Fuel is an important concern for all companies with fuel costs accounting for a major part of monthly operating costs. Despite fluctuations in the fuel price, the long-term outlook is for annual double-figure increases due to the global shortage of crude oil and an ailing Rand.
In light of this, do Fleet Managers give fuel management the importance it deserves?
Diesel fuel theft within the road transport industry is reaching an all-time high and it’s claimed that within the road transport industry up to 20% of all diesel purchased can be lost due to fuel theft. Fuel abuse is present in a surprising number of fuel transactions and is not only limited to fuel fraud (for example siphoning fuel, fuel card fraud and other scams), it can also include other factors like vehicles that are inefficient or badly maintained, or drivers taking inefficient routes which result in wasted kilometres. Some truck drivers have been working in cahoots with the syndicates, police said, explaining the stolen diesel is sold for around R8 a litre on the black market – R7 cheaper than the retail prices of R14/R15 a litre. Diesel has become a liquid currency for money, food and, consumables. In rural areas in Africa Diesel taxi’s, garages, diesel depots and “small” transport companies want your diesel and are willing to pay less for stolen diesel. Side fueling happens when fuel is paid for at garages but some of it is dispensed into a container standing next to the truck or when the vehicle moves it is placed inside a taxi for cash paid to the driver and diesel attendant. Diesel theft amounts to 15-20 % of all diesel sold in South Africa via redistribution.
How can Informed Decisions help you?
With the use of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) the process of data collection and analysis can be easier. Stationary fuel tanks such as in fuel farms, generators etc, as well as mobile tanks like trucks, buses and heavy equipment, can be monitored remotely. Until recently, companies who distribute bulk fluids would monitor tanks manually, checking them one by one to make sure they were not empty. Over time, companies determined that this method of “topping up” tanks and making emergency callouts at a moment’s notice was costing them a great deal of money; turns out it was money they did not need to spend.
Solutions for remote tank monitoring allow companies to get accurate, real-time information on tank levels to avoid runouts or unnecessary service calls. Data from tank sensors across the network gives these distributors the ability to determine at-a-glance which customers’ tanks need to be refilled and which do not. This “new method” of remote tank monitoring enables distributors to improve responsiveness to reduce downtime, enhance customer service, and reduce stop costs.
SmartFuel Bulk Diesel Monitoring isn’t your regular fleet management system, besides, vehicle tracking and driver management, SmartFuel Bulk Diesel Monitoring also monitors fuel usage and loads, provides sensor-based incident alerts and data gathering, implements geofencing with safe engine shut-offs, and even tracks container loads. SmartFuel Bulk Diesel Monitoring gives transport companies, car rental agencies and vehicle manufacturers piece of mind and total control of their data through an extensive, customisable online dashboard.
IoT’s role in fleet management is pretty straightforward. It all starts with sensors and devices embedded in the vehicles bulk tanks and the data they are capturing. Depending on the type of data a fleet manager wants to analyze, they would need to equip their tank trucks with the appropriate hardware sensors.
Informed Decisions can offer a bulk diesel monitoring solution which can monitor and manage the bulk storage tanks with sensors monitoring the two key elements, which are total diesel in the tank and the dispense volume, thus offering a holistic measurement of diesel for fleets, construction sites and mines. This means real-time monitoring with the ability to notify managers by means of an alert if diesel is being stolen or irregularly dispensed.
As a Proudly South African OEM, they provide a full IoT tracking and analysis solution that integrates sensors, tracking, and analysis technology with your production, distribution and resale channels to give end-to-end insights on any products.
Informed Decisions are solution builders of systems to give their clients accurate and real-time analytics to make an Informed Decision.
Informed Decisions do almost everything in-house from concept, design, electronics, firmware, hardware, platforms, front-end dashboards, and reporting. Their range of sensors and devices for gathering information allows them to provide the right hardware to gather and report on anything clients wish to monitor.
