Having originally established as a local coal merchant and removals company in 1895 with a horse drawn carriage, Horsleys now boasts a large fleet of vans, LGVs and HGVs, whose journeys can stretch all over Europe. With fuel bills ever increasing as well as the need to reduce their economic footprint, they required a system that gave them more insight into their fuel usage, as well as more security and control.

David Carver, managing director for Horsleys, told us “Before we had our Merridale package installed, we effectively had no system at all. We had a simple pump with a meter that didn’t work properly and could dispense fuel but had no control over who was using the pump and no way of monitoring or reporting on stock and usage. Merridale were able to update the pump and meter on our existing tank and fit a fuel and tank management system alongside to enable us more control, without completely replacing the unit.”

The fact that Merridale offers everything in one package without the need for multiple providers or third-party involvement showed me that they really understand the product. It gave me confidence knowing they would be able to sort everything themselves in the first instance and then offer service and support into the future.

By adding a Merridale MX-M fuel management system, Horsleys now have access to Merridale FuelWorks, the most comprehensive fuel management software on the market. FuelWorks has become increasingly popular with Merridale’s current customers due to its ability to be accessed through a web browser on any device. FuelWorks gives the user complete flexibility and accessibility, eliminating the need for the software to be installed on a limited number of nominated devices.

FuelWorks allows multiple users to report on and monitor their environmental impact, fuel usage, costs and vehicle performance across multiple sites or tanks using real-time or automated reporting. It also has the capability to monitor tank levels and predict low stock, with email alerts being sent in such events. The software has been designed in-house by Merridale to be as user-friendly as possible, without sacrificing any functionality. Merridale also offers unrivalled levels of support and training, with initial training being available remotely, and a help desk on hand to offer ongoing support.

“Our transition to digital fuel management has been painless so far! We’ve not had it long enough to sink our teeth in deeply yet, but I can already see it has everything we need and more. I was also very impressed with the lads who delivered and installed the equipment, they did a really good job on what was probably the wettest day of a very wet winter. It was the most atrocious day, but they got on with it brilliantly and we were ready to go in no time” continued David.

Only by using Merridale directly, cutting out distributors or a third party, can you be assured of first-class support for your hardware, with Merridale having a vested interest in ensuring your equipment is supported to the highest standards. As the manufacturer, rather than just a distributor, Merridale has a total commitment to the life of their product and not just the sales process.

“The fact that Merridale offers everything in one package without the need for multiple providers or third-party involvement showed me that they really understand the product. It gave me confidence knowing they would be able to sort everything themselves in the first instance and then offer service and support into the future.”

With all Merridale products designed to achieve a minimum life of 10 years and meeting strict ATEX standards, there is no compromise on build quality. However, on the rare occasions that an emergency repair is required, Merridale’s service team always have genuine Merridale replacement parts available. As well as having a typical response time within two working days, they successfully repair over 95% of their callouts without needing full system replacements.

Furthermore, to help avoid any unwanted or surprise bills, Merridale offers a range of aftercare packages so you can rest assured that your equipment will be taken care of. With Merridale Care, for a small annual fee, you will benefit from inclusive service calls for wear-and-tear repairs, with costs of parts, labour, and travel covered, as well as receiving priority attendance. Their professional on-site scheduled inspection and calibration service, Merridale Protect, helps to reduce unexpected breakdowns and improves system efficiency which in turn increases the equipment’s operating life.

To find out how a Merridale complete fuel management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.

Merridale can specify, source, and supply storage and dispensing systems to suit your shape, footprint, and specifications. Their above ground, fully-bunded tanks can include options such as walk-ways and anti-vandal cabinets, and are typically supplied in sizes between 500 and 200,000 litres. Even with a smaller storage tank, fleet owners have more control over their fuelling process and can take advantage of the cheaper prices when buying in bulk compared to purchasing from filling stations. There is no need for drivers to queue and collect fuel as it would be safely stored in your yard and operators will see far better control of usage.

Over the last ten years, Merridale Ltd has become a major supplier of above ground bunded storage tank systems in the UK. In a competitive market, they have managed to secure a reputation as a reliable and trustworthy provider by developing a set of stringent design and quality standards. With the focus on ensuring that customers get exactly what they deserve, a package designed for long-life, compliance, and supportability, Merridale only work with fabricators they know work to the highest standards..

To help combat fuel theft, Merridale’s tanks can also be fitted with Merridale tank management systems. These systems include sudden-drop detection, to alert you immediately, via SMS, of any unexpected change in fuel level. This means that you will be alerted to any severe leak or theft from the tank that occurs, irrespective of where you are at the time.

To find out how a Merridale fuel and tank management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk.

“The FuelSite software is very easy to use and it provides all the information we need to track our operating costs.”

According to proprietor, Jim Hawkins, “Merridale software was specified because this had been used previously and we knew exactly what to expect in terms of reliability and support.”

Hawkins Transport is a family owned business, now being run by the founder’s grandsons, Jim and Peter. Cost accounts and fuel administration is handled by Jim’s niece, Lizzie. The firm operates a fleet of 22 vehicles, the majority of which are now articulated trailers. Fuel usage is currently running at around 40,000 litres a month.

“We have considered the use of fuel cards, but since diesel prices are now falling, we decided that it would be more efficient to purchase in bulk again. The FuelSite software is very easy to use and it provides all the information we need to track our operating costs,” says Jim Hawkins.

“As a business we have had to adapt to different customer requirements. Fred Hawkins started by providing transport services to the local market gardeners and flower growers. Today we have several key accounts, providing general haulage and pallet distribution services into the Midlands. We are still located on a single site but as operations have changed, fewer vehicles need to fuel away from home cialis generika eu.”

“This investment allows us to take advantage of falling diesel prices , says proprietor Bert Glynn. “Apart from being able to negotiate bulk prices, depot fuelling is much more convenient and we are saving time taken up by visiting agency outlets.”

Currently Glynn’s Skips has 28 vehicles mostly trucks but also vans and company cars on the service. Overall consumption for the fleet is running at around 1,000 litres a day.

The fuelling points are self-service and all transactions are monitored by the Merridale FuelWorks web-based reporting service. The Merridale equipment was selected on recommendation from another fleet operator.

Bert concludes by saying: “Keeping track on individual vehicles is quite straightforward. I simply call up the Merridale screen and click on the relevant line to see how much fuel has been used and the mpg fuel consumption figures.

“Next to wages, fuel is the largest operating cost and it goes without saying that this has to be managed efficiently,” explains Ilfracombe Depot Manager, Peter Day. “Like most businesses today, we are under constant pressure to deal with stricter fuel emissions legislation, reduced profit margins and the growing need to prove our environmental credentials to our customers.”

The Merridale fuel management service complements our vehicle tracking system to provide total visibility of our day to day fleet operations. In all fairness, I do not know how we coped without it.”

To meet these challenges, depot fuelling facilities at Ilfracombe and Whitney, Oxfordshire, have been upgraded to implement Merridale FuelWorks, a web-based fuel management reporting service. The upgrade replaced a previous aftermarket product, which was below standard for the company’s future requirements.

Peter Day continues, “We were having problems with reconciling our fuel stocks against usage accurately and our accountants had very little confidence in the reports. The pumps at both sites were also beyond their useful service lives, so we decided that it was time to install a more effective solution.”

“The Merridale fuel management service complements our vehicle tracking system to provide total visibility of our day to day fleet operations. In all fairness, I do not know how we coped without it.”

“I believe there is a lot more potential for analysing vehicle performance to help us make better informed decisions in the future. For example we have embarked on an operational trial for using hybrid technology – that is by tapping stored energy from vehicle braking and using this to boost acceleration. Two vehicles have been equipped with this technology and we now have the methodology and tools required to undertake a thorough assessment over different routes.”

“We want to wring out every possible benefit from these tools. For a business ordering high volumes of fuel, and we are currently using over one million litres a year, any saving is going to make a big difference,” he said.

Next to the wage bill, fuel accounts for largest proportion of the operating costs.  The company runs a fleet of 50 articulated vehicles and trailers. Fuelling is covered by external fuel card accounts, backed up by depot facilities. These are controlled by a Merridale commercial pump dispenser with integrated electronic monitoring .  The pump is connected to two tanks providing a total storage capacity of 90K litres.

[quote]“Accuracy is crucial and the main advantages of the Merridale system are the ability to track usage and make sensible purchasing decisions because we can manage our depot stock more efficiently.“ [/quote]

“We tend to replenish with 30K loads when the stock level gets down to about 9K,”explains fleet administrator, Julie Hales.

“Accuracy is crucial and the main advantages of the Merridale system are the ability to track usage and make sensible purchasing decisions because we can manage our depot stock more efficiently . There is a constant need to balance external (bunker) fuel credits and depot capacity.  So having better visibility of the depot fuel status is a major benefit to help control costs and plan ahead.”

In addition to its Merridale facilities, Hayward Transport has taken fuel management a step further by introducing a web-based vehicle monitoring system. This is a telematics facility which combines satellite navigation tracking with data from the vehicle engine management system. It provides a more detailed analysis of specific shifts and journeys recording a profile covering driving style and stationary idling time.

Fuel management and measurement is a major issue for anyone running fleets of trucks, excavators and other plant, and until recently was a problem for the Cullimore Group. "We could never reconcile our fuel records, especially the tanks at our two remote sites," says Site Manager Phil Whitman. "One of our fuelling points in Ashton Keynes [near Swindon] for instance is in the middle of a gravel pit, in a rather vulnerable position."

The main problem with stock reconciliation was that old fashioned and frankly subjective manual dipping methods meant stock control was guesswork at best. "We would have twenty thousand litres of fuel delivered, and drivers would draw from this using a key-type device but we never got any reporting from it, nothing to help us identify the problem," says Phil, who decided it was time to look into buying in a new system.

We sourced the installation from a specialist supplier who recommended Merridale pumps and fuel monitoring – reporting software. This was backed up by some excellent references from other haulage firms that were using the Merridale system. From there we went about placing orders.

Installed in May 2009, the digital monitors began to provide lots of data such as the precise amount each vehicle drew each time it refuelled together with the odometer reading. From this input we could calculate the mileage per gallon, our drivers were achieving out on the road.

This information coupled with a live feed of the storage tank contents gave us up-to-the-minute stock figures. By recording the fuel usage the Merridale reporting software showed we had a serious discrepancy in stock levels at Ashton Keynes with tanks much less full than expected. ‘We went through the various auditing processes to check the system such as pump calibration, and all these proved to be within the accuracy of a forecourt or better,’ says Phil, whose suspicions began to rise.

"On closer investigation we realised that we had been losing a very considerable volume of fuel in a short space of time. The Merridale system had identified exactly what time of day, how much was removed and how it was taken out of the tank."

Phil acted quickly and installed surveillance and other countermeasures to prevent further breaches – and having done so the theft stopped immediately. "You think about the volume of diesel we were losing over the years," he says, "our accountant always said there was something major wrong. We never believed that someone was taking that level of fuel , but they were, and Merridale picked that up."

By measuring fuel usage, the new monitoring system has also helped in managing Moreton Cullimore’s carbon footprint, making their fleet more environmentally friendly. "The company owns all our vehicles so collating the fuel efficiency figures allows us to make more informed decisions.

"Surprisingly new engines may be cleaner and more friendly to the environment but they burn more diesel. They certainly need to be driven carefully to get the same efficiency as the older stock." Such buying decisions are not purely for ethical and ecological reasons but also in order to look after the bottom line.

According to Phil "there is one particular size of cement mixer we bought and will not buy again solely because of the amount of fuel it uses. Because they are road-going vehicles they use white diesel and we have to pay full duty on that." For the Cullimore Group – like many similar enterprises – this may be an unintended knock-on effect of a simple act of modernisation, but is on reflection a most welcome one from an environmental perspective.