Do you operate a transport company, construction firm, or automobile dealership? What’s the best way to ensure your vehicles and equipment are properly fueled on time? Use onsite fuel management practices to save money and time using onsite tank storage, onsite fueling, or a particular combination that suits your needs the best. Keep reading to learn more about the right choice to make.
Until recently, companies had no choice but to purchase supplies and fuel at the local pump or store their fuel onsite in tanks. Onsite storage enables companies to refuel their vehicles and service their equipment 24×7 without any issues. While this method has its advantages, how can you be sure that it’s the safest, most efficient, and most economical method to use?
Optimize Your Time with Onsite Wet Hosing
Imagine how amazing it would be if your vehicles and equipment were fueled and services even before you or your operators or drivers at the office? Not just that – you’d also have details of the following information:
- The equipment that was fueled along with the fuel quantity used
- The vehicles that were fueled along with the fuel quantity and odometer readings
That would make your job a hundred times easier, wouldn’t it? You no longer have to order your crew around to gas up their vehicles and reach the site quickly. That’s what you have to look forward to with mobile onsite delivery (also known as wet-hosing).
Save More Money Using Onsite Fuel Management
Is the lack of an onsite fuel management system hurting your bottom line? While fuel expenses are part of your operating costs, remember that you also have to consider other expenses, not just the fuel prices.
How much are you paying your employees per hour? If the drivers have to spend a lot of time refueling at the local station, isn’t that hurting your company’s productivity? How are your revenues being affected due to this? Instead of reducing gasoline usage or trying to save on gas prices, try using onsite fueling to save your money and time.
In an onsite fueling system, you can purchase fuel from different suppliers in the market. You can reduce your fuel expenses considerably by shopping around for bulk fuel deals when fuel prices are in the fall. You can also enter a contract that uses a fixed pricing method to control your fuel costs.
Minimize Maintenance Expenses Using a Mobile Fueling System
You don’t have to drive an extra five miles to the gas station and back by delivering gas directly to a vehicle. While this might seem like a small figure, it’ll add up in the long run, especially if your business has a large automobile fleet. Additionally, wet-hosing ensures that your vehicles don’t go through as much wear-and-tear, saving on maintenance expenses.
Mobile Fueling Can Help Reduce Theft
Employees are often allowed to purchase gas using company-issued credit cards or self-fuel from onsite tanks. But this method is also fraught with risks. Some employees may be dishonest, choosing to fill up the vehicles of their family or friends. Others may gas up on Fridays and return with an empty tank. Unless you exercise strict control, it’s effortless for employees to get away with practices like this. If you use onsite tanks or fuel cards, you’ll have to account for shrinkage, which can eat into your profits. No matter how well-run your construction, logistics, distribution, or transportation company may be, it’ll always have to account for shrinkage of 1-2%, going as high as 5% at times. Mobile fueling can take care of these issues with ease.
Onsite Above-Ground Storage Options
Some companies may go for onsite above-ground storage, which is used to supplement a wet-fueling system, where your automobile fleet is automatically fueled. Choosing to store your fuel in an onsite above-ground storage system offers substantial advantages compared to in-ground fuel storage tanks such as:
- Fewer regulations
- Easier to move around
- Easy inspections
- Easy cleanings
How To Choose the Right Above-Ground Fuel Tank Storage System?
More and more companies opt for above-ground fuel storage tanks as they have low up-front costs and maintenance expenses. Installation costs are also on the more downside compared to underground tanks that require deep excavations and backfiring, not to mention other measures that are pretty costly.
When you select an AST, get yourself an AGT UL 142 double-walled steel tank, which complies with the latest standards. Ensure its compartments, fittings, and wall thickness have the exact specification you need. While pump technology has remained relatively the same for a while now, tanks have evolved considerably. For instance, fuel tanks were round in the past but are rectangular since moving them around and stacking them is much easier.
How Important Is Regular Maintenance?
Regardless of whether your fuel is delivered and loaded into your equipment and vehicles or delivered via onsite tanks, you must make sure to carry out regular maintenance. If you have a fleet management system, you’ll be sent integrated fuel data regularly that can be used to ensure your equipment and vehicles are being serviced on time. If you use a wet-hosing or fuel card system, mileage entry has to be done every time you fuel up to update your fleet management system data in real-time.
It’s vital to track mileage regularly to know how often your vehicles and equipment require maintenance. Mileage tracking allows you to have a helpful fleet management system without relying on someone else to keep track of your maintenance schedule, thus saving you money every year. It’s even more helpful if you operate a large automobile fleet. When vehicles and equipment are correctly serviced on time, they will have higher fuel efficiency and last longer.
Onsite Vehicle Fleet Management Systems Keep Track of Fuel Quality
Your company’s fleet management firm will shoulder the responsibility of ensuring your fuel quality standards are being met. If the fuel that’s supposed to last for months gets depleted too quickly, that will be taken care of by the fleet management company.
Onsite Fuel Management Pioneers
FNF Petroleum has been Missouri’s top bulk fuel distributor for over 30 years now, catering to numerous clients in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, and construction sectors. If you need a trustworthy supplier of premium-quality diesel and fuel, reach out to us today. Read our Bulk Fuels and Fuel Service Brochure to learn everything you need to know about our business offerings.
We look forward to hearing from you!