fuel sensors and fleet management system work together to accurately monitor every drop of fuel. This way fleet managers are easily able to pick up on an abnormal drop of fuel and spot fuel theft.
You can save on fuel on long-distance trips by doing the following:
No, keeping your tanks full at all times won’t save fuel. Actually you’ll end up making your vehicle less fuel-efficient thanks to the constant extra weight you’re adding to your vehicle. The added weight means you’ll accelerate more and burn more fuel.
The 50% refuel rule is a fleet management strategy where you treat the 50% halfway mark on your fuel tank as empty. This then protects your business so that if there ever is a fuel shortage, you’ll have spare fuel and your operations won’t be delayed for a period.
Some top tips to save fuel, no matter what vehicle you own, are:
To save on fuel costs for machinery, you need to make sure you’re keeping your machines well maintained, your operators are trained properly, operators aren’t idling the machines for extended periods, and you have a fuel monitoring system set up.
If there’s panic buying, as a business owner, try not to join the hysteria. Keep with your regular filling schedule, and for long-term peace of mind, invest in building a mixed fleet of fuel and electric vehicles. This way you can still keep your business moving.
Yes, Cartrack can absolutely assist you with proper route planning with our top-of-the-range technology. We use GPS technology and AI-powered algorithms to examine factors such as traffic conditions, delivery locations, road conditions, and vehicle capacity to create the most effective and efficient routes for your drivers.
