The nightmare deepens when you consider your alternatives. Typical service stations are no longer designed for, or desire visits from, your type of fleet, which then leaves you to consider having to use designated truck stops. That can mean lengthy detours, or motorway service areas where fuel is significantly more expensive. You’ll also need to plan payments and receipts for these off-site purchases and make notifications to your customers regarding the inevitable delays.
Adding to your feeling of desperation, you know it may take days for your designated third-party fuel pump maintenance provider to attend, never mind ordering any necessary parts and carrying out the repairs. Realisation hits and you awake hot and sweaty with the thought ‘I need a back-up plan!’.
The simplest back up plan, if your existing pump is still in working order, would be to have a secondary fuel pump. The odds that both pumps fail at the same time are minimal and you may even benefit by being able to fuel two vehicles simultaneously, meaning you can get your fleet on the road sooner.
Back up pumps are not as expensive as you may think and compared to the additional costs generated by a single pump failure, may provide a cost-effective alternative. It may even be possible to ‘T’ into existing pipework and affix a pump adjacent to your primary pump.
If your nightmare has unfortunately come true and your only fuel pump is no longer working, or if you simply feel it is time to upgrade, you may be able to replace the existing pump with a ‘true twin’ unit that features two complete and independent pumps in a single cabinet.
Relative to the heavy costs involved with system downtime, the initial outlay of a few thousand pounds or so to establish a twin or secondary pump dwindle into insignificance. Planning now to avoid potential future breakdowns can help alleviate any worry of that nightmare situation becoming a reality.
Contact the Merridale sales office, on 01902 350700 or sales@merridale.co.uk, for free advice from a sales engineer on how to avoid nightmares and keep your fleet moving.
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