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Age of cheap fuel is over: IEA

One major indicator of inflation is the price of petrol and the latest information from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows it will only get more expensive.

Oil is deeply embedded in the economy, with the cost reflected not only at the petrol bowser but in food and clothing products.

The IEA is an independent, multi-government agency formed out of the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. It forecasts oil production, monitors the international oil market and other energy sectors.

Only five years ago it confidently stated that oil production was set to rise to 120 million barrels a day by 2030.

But IEA chief economist Fatih Birol says the world's crude oil production peaked in 2006.

He says oil prices are likely to rise 30 per cent over the next three years.

"The existing fields are declining so sharply that in order to stay where we are in terms of production levels in the next 25 years, we have to find and develop four new Saudi Arabias," he said.

"It is a huge, huge challenge that we continue to underline."

Dr Birol says although peak crude oil production is already behind us, liquid natural gases may provide a viable alternative.

But he says one of the conclusions the IEA has come to is that the age of cheap oil is over. At the height of the global financial crisis in 2008, oil spiked to $148 a barrel.

Dr Birol says the impact of both a financial crisis in Europe and global instability in oil-rich regions means crude oil will only get more expensive.

"The amount of increase in the oil input bill in Europe is equal to the government budget deficit of Greece plus Portugal put together," he said.

"It is only the increase value of $90. If it increases further ... we believe [it] will increase at least 20, 30 per cent higher in the next few years to come and this would mean additional pressure on the financing of many governments who are the oil importers."

Dr Birol says the oil reserves might be there but the access is not.

He also says it could be in the best interest of producers if crude oil is not always flooding the market.

"The producers, intentionally or unintentionally, may not bring the oil under the reserves to the markets," he said.

"For some producers, it is better that oil doesn't come to market so they would like to see perhaps higher prices as a result of tightness in the markets."

The IEA says governments around the world need to rethink their reliance on oil.

WikiLeaks: Peak Oil is Real, Saudis running out of oil

The latest startling revelation to come via documents leaked to Julian Assange's website and published by The Guardian should give pause to every suburban SUV-driver: U.S. officials think Saudi Arabia is overpromising on its capacity to supply oil to a fuel-thirsty world. That sets up a scenario, the documents show, whereby the Saudis could dramatically underdeliver on output by as soon as next year, sending fuel prices soaring.

The cables detail a meeting between a U.S. diplomat and Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration for Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, in November 2007. Husseini told the American official that the Saudis are unlikely to keep to their target oil output of 12.5 million barrels per day output in order to keep prices stable. Husseini also indicated that Saudi producers are likely to hit "peak oil" -- the point at which global output hit its high mark -- as early as 2012. That means, in essence, that it will be all downhill from there for the enormous Saudi oil industry.

"According to al-Husseini, the crux of the issue is twofold. First, it is possible that Saudi reserves are not as bountiful as sometimes described, and the timeline for their production not as unrestrained as Aramco and energy optimists would like to portray," one of the cables reads. "While al-Husseini fundamentally contradicts the Aramco company line, he is no doomsday theorist. His pedigree, experience and outlook demand that his predictions be thoughtfully considered."

The Fuel Fix: Maintenance

One of the best ways to maximize fuel economy, yet one of the most frequently overlooked approaches, is making sure that your vehicle is well maintained. Routine maintenance is there for a reason: to help your vehicles continue to run in tip-top shape. This is true for all vehicles, including passenger cars, but it is especially true for fleet vehicles, which see much more wear and tear than the average personal vehicle.

There are a number of things that are frequently repaired or replaced during scheduled maintenance, such as:

• Oil and oil filter
• Antifreeze
• Transmission oil (or fluid and filter)
• Air filter
• Spark plugs
• Spark plug wires
• Distributor cap and rotor
• PCV
• Oxygen sensors
• Belts and hoses
• Batteries
• Tires

Replacing all of these things on time helps to keep your fleet vehicles running smoothly. Skipping any of these can cost you money by leading to a decrease in fuel economy, or by leaving a driver stranded on the side of the road - resulting in late deliveries and your driver being paid for several hours of doing nothing but waiting for a tow truck.

Keeping up on your vehicles' maintenance doesn't have to be difficult. There are some things that are so quick and easy that your drivers can do it. For instance, checking regularly for proper tire inflation, and fixing any underinflated tires, can lead to as much as a 3 or 4 percent increase in fuel economy. Having your drivers change their air filters likewise can cause anywhere between a 2 to a 6 percent increase, depending on how dirty the old filter was.

As for bigger scheduled maintenance, such as oil changes and tune ups, you can easily keep track of what your vehicles have had - and therefore, what they will need next - by assigning each vehicle its own fuel credit card. These cards can usually be used to pay for maintenance as well, and since most fleet cards have detailed reporting systems to aid fleet managers in record keeping and other tasks, you can use the cards to track each vehicle's maintenance history.