Bulk distributors – what you’re missing with old technology

July 12, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

“You can’t use typewriters forever.”

We get it. You’ve always done business this way. You have great drivers and dispatchers. You make all of your deliveries, and your drivers seldom make mistakes. Your customers are happy. Margins are good, and you’re making money.

But how long will it last when your competitors are moving to mobile apps to increase driver efficiency and reduce contamination risks?

The reality is several factors are driving your competitors to change.

Industry consolidation
Driver shortages
More exotic products

Industry consolidation

Private equity is fueling industry consolidation. Companies facing acquisition opportunities don’t get the best deal if they are still using a paper-based workflows and manual routing. When rolling up smaller distributors, private equity firms have specific objectives to drive their ROI, which drives acquisition price:

Get efficiencies of scale
Operate as one company – not 25 small companies

To get efficiencies of scale, successful companies implement technology to drive efficiencies. Specifically, they invest in route optimization, mobile delivery apps, tank forecasting, and data analytics to drive their business. While it used to be “okay” to use paper or static routes, or dispatch from each office, rollups are centralizing dispatch and using technology to get efficiencies of scale.

Where you used to have competitors that did business the same way with paper and static routes, you now have ones who optimize routes, email customers when their delivery is scheduled, provide an immediate email receipt on delivery and a customer portal to view order history. They know how much it costs to serve a customer, and they grow without adding more trucks and trailers.

Routing technology enables centralized dispatch and knowing “planned times and distance.” Mobile technology provides real-time updates and captures “actual delivery metrics.” Routing and mobile together provide the foundation to understand the cost to serve and to drive efficiency by managing “plan vs actual”. The paper-based alternative is to pass driver management responsibilities to your customers.

Driver shortages

All distributors are dealing with driver shortages. You have to adopt technology to make the drivers as productive as possible, but there is a secondary reason that is just as important. With the current shortage of drivers, you’re forced to choose among less experienced drivers, so you are rolling the dice without the right technology. Mobile apps enforce workflows and ensure drivers follow the correct steps.

Even with experienced drivers, a mobile app that performs specific workflow checks is crucial and improves efficiency. For bulk product delivery, a mobile app that scans tank and compartment barcodes will confirm the product and prevent a contamination incident. If a driver puts 15W40 in a 0W20 tank, or 8% sodium hypochlorite in a 12% tank, they won’t know until the customer uses the product.

The worst scenario is not the cross-fills you find, but the ones you miss.

A mobile delivery app is the basis for driver efficiency. It provides real-time status updates to dispatchers and workflow efficiencies for drivers. Instead of handwriting meter values and using a calculator to determine what is delivered, the mobile app can read the meter directly. Data that you used to write on paper like stick readings now becomes actionable data to forecast tanks. With the goRoam mobile app, there is no paperwork as the data is captured on an Android or iOS device and transmitted electronically for billing – no more waiting on paperwork and no more re-keying. And the mobile app can enforce route compliance by requiring a PIN code for drivers to make deliveries out of sequence.

More exotic products = greater contamination risks

With more exotic products such as super low viscosity oils, the cost of making a delivery mistake is much higher. Distributors such as ExxonMobil and Shell have a heightened focus on their Quality Assurance programs.

If you don’t have a mobile app like goRoam to help drive workflow, it is simply a matter of time before you have a serious contamination issue.

Summary

Industry consolidation, driver shortages, and more exotic products are three reasons why you need to invest in technology right now. We understand you have always done business the same way, and you’re making money, but these factors are going to force you to adopt or lose business.

If you are a rollup operating as a independent companies, you have to adopt technology to get efficiencies of scale and operate as one.

The good news is, now it’s easier than ever to get started with our cloud server and fully managed mobile solutions. Contact us to get started!

3-way Match to Eliminate Product Integrity Issues

June 19, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

As a bulk distributor, product integrity matters. It may not occur frequently, but when contamination does happen, there can be a high cost in remediation, especially if the driver or customer does not catch it at the time of delivery.

What tools do you give your drivers to ensure they don’t cross-fill and contaminate a customer tank/asset?

Whether you distribute bleach, gases, fuels or lubricants, manufacturers such as ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron have increased their focus on product integrity and are looking at distributors to ensure you have tools and processes in place to avoid contamination.

We’ve worked with key manufacturers to develop a 3-way match between the compartment, product, and tank that ensures product integrity. You can enable 3-way matching at the truck/trailer level or enforce it on ALL of your trucks.

3-way matching using the goRoam mobile app

3-way matching is done in goRoam with a load sheet that contains 2D barcodes that are unique for that truck and compartment for each day. As you can see in the image above the product and quantity are loaded and recorded by compartment during the load with a barcode scan.

The load sheet allows you to support compartment validation using totes or on trucks with compartments that vary by day.

At the time of delivery, the driver selects the product they are delivering and scans the compartment barcode. When the driver fills assets, they scan each asset like a normal fill and the goRoam app confirms the compartment – tank compatibility. If the tank is not configured for that product, the driver is alerted. If the truck uses our electronic meter configuration, the solenoid remains closed and the driver cannot physically pump any product.

The goRoam app has extensive auditing so you can see each time a driver attempted to fill an asset with the wrong product. Even without 3-way matching, we still confirm product compatibility so you cannot put gas in a diesel tank, ATF in a lubes tank or bleach in an acid tank.

To learn more about 3-way matching, use the contact form or call us!

Dispatching on Paper? You’ve got a problem

June 12, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Paper-based dispatch seems like it works and you’re making all your deliveries, but what you are missing?

Paper-based dispatch, delivery and old barcode systems simply don’t have the tools to allow you to measure your logistics efficiency, and you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

With paper-based or old barcode systems, drivers are free to deliver in any sequence with no controls or automated recording of data. Here are some examples of problems you may not realize:

Underutilized equipment – if you’re buying a new tractor or trailer but are dispatching on paper, you’re almost certainly not using your existing equipment efficiently. In dense delivery zones, we’ve seen customers lower their total transportation costs by 20%+ with route optimization. With better forecasting, we’ve seen customers utilize an additional 30% capacity of existing equipment. This means you have more equipment than you need to service your customers. The good news is, with a routing system you can avoid purchasing new equipment as your business grows. The bad news is without a routing system, you have no way of knowing what you are missing.
Inefficient routes – you used 10 trucks @ 3000 miles. It should have been 9 trucks @ 2600 miles. Without a planning tool, you have no way to easily build and optimize routes. At $2/mile loaded transportation cost, that one day cost an extra $800.
Overtime – trip took 9 hours – it should have been 7.45 hours. How do you know they took an extra hour of overtime? Because you don’t know what the planned time was or the actual sequence of stops. That extra hour cost $40 – and you never knew it.
Product integrity and contamination – since drivers don’t scan a barcode to confirm product compatibility, there are no checks in place to ensure they don’t put gas in a diesel tank, bleach in an acid tank or 5W30 into a 0W20 Synthetic. If you’re lucky enough to catch the first or last, you can pump it out. The middle issue is a 911 emergency.
Theft – tracking inventory and customer deliveries on paper or old barcode systems that don’t have current checks and balances makes it easy for drivers to short a few customers and sell product on the side. The more automated controls and electronic checks and balances, the more you can control theft. The tough part about bulk product theft is you never know you’re missing it unless a customer calls or you happen to get lucky. Small theft is a few thousand dollars and difficult to find. In a low margin business, it quickly hits the bottom line. The worst scenario is when a driver steals consistently and you have to go back to each customer they serviced, explain the issue and credit them. We could tell you about drivers who stole thousands of gallons of diesel by shorting a non-monitored tank by 700 gal each delivery….until the customer stuck the tank. Or the driver who shorted lubes deliveries and was caught only because a customer called to say ‘I think you have a bad driver’. Otherwise, they never would have been caught. Or the bleach drivers who shorted customers. Everyone believes their drivers are honest, and almost all are; however, it just takes one driver to rack up a LOT of theft.
Customer service – do your customers call to find out when an order is scheduled, if the driver on the way or can you send me a copy of the receipt? This is a hidden but real cost. Using paper and old barcode systems, you have to wait until the driver returns to get copies of the paperwork or call the driver to check on status. You have no real-time visibility. You may think this customer service cost is part of doing business, but companies with integrated electronic dispatch and current mobile systems have a LOT less, and their customers appreciate the paperless delivery.
Lost sales/customers – another customer service issue is losing customers. It’s too late to add electronic routing and delivery when a customer says they are going with your competitor because they’re electronic. The corollary is, you don’t know how many sales you may have won if you offered an email receipt as soon as the customer signs for the delivery. A number of our customers win business this way because customers know the driver/office does not manipulate the paper results after they sign…and it is a customer service benefit.
Inventory control – when everything is on paper, it is too hard to manually transcribe to audit and paper/old barcode systems don’t provide adequate controls. For example, two drivers deliver to the same customer tank, but one says they delivered 1800 gal to a 1900 gal tank, and the next driver delivered 1875 gal to a 2000 gal tank. On paper, you have no way to track and control and one driver probably gave away an extra 75 gal of product. Electronically tracking what was loaded versus delivered (per customer, per tank) versus what is retained is the first step in better inventory control.
Calculating delivery efficiency – if you don’t electronically timestamp when a driver starts/stops a delivery, then you’re relying on the driver’s honesty and accuracy. Without automated processes to record delivery info, you can’t calculate delivery efficiency. Why does one driver deliver 10 gal/min and another 25 gal/min at the same customer? What time did the driver actually arrive and depart? How long do they average per stop and per asset filled? We have a customer who had a driver who worked for them 10+ years and did all his own routes on paper. When they implemented our routing and mobile app, the driver was highly resistant so they continued to restrict his routes…moving from all nighttime deliveries to daytime. They still had issues so they fired him and assigned a new driver. His 8 hour routes were consistently done in less than 4 hours. They trusted this driver because he worked for them for 10+ years.
Inventory visibility – if your dispatch is paper based or you have an old barcode system, you have no visibility into the current inventory on the truck. You can’t tell where a driver is in his route sequence, if he is onsite, on-schedule and more importantly what the current truck inventory is. When a call-in customer asks for an emergency delivery, your dispatcher has to call each driver to see what their inventory is, where they are in their route and if they can make an emergency delivery. You took the dispatcher and driver’s time, and then sent a truck that ended up costing an extra $200 in transportation costs. Many people say this is simply the cost of doing business, but companies with routing systems know the cost to service (even on call-in orders) and make informed decisions.

There are a number of other hidden costs as well as limitations with paper-based dispatch and old barcode systems. We hear lots of reasons for keeping the old processes.

We’ve always done it this way
We’re making money – always have – don’t have any problems
We always have overtime – it’s just the nature of the job
I trust my drivers. They would never steal or pad their time. They’ve been with me 15 years.
We don’t have inventory issues
I pay by the gallon so my drivers are motivated to be efficient
Our routes are created by experts! All the knowledge is in my dispatcher’s head. They know the territory and all the delivery secrets.
10-20% retains are part of doing business. We do it to make sure we always service customers.
I’m too busy to look at a new system.
I don’t know how to interface to our accounting system so we probably can’t do this.
My drivers won’t use a mobile app – they are comfortable with paper.
Our customers like paper.

If any of these reasons or problems resonate with you, we should talk. Let us help you understand what you’re missing. Contact us!

3 Vital KPI’s for Bulk Distributors

March 27, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

There are a “Vital Few” key metrics that can determine the health of a project or operation, and this applies fuels, lubes and bulk chemical delivery.

Just three vital KPI’s can tell you how efficiently your business is running and trending.

Plan vs. Actual route time
Gal/Trip
Gal/Hour

Plan vs. Actual time is an indicator of excess hours by drivers

There are always exceptions for traffic, weather, and mechanical issues, but without this measurement, you cannot manage your labor costs and overtime.

Anecdotally, one of our customers had a long-time fuel driver who always ran an 8-hr shift with occasional overtime, so nothing looked out of the ordinary. He was highly resistant to our mobile solution and kept making excuses and claiming there were technical issues. Our customer continued to restrict his trips but still had issues with him. They gave his route to another driver who consistently did the route in less than 4 hours – with the same stops. If you don’t know how long a trip is supposed to take, you don’t know if drivers are working the system.

Gal/Trip is an indicator of whether you are fully utilizing your equipment

If you are not using a route optimization solution, you are not building trips with the most efficient order combinations. Aggregated unused capacity on your trucks is a running loss of opportunity that can never be recovered– though you never see the bill for it, it comes at a cost. We’ve seen customers do the same number of trips with 8.5 trucks vs. 10 saving more than 15% of their total transportation costs with route optimization. This saving s alone can cover the cost of deploying a dispatch and delivery system!

A more advanced method of increasing gal/trip is to route all current, open orders, and then use our virtual tank forecasting and trigger tanks to determine which keep full accounts you can top off with products also on those routes. We’ve seen customers increase truck utilization by more than 20% using this approach. Even if a customer’s tank has not reached its safety stock, it can still be topped off to avoid a separate trip just to hit that tank a couple of days in the future. That’s a win for your customer and improved operational efficiency! The important message here is that technology is not just an expense; it’s a tool that can drive out unnecessary costs and improve customer satisfaction while paying for itself.

A word about tank monitors: Installing tank monitors on every tank at every customer is expensive and labor intensive. At the same time, knowing the level of every tank is invaluable from a customer service standpoint. When you use BizSpeed’s bulk delivery solution, you don’t have to put a monitor on every tank to track utilization. You can still accurately forecast some tanks without monitors with statistical modeling and Machine Learning(ML)/Artificial Intelligence (AI). While the intelligence is artificial, the results are real.

BizSpeed’s goRoam can use historical delivery data and put unmonitored tanks into groups along with similar traditional monitored tanks to calculate utilization trends. These calculations can be tailored to account for different usage patterns to predict when a safety stock level will be reached.

Gal/Hr is a measure of how efficiently you route

It is correlated to gal/mile but provides a better indicator because it captures any slack time a driver takes or “meandering factor.” When drivers linger at the yard before/after a trip starts, or where they take an unplanned break during a trip. Their gal/mile may look good, but it took an extra 30 minutes of delivery time while the mileage did not change.

There are some other KPI’s that help manage your business, such as:

On-time %
% of the fleet used
Ordered vs. delivered variance
Total mileage

These should be tracked as well, but the vital few KPI’s will give you an accurate snapshot of your logistics efficiency that shows you the biggest places to save money. BizSpeed’s goRoam software combines these with our Driver Scorecard to keep improving your operational efficiency and customer service. You can start to develop a comprehensive picture and plan for the health of your operation today. Reply to this email to start the conversation.

Click here to read more about our solution.

scan2label Early Access

February 20, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

We simplified in-aisle printing to make it super easy to distribute lookup files to print labels. We’ll make you look brilliant by easily downloading price files from the web to print shelf labels.

We’re in limited release with a few large retailers. To request early access, register below.

scan2label

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Enter the number of printers or stores.
What labels do you want to print?
Shelf labels, markdown labels, etc.?
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The 5 Fuels and Lubes Delivery Exceptions You Need to Track Daily

January 31, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Managing by exception is a key benefit of advanced reporting with goRoam mobile delivery software.

Whether you have 100+ trucks and multiple depots, or 5 trucks and 1 depot, you need to know when deliveries didn’t go to plan.

A key benefit of our goRoam mobile app and dispatch system for fuels and lubes delivery is providing visibility into drivers’ daily activities well beyond what you get with paper and simple mobile apps.

Our Daily Operations Review is a single report that consolidates the following key metrics:

Were all planned trips started and ended? (Did a driver not show up or not finish)
Were any orders rejected, and if so, why? (e.g., Missed delivery window)
Did any orders have undelivered products…zero delivered and zero back ordered? (delivery issues)
Did the system capture any events, like using meters (pump product) outside of a customer delivery? (check for shrinkage)
Did customer deliveries match inventory transactions? (check for shrinkage)
Did the driver perform manual operations that should have been automated? (typed a barcode vs scanning)

Report R212-Daily Operations Review can be scheduled and emailed daily. The default start and end dates reflect the previous day, so you will receive the report at 7am for the previous day’s transactions. Let’s review the 5 key sections and how to use them.

Note that this is one report, but we will highlight each section.

Scheduled Trips – Were all trips started and completed?

This section shows scheduled trips, drivers, truck, trailer and start/end times. The keys to this section are trips that have not started, or trips that have not ended. Unstarted trips means you scheduled a driver but the trip was never done.

Trips that have not ended should be checked to see if all the stops (orders and loads) were completed.

Rejected Orders – Why was a delivery not attempted?

You can configure your own list of reasons why a driver can reject loads or orders. The standard list is:

Customer closed
Missed delivery window
Customer refused

Rejected orders need to be reviewed to determine if they should be re-dispatched or canceled.

Orders With Undelivered Products – Why was a delivery incomplete?

This section shows any line items that have zero delivered and zero back ordered. Where the ‘Rejected Orders’ section deals with the whole order, this deals with individual line items. These should be reviewed for specific reasons. In the example above, you can see that the driver entered ‘not needed’ on the last item. On a keep-full account this may be an opportunity to improve productivity by adjusting the delivery frequency.

The goRoam mobile app prompts drivers to enter a reason for a backorder, so you can get reason codes for individual line items.

Event Log – What may my driver not be telling me?

The goRoam mobile app monitors driver activity and records abnormal or unusual events in an event log. This allows you, as a dispatcher, to understand what happens in the field by recording events without driver intervention. You can see the exact time an event occurred, even if the mobile device is not connected to the internet. Key events we record include:

Order rejected – along with the reason code
Load rejected – along with the reason code
Inventory Reconciliation – when the driver ends their trip, we total all the customer and inventory transactions (e.g. clear line), and compare it to the beginning and ending totalizers. This is a key area to review as you SHOULD NOT have a difference between inventory transactions and what was delivered.
Out of Band Delivery – when using our LCR-II electronic meter integration, we constantly monitor the LCR-II. If a driver uses the meter OUTSIDE of a customer delivery, we record the amount pumped and the GPS. This happens behind the scenes with NO driver intervention…drivers do not know it happens. These should be reviewed to see if where the driver is using the meter (on a map) and why.

Audits with Manual Entries – When is my driver not using the automated process?

As the last section of this report, we are continuing to get into more detail. We audit a significant amount of activity on the mobile device. You can think of it as an IoT (Internet of Things) for fuels and lubes trucks. We log things such as when a driver opens an order, when they open line items, what values they typed, etc.

You have access to all the audits in the MobileHub web app. This section focuses specifically on audits where the driver performed a manual activity. The key types of manual audits include:

Manually entering pre or post-trip meter totalizers – if you are using our LCR-II integration, the driver should never enter the meter totalizers.
Manually entering a barcode – drivers should always scan a barcode versus manually entering it. It could be they ran out of new barcodes (need to order labels and put them in the truck), or that they are new and do not know how to use the scanner.
Overriding an entry – drivers can manually override a delivered quantity. They should not do this, but sometimes they scan or key in the wrong information, especially if they are in manual mode. This is usually an indicator the driver is not paying attention or is sloppy. It can also be an indicator they are adjusting quantities to match the totalizers. You should always follow up on instances where drivers manually revise delivered quantities.

If you would like a review to see how your daily operations can benefit from goRoam advanced reporting for fuels and lubes delivery, please call or contact us.

goRoam New Features – 2018.12 Release

December 7, 2018 by admin 2 Comments

goRoam New Features – POD Release 2018.12

The goRoam mobile app for fuels, lubricants and chemicals delivery has gone through a major update in the second half of 2018. For hosted customers, we will upgrade your managed devices once you have trained your drivers. On-premise installations should update all mobile devices to the latest version of the 2018.10 release before updating your server and rolling out this version.

Note that all features are available on both iOS and Android versions, with the exception of Commercial Truck routes (Android only)

goRoam New Features

Commercial truck route navigation

– Our Android version of goRoam supports full North American and Canadian commercial truck routes using integrated CoPilot® navigation. You can configure truck profiles with the height, weight, length, axle weight, and HazMat restrictions of each of your delivery vehicles so drivers can navigate with efficient and compliant commercial routes. Stay tuned for iOS commercial route capability.
Compartment verification

– Comply with supplier mandates and stop contamination before it happens. When delivering from compartments, you can configure a truck to require a barcode scan/match of the compartment, the product, and the asset(tank).
Out of band delivery alerts

– This is a great reason to have LCR integration. An automatic, system-generated email will be sent if a driver creates a sale in the LCR® meter outside of a goRoam inventory transaction (delivery, hose flush, etc.). The GPS coordinates, sale number, and total gallons are recorded and sent as an email. This audit happens behind the scenes so dispatchers can see when and where drivers are pumping product outside of a customer delivery.
LCR-600 register support

– In addition to the LCR-II electronic register, we now also support the LCR-600.
Configurable asset readings

– Think about how much it costs for a truck to make it to the point of delivery. Make the most of being there when delivering to tanks, vehicles or equipment. Drivers can record custom readings for any asset. For example, DEF, engine hours and grease for equipment and vehicles are recorded along with the delivered gallons. You can record any value for tanks, vehicles, and equipment, and then review them in a report. How many bottles of DEF did that asset use last month? How many gallons per mile/hour did that engine consume? Find out now.
PIN codes for drivers to deliver out of sequence

– If a driver needs to complete orders out of sequence on a trip, but you don’t want to allow this on a regular basis, you can require a one-time PIN code approved by a dispatcher for each order they want to deliver out of sequence. PIN codes force drivers to complete stops in your dispatched sequence while giving them the flexibility to react to unforeseen issues in the field.
PIN codes for drivers to manually deliver

– When a truck has electronic meters and the driver wants to go in manual mode to enter gallons from the meter, you can require them to get a one-time PIN code to proceed. The idea of PIN codes arose from the need for flexibility and control – you can have both. Look for more PIN code features in the future.
Categories when taking pictures

– Set up categories and require a description when taking pictures, so you know which pictures are BOLs, receipts, etc.
Rejected orders email

– If a driver rejects an order; we have an updated email handler to notify a dispatch group. You can easily set up custom rejection reasons such as – “missed the delivery window,” “customer closed,” “inclement weather.”
Capture GPS on assets when filling

– goRoam records and update for an asset’s GPS location when filling so that you find assets on a map. Find that lost tank or another portable asset. Share filling detail with customers.
Self-contained NEMA enclosure for meter support on trailers

– We have developed a new enclosure and mounting system that allows installing LCR meter integration on trailers. Our new enclosure keeps the meter integration with the trailer, not the truck.

Usability

Streamlined workflow – The number of steps required to complete most operations is reduced. It now takes a little less time to start a trip, complete orders, capture meter values for manual delivery, setup and more.
Scan to configure – Do you ever need to configure a spare handheld for a truck but can’t remember the meter address or server URL? Don’t worry! A 2D barcode is all that is needed to configure a handheld device. Scanning a barcode will pair to the truck’s Wi-Fi, connect to the server and company code. This new quick configuration option makes it easy to pair a new handheld or move devices between trucks so you can get back on the road.
Pre-trip settings check – Before the driver starts a trip, the app runs through a series of checks to confirm connectivity to the server, meter, and printer BEFORE the truck leaves the yard. This prevents drivers from leaving the depot without a working device, printer or truck setup.
Easier settings and diagnostics – the settings screen has been streamlined to make it easier to check the configuration and run diagnostics.

In addition to these updates, we have a significant release scheduled for early 2019 that includes:

Web-based dispatch status board – We are moving the trip status board to a web browser so it looks good on a desktop, tablet or mobile device. It shows the status of trips by date and depot. The web-based status board is perfect for dispatch and customer service to see the status of trips. Put it on a large interactive touch screen monitor in the office!
In-app chat – Chat from within goRoam and the Mob mechanism for drivers to chat with dispatchers or dispatchers to chat with drivers. Now dispatchers can communicate with multiple drivers at once, there will be a record of all conversations and without the need for phone calls and drivers lining up in the office.

Easily capture asset readings during mobile equipment fueling

November 27, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

You asked, we listened! goRoam mobile fueling software allows fuels, lubricants and chemicals distributors to easily capture asset readings during tank or mobile equipment fueling. Whether you are doing fleet fueling or packaged and bulk lubricants delivery, with goRoam you can easily capture additional asset readings such as:

Percent full
DEF – Diesel Exhaust Fluid
Engine Hours
Odometer
15/40 Oil
60 Wt Oil
40 Wt Oil
Brake Fluid
And any others you specify

When filling things like construction equipment or tanks, it is important to specify on a per-asset basis what readings you need to capture and be able to report the readings. You can see from the report image above how much product, such as diesel, was delivered along with DEF and Engine Hours.

Easily configure what asset readings need to be collected during tank and mobile equipment fueling

This is very simple to setup in the goRoam app. The system administrator simply specifies a preference (MASTER_ASSET_READINGS_LIST) that lists the types of asset readings you can capture. When a driver scans a new asset in the field, they are prompted to check the types of readings that apply to that asset so valuable data collection isn’t overlooked. Alternatively, you can enter or update the required readings in the desktop web app, as shown below.

When the driver scans an asset, they are prompted for each reading specified for that asset.


Equipment filling – capturing DEF	Equipment or tank filling – capture percent full	Entering the number of gallons from the meter

This is available in the latest version of goRoam. Contact us for more information about this feature or assistance with setting it up.

Using Barcodes and RFID with Fuel and Lubricant Delivery Software

November 13, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Barcodes vs RFID for fuel and lubricant deliveries

We occasionally get questions from customers about using barcode labels or RFID tags to mark assets for fuel and lubricant deliveries. When using fuel or lubricant delivery software, the driver typically scans a barcode or RFID tag to confirm the vehicle or tank being filled. This eliminates the need for a driver to manually key in a value or hand write a tank number, and possibly record the wrong ID. When the driver scans the label or tag, the mobile device can validate product compatibility, so the driver cannot put dyed diesel in a gas tank, or cross-deliver 5W-20 conventional oil into a synthetic tank.

The questions we get include:
• When should I use RFID over barcodes, or barcodes over RFID?
• What’s the cost difference?
• What kinds of companies are using RFID vs barcodes?

Let’s start with some background to understand the key characteristics of each.

Barcodes:

• Come in 2 main types: 1D (the vertical lines like UPC codes) and 2D (like QR codes or your driver’s license).
• Can be printed on various materials – paper, polyester, polypropylene, metal, etc. The material they are printed on determines their durability.
• Use different adhesives to stick to different materials – there are adhesives for metal, plastic, etc.
• Have different durability characteristics depending on their use. For example, KIMDURA labels are designed to withstand exposure to chemicals, solvents, abrasions, etc.
• 2D barcodes can hold up to 4000 characters of data

RFID tags:

• Come in 2 main types: HF (High Frequency), which have been around since the 1950’s, and UHF (which were popularized when Walmart started their initiative).
• HF tags are frequently seen as a button, and have a read range of approximately 8 inches.
• UHF tags typically can have a read range up to 10 feet from a mobile RFID reader, but 2-3 feet is more common.
• UHF tags range in size from very small (less than ½ inch) to 4”x6”
• In order to use UHF tags on metal, you need a specially designed metal-mount tag.
• RFID tags can have specialty adhesives just like barcodes, but due to the lower volume they tend to be a specialty order.
• RFID can be read through other material, like clothing, but it does NOT read well through liquids or metal. A non-metal mount RFID tag placed on a metal tank will not read, even if you are less than a foot away.
• If an RFID tag is on a poly tank full of liquid (oil tote, bleach, etc), it will not read through the tank.

So when should you use barcodes vs RFID with your fuel and lubricant delivery software?

When to use RFID over barcodes:

RFID for fuel and lubricant delivery has typically been implemented with HF tags (buttons). In this scenario, the tag scanner/reader needs to be placed within a few inches of the button in order to read it. The advantage of RFID buttons in extremely dirty or harsh environments is that the button can get covered in dirt or grime, and you can still read it. A 1D barcode label that is damaged will not be scannable. A 2D barcode can sustain some damage and usually still be scanned. The downside of RFID buttons is they are raised, so if you power wash a truck or tank, it can be pretty easy to wash off the button. And if you have multiple buttons, you have to scan the button in order to find a specific one because they may not have a human readable value that a driver can see. Some smart phones can read HF RFID tags, but in general, RFID readers can be significantly more expensive than barcode scanners. A UHF capable RFID mobile scanner is typically $3000-$4500. Your choice of devices for RFID is significantly limited compared to barcodes.

When to use barcodes over RFID:

Barcodes can be read by imagers (ex. phone cameras) as well as dedicated barcode scanners. Barcodes are available in exceptionally durable (polyester, polypropylene, KIMDURA) formats and are designed to last years in rugged outdoor environments. In our experience, there is NO advantage to use RFID over barcodes when using fuel and lubricant delivery software, or really for any bulk products (bleach, chemicals, etc.). Today’s barcode material and adhesives meet the durability needs of most bulk product distribution scenarios without the higher cost for RFID tags and reader hardware.

What’s the cost difference between RFID and barcodes?

Hardened HF RFID tags are typically $3-6/each, depending on quantities purchased (less than 1000). $130 for qty of 25.
UHF RFID tags are around $.10/each. Metal mount UHF tags are > $1/each.
Durable barcode labels are about $.01/each. 2500 labels are around $300.

Please let us know if you have questions about barcodes or RFID with fuel and lubricant delivery software or for other bulk product delivery.

The benefits of fuel distribution software go beyond capturing gallons dispensed

September 17, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

The benefits of using fuel distribution software for fleet fuel deliveries go well beyond just accurate accounting for gallons delivered. Yes, using software allows the driver to capture correct gallons delivered which results in reduced billing errors. Additional benefits include:
– Less driver time on site – the driver does not have to return to the meter to record gallons dispensed into each vehicle or tank. The software captures the gallons dispensed automatically so the driver can remain at the end of the hose and quickly move from asset to asset.
– Better recording of gallons delivered to each asset – By barcode labeling the assets to be filled, the software automatically records the gallons dispensed into each asset. Rather than invoicing only for total gallons at a stop, you are able to provide an itemization of gallons dispensed into every asset.
– Electronically capture the customer’s signature – This allows printing the signature on the Proof of Delivery and server-side storage for later recall.
– Print a detailed receipt at the customer location – the detailed receipt will show the asset, totalizer values, gallons dispensed, and the product.
– Prevent dispensing incorrect product – If the product does not match the configuration for the asset, the driver will be notified and prevented from dispensing the incorrect product.

What benefits does fuel distribution software provide to me as a business owner?

The business owner will see efficiency and monetary benefits from reduced driver time to fill assets. The customer experience will be improved as fuel distribution software allows new ways to service the customer. The software can automatically send an email to the customer when the driver is on the way to their location, provide a detailed list of gallons dispensed by asset, and a host of other ways to improve the customer experience.
Using bulk fuel distribution software also shortens the order to cash cycle. Once an order is completed, the data is quickly sent back to the server, which allows invoices to be sent immediately. There is no need to transcribe gallons delivered from the drivers order sheets.
Contact us to learn more about the benefits of fuel distribution software.