Mechanical fuel monitoring units using printed till rolls are fast disappearing as haulage firms realise the benefits of real time tracking and state-of-the-art depot fuelling systems incorporating auditor controls, providing better quality data as well as improved security.
For R Turner Haulage of Fordham near Ely, Cambridgeshire, the decision to retire its ageing monitor was relatively easy after the unit became increasingly unreliable and the original supplier was no longer in existence.
“Turners operate 50 HGVs and the depot fuelling point accounts for around 100 thousand litres a month, so we needed to move fast to find a replacement,” explains Traffic Office Administrator, Paul Davidson.
[quote]We knew that this was an important capital expenditure decision. Fuel management touches on every aspect of the firm’s operations, not least of all costing and profitability. Happily MIS Fuel Monitoring ticked all three boxes – easy to use functionality - competitive price and immediate delivery. It was as simple as that.[/quote]
“Thanks to the Internet we were able to research current practice for fuel management and some potential suppliers.”
“We knew that this was an important capital expenditure decision. Fuel management touches on every aspect of the firm’s operations, not least of all costing and profitability. Happily MIS Fuel Monitoring ticked all three boxes – easy to use functionality - competitive price and immediate delivery. It was as simple as that,” says Paul Davidson.
Turners fuelling point is based on a 60K litres tank. The existing pump was replaced by a Merridale combined commercial pump and auditor unit with GPRS connections to the office.
The new system using smart cards and driver ID to authenticate fuelling transactions was implemented very smoothly. There was one minor technical glitch which enabled Turners to check out the Merridale after sales support – and it was dealt with immediately.
Paul Davidson concludes saying: “We have completed our first year of operation with Merridale and we are very happy with the equipment. Merridale reporting software is used primarily for monitoring fuel usage, cost accounting and vehicle mpg economy performance. It is easy to use and has become part of our normal fuel management process.”
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