Fleet operators are being urged to prepare for significant congestion and rising fuel costs on Black Friday (28 November), with new Geotab analysis showing clear patterns of delivery pressure during last year’s peak.
In 2024, trips per vehicle increased by 12%, reaching a 16% spike at peak trading hours, as vans attempted to complete more drops in shorter windows. Average trip distance fell 8%, signalling tightly packed, short-hop routes to homes and click-and-collect locations. The downside: idling rose 9% as drivers sat in traffic or kept engines running during kerbside handovers.
Fuel consumption also climbed sharply. Geotab reports that per-vehicle fuel use jumped from a 48-litre baseline to 52 litres during Black Friday week, an 8% increase mirrored by an equivalent rise in CO₂ emissions. Similar patterns were recorded across the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe.
Geotab SVP Edward Kulperger said the crunch is entirely predictable but manageable with better planning: “More drops, shorter hops and far longer idling — but smarter routing and real-time planning can protect ETAs, drivers and margins.”
The company recommends micro-routing around known choke points, batching nearby consignments, refining urban driver coaching, and ensuring EV deployment on the most stop-start loops.
Geotab is part of FleetWise's 100 Trusted Brands. Fleet managers can explore stop–start mitigation strategies and telematics tools on pg.47 of FleetWise's Trusted Brands Guide.