by Richard Cosgrove | Fri 12 Jun 2026
Fuel Promise delivers certainty customers can rely on
As diesel prices climb and project budgets come under increasing pressure, Finning UK and Ireland, is giving customers a data-backed guarantee on the fuel consumption for new Cat® machines.
Fuel is not a background cost for customers operating heavy equipment. It is often the single largest operational expense, typically accounting for up to 30 per cent of total machine running costs. With prices rising sharply, customers across the industry are looking closely at home to manage risk, improve predictability, and protect their operating margins.
Finning first introduced its Fuel Promise on a limited basis in 2015, before expanding the programme significantly in 2024. The initiative has taken on a renewed relevance as fuel costs have surged in response to recent global events.
Under the scheme, operators who purchase a new Cat machine with a Customer Value Agreement (CVA) are given a model-specific fuel consumption benchmark. If the machine exceeds that benchmark over three years or 6,000 hours, Finning reimburses the customer with credits that can be spent on Finning parts and service.
What gives the guarantee its credibility is the data behind it. Every machine is connected through Product Link, which captures live fuel consumption data remotely through telemetry and tracks performance against the machine’s benchmark on a quarterly basis. Operators can monitor the levels at any time through VisionLinkTM, and view expected benchmark, actual consumption, idle time and any credit earned. Customers can also set engine idle alerts, or fuel loss, for their machines via VisionLink to provide further insights into removing fuel waste direct to their smart phone.
“Fuel has always been the one of the biggest costs facing customers across the industries we serve. But right now, the situation is even more volatile,” explains Tim Ballard, General Manager: Digital, Technology & Marketing at Finning UK and Ireland.
“That combination puts real strain on margins and makes forward planning genuinely difficult. The Fuel Promise gives operators something concrete. It’s a guarantee they can take to their budget holders, backed by real data from the machine itself. If the machine uses more fuel than the benchmark, we reimburse them. That’s a commitment we can stand behind because we trust the engineering in Cat machines, and we trust the data.”
The programme is particularly relevant for high-utilisation machines in quarrying, aggregates and infrastructure, where machines run long hours and fuel burn accumulates rapidly but the principle applies to all users. Even incremental reductions in consumption per hour, achieved through engine management, load-sensing hydraulics, auto-idle, auto-shutdown systems, and selectable Eco Mode, can translate into significant savings at fleet level over a full operating year. Under the Fuel Promise, those efficiency gains are no longer simply an expectation. They are guaranteed.
By tracking performance over the life of a CVA, operators create a verified record of fuel consumption that supports tighter sustainability targets, emissions reporting, and procurement requirements. VisionLink enables this by monitoring runtime, fuel use and idle time, with configurable metrics for fuel burn, CO2 emissions and cost.
The Fuel Promise is available now on selected Cat machines purchased with a CVA. Operators can speak to their Finning account manager or visit finning.com to find out more about eligibility and machine benchmarks.
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