“Th en you might want to have a 12,000-gal tank so you
can receive a full load and a half load every month,” says
Curtis Evans, Envirosafe general manager.
Technology has made managing fuel consumption
much easier and more precise.
“Th ere are several important functions to any good
fuel-management system,” Bolderson says. “You need a
locking mechanism. You need an activation mechanism
such as a card, pin or barcode. You want to be able to set
32 Fleet Maintenance | May 2018
parameters as to how much
fuel a particular driver is
authorized to have. Some
systems will even help you
track other essential vehicle
maintenance needs like oil
changes and tire rotations.”
Companies like Envirosafe
offer several types of
fuel-management systems.
“There are entry-level
systems starting with a
single hose, and much more
sophisticated systems with
dozens of hoses,” Bolderson
points out. “A fl eet manager
needs to work with his
or her supplier to identify
which system makes the
most sense.”
Atlas Oil off ers a cloudbased
system called RIoS
that can be directly mounted
to a fuel tank. A driver can
pull up to the tank, enter
a pin to authorize fueling,
scan a code using an app
with his or her smartphone
and begin fueling. All of the
fueling data is captured by
RIoS and fed into the cloud
through either an internet or
wireless connection.
Diesel Direct’s Fuelloc is a
cloud-based, barcode-driven
system that works similarly.
Th e driver scans the
barcode on his truck using a
scanning device that comes
with the Fuelloc system. Once confi rmed that the truck is
authorized to be fueled with that type of fuel, the pumping
begins—as does the data collection.
All of this fuel-consumption data, along with real-time
inventory levels and other reports, can then be viewed
via the system provider’s cloud-based web portal or
mobile app.
Technology is also helping to streamline deliveries.
“You can establish a very cost-eff ective fuel-monitoring
system on any size tank,” Atlas Oil’s Whiddon says.
“It will take several tank readings a day. You can set
up low-level alerts. Th rough cellular connectivity, text
messages can be sent directly to your fuel supplier that
you need a delivery.”
Maintaining fuel quality
Once a facility begins storing fuel on site, the fl eet assumes
responsibility for preserving fuel quality. Unless it takes
several months to burn through a tank, fl eets shouldn’t
run into too many issues. Regardless, it’s important to
keep some things in mind.
“If your fuel tank fi lters are clogging up faster than
normal, that’s a pretty good indication that something is
going on,” Envirosafe’s Bolderson says.
“Fuel isn’t going to go bad out of the blue,” Envirosafe’s
Evans adds. “But if it has been sitting around for a few
months, especially during really hot and humid months,
you defi nitely want to start looking at it more closely. You
might even want to have it tested.”
“Anyone storing fuel should be pulling fuel samples at
least once per year,” Atlas Oil’s Whiddon says. “We actually
recommend doing it quarterly. Th is is a little more involved
than just taking a squirt from the nozzle, although that can
be helpful too. But the better method is to have a company
come out and do the fuel sampling for you.
“We work with a company called Diesel Fuel Doctor,”
Whiddon continues. “Th ey fi nd a vent in the tank and
drop in a device called a ‘bacon bomb.’ Th at sinks to the
bottom and pulls a sample. Th e bottom of the tank is where
a lot of the problems start. Th at’s because water is heavier
than both diesel and gasoline. And let’s face it, water
happens in fuel. Also, condensation builds up inside of
a tank, especially when there are great fl uctuations in
temperature from night to day.”
Too much water in a tank is very problematic. Obviously,
fl eets don’t want too much water getting into the fuel.
Furthermore, water facilitates microbial activity.
VehicleServicePros.com/20977932
» Atlas Oil’s RIoS is a cloud-based
fuel-management system that
allows fleets to track and control
every gallon of fuel stored
in the tank. RIoS is installed
directly to each fuel tank.
Photo courtesy of Atlas Oil
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Key benefits to modern
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Considerations for on-site
alternative fuels storage
With the different fuel types
being used by fleets today, there
are different fuel storage needs
to be aware of. Envirosafe Fuel
Systems offers insights on some
of the increasingly common
alternative fuels used by fleets.
ETHANOL-BLENDED
GASOLINE
This fuel is compatible with most
above-ground storage tanks
(ASTs), but can corrode aluminum
and certain grades of plastic and
rubber. Pay close attention to
these areas when conducting
walk-around tank inspections.
Fleets also need to ensure that
hoses, pumps and dispensers are
compatible with ethanol before
use. And since water is a major
issue with ethanol, pay close
attention to the fuel tank’s fuel
filters for signs of clogging. Use
special 10-micron filters if storing
E10, and 1-micron filters for E85.
BIO-DIESEL
Fleets can treat bio-diesel much
the same as they would treat
regular diesel. Be aware, though,
that bio-diesel can have issues
in below-freezing temperatures.
Consider blending 20 percent
bio-diesel with 80 percent
petroleum diesel during cold
periods. If a fleet insists on using
100 percent bio-diesel, consider
an anti-coagulating additive.
DIESEL EXHAUST
FLUID (DEF)
If fleets happen to be storing
diesel exhaust fluid, no special
precautions need to be
taken. DEF on-site storage can
be treated the same as gasoline
or regular diesel fuel.
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