Fuel is the most significant on cost for all transport operators. As the business grows, so does the fuel bill and its potential to impact on profitability.
If there is space for a storage tank on the premises, then there will be a case for purchasing bulk supplies.
Having made the decision to install a diesel storage tank, the fleet manager’s immediate concerns will be security, fuel usage and stock control. There are strict environmental regulations concerning the storage of oil, so the first point of call should be a qualified installation supplier. As well as a suitable self bunded tank, this should also be equipped with alarms to prevent overfilling and instrumentation for leak monitoring.
An integrated fuel management system provides this facility by reconciling fuel stock against usage. Together with electronic contents measurements this provides a continual check on the integrity of the tank. Depending on usage and the size of the fleet then other considerations such as data analysis and reports will come into play.
Fuel management software is used to record how much fuel is put into each vehicle and how this relates to costs incurred against a particular project or customer account. The information from the pump monitor is relayed to the back office computer. Only authorised staff with designated vehicle/product keys can access the fuel, thereby eliminating opportunities for theft and abuse.
Wetstock contents are monitored electronically. The overall process involves data collection and communications and as a system, this can be scaled up, enabling multiple depots to be managed centrally.
Every fuelling transaction is validated and the system records fuel drawn and vehicle mileage. The data can be processed to create reports which can be customised to meet the requirements of different departments - depot managers – fleet managers – contracts administrators and finance.
Since 2018, JPB have been using Merridale’s MX-I to refuel, monitor and keep track of their extensive fuel use and large fleet of vehicles, having previously used only receipts and hand-written accounts of transactions to stay up-to-date. Built to be the complete solution in commercial fuelling and designed to meet strict ATEX standards, the MX-I […]
Having an unusual problem of one of the locations being highly remote and without power meant that this job was slightly different to Merridale’s standard installations but none-the-less, they were able to find the solution quickly and provide a temporary self-sufficient system. Marcus, who leads operations for the internet provider said “We needed a temporary […]
With Merridale’s own range now available, as well as still supplying Gilbarco with fuel management units, the marketplace had the choice of buying either a complete Merridale built package or a Gilbarco built version of the same management system. However, over the decades that followed, Merridale enhanced its product range by introducing true twin units, […]
