Why On-site Fleet Fueling? ROI for Small, Medium, and Large Fleets

Imagine you arrive at the fleet management dispatch office this morning, and all your vehicles were fueled before drivers arrived. You have a detailed report that shows which vehicles were filled, the amount, and their odometer reading. You’re ready to dispatch drivers! On your desk is a printed receipt accounting for each vehicle’s gallons fueled and odometer readings. If that sounds interesting, keep reading because mobile fleet fueling, also known as wet hose fueling (wet hosing), can drive savings directly to your bottom line, saving time and money for drivers and reducing your exposure to fuel spills.

Fuel Management
Fuel costs are a required operating expense for fleet management. If your drivers are fueling, the costs associated with their time are logged under labor, not fuel costs. And with each driver filling their vehicle, your ability to manage costs is multiplied by the number of drivers. If you have an on-site tank and dispenser, you rely on drivers to record fuel. If you provide a fuel card, you lose control of their time driving to and filling their truck. If you give a card lock system, you get reports but still lose some control because drivers can fill a 5-gallon tank, and it appears they are filling their truck. All of these scenarios are compared to an on-site fleet fueling system like BizSpeed’s goRoam app, where you confirm delivery by GPS, record the start and end totalizer for each asset filled, have integrity controls to ensure the right product (e.g., DYED does not go into a CLEAR asset, or GAS into DIESEL), automatic shutoff if the fill reaches a percent of the asset capacity, and the ability to preset the meter for each asset. And you’ll receive automated reports that show complete unit-filling details. Utilizing on-site fleet fueling provides you with real-time information on fuel costs.

Fueling Headaches
If your fleet drivers fuel their trucks, you pay for the time and mileage for a driver to get to the pump and fuel their vehicle. That’s the time the driver is NOT delivering your products or service. You’re trusting the driver to accurately record the gallons and the odometer reading and NOT wait or linger at the pump. A quick summary of issues includes:

• Loss of receipts
• Errors with receipts- items added, misrecording gallons
• Miscalculation of miles per gallon
• Time spent
• Miles spent going to a station

These issues are solved with wet hosing, especially with a fleet fuel distributor utilizing BizSpeed’s goRoam fleet fueling software. It’s part of a complete petroleum logistics solution giving end users – like you – data-driven logistics to grow your business while saving time and money.

By reducing the amount of time spent refueling and minimizing wear and tear on vehicles, on-site fleet fueling can also help lower maintenance costs over time. Overall, on-site fleet fueling can be a smart investment for businesses looking to optimize their fleet operations.

On-Site Fleet Fueling Process
On-site fleet fueling is the best alternative versus having your drivers fuel themselves. With on-site fleet fueling, your drivers start the day, and their truck is full. On-site fleet fueling services can provide a significant return on investment for small, medium, and large fleets. The fleet fuelling process is as follows:

• The fleet fueling driver arrives at your transportation facility and pulls up to the first vehicle. 
• Using the goRoam mobile app, he scans the vehicle’s barcode, which confirms the type of product the fleet vehicle uses (dyed diesel, clear diesel, or gas). The handheld barcode scanner prevents users from using the wrong product, allowing consistent reporting to track data. In addition to the fuel type, goRoam validates the GPS of the asset so a driver cannot open an order for one customer and drive to another to fill another customer’s assets. Once validated, goRoam sends a wireless signal to the meter to open the solenoid valve. Without this validation, the meter is closed, and fuel cannot flow. 
• He optionally records the vehicle’s odometer reading in the fleet fueling app (goRoam). 
• He fuels the vehicle, and his handheld wirelessly reads the fuel truck’s meter – no back and forth to his truck and no writing meter readings on paper. 
• He quickly moves to the next vehicle, saving time, and scans its barcode, following the same filling and validation procedures for improved customer service and fleet maintenance. 
• When all fleet vehicles have been fueled, he gets your signature on the handheld and prints a legible receipt with the details for each vehicle: vehicle ID, gallons, odometer, and product. And you receive an email with the detailed unit filling.
• Fleet management software can provide accurate fuel tracking and management tools, making monitoring fuel expenses and controlling costs easier.

On-Site Fleet Fueling Benefits
The above describes the process; next, we’ll use an example to show the return on investment and areas of impact. The ROI is similar for all company sizes. Let’s assume you have a fleet of 50 vehicles, use an average of 20 gals/day per vehicle, and your fuel is $4/gal.

• Driver time savings – you’re paying your driver to fuel your vehicles. Create operational efficiency by having the vehicle fueled before the driver starts. If it takes 15 minutes per vehicle and your driver’s loaded cost is $25/hour, you pay $6.25 per driver – the total across the fleet of 50 is $312.50 AND 12.5 hours that could be spent on deliveries. 
• Mileage costs (driving to the fuel station) – the loaded cost per mile averages $2.50-3.00/mile (vehicle, labor, fuel, etc.). If your driver drives an extra 3 miles to fuel the vehicle, you pay $9 in transportation costs. Across the fleet, that’s $450.   You spent an additional $.45/gal on transportation costs that day per vehicle. Reduce additional wear and tear on the fleet with on-site fleet fueling.
• Environmental key benefits – if you use an on-site storage tank and have your driver’s fuel at your facility, you now have the environmental liability of the storage tank. Additionally, if your drivers spill while fueling, you have the environmental reporting responsibility and must ensure your drivers know what to do for HazMat. Safety concerns and environmental liabilities are reduced with on-site fleet fueling. 
• Better fuel management – fuel is an expensive commodity needed to maintain daily operations. Drivers can report inaccurately for various reasons, from human error to improving their metrics. Taking the driver out of the equation reduces theft and improves accuracy by having better inventory control. 
• Tax savings – for equipment or vehicles that stay in your yard, you can eliminate road taxes by getting detailed fueling reports on a per-asset basis. This is especially helpful in areas like refineries or food distribution (refrigerated trailers), where many vehicles or trailers may never go on the road. You avoid paying on-road taxes for off-road vehicles.
• Organizational savings – Consolidating the fuel source streamlines paperwork. Better fuel management results from utilizing reports for planning, accounting, and vehicle maintenance.
• One receipt – Showing fuel usage per vehicle with correct odometer readings increases data metrics. 

Next Steps for On-Site Fleet Fueling
If your vehicle fleet returns to the yard/depot, you’re a good candidate for on-site fueling. Many inexperienced fleet operators think it is more expensive but miss the hidden costs and controls that a fleet fueler provides. If you currently use a fuel card or have an on-site fuel tank with a meter, your overall fuel and time savings and exposure are greatly improved with an on-site fueling company.

Examples of companies using fleet fueling  include: 

• Foodservice distribution
• Armored car service
• Beverage distribution
• School buses
• Furniture delivery
• Lumber delivery
• Special needs and senior transport service
• Local delivery companies
• Car dealerships

On-site Mobile Fleet Fueling Directory-Listed by State. Click Here

If you’re interested in on-site fueling, you should look for companies with features that automate the process using mobile devices that read meters electronically. The best-run on-site fueling companies use BizSpeed’s goRoam.BulkDelivery handheld system. Contact us to find an on-site fleet fueling provider near you.