www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2023 Truck and Track 39 FUEL MANAGEMENT The purchasing of above-ground storage tanks can be a minefield for fleet operators to contemplate With many options available from fabricators and with questionable offers found online, some fleet operators remain uncertain as to what they should be considering. Adding to the uncertainty, are the vague statements made by manufacturers regarding build specifications. With some tanks claiming to be built to ‘required’ specifications and some claiming to be built to ‘named’ specifications, it becomes difficult to know what you are getting and to choose with a degree of confidence. Many low-cost tanks offered online are built using very narrowgauge steel, as little as 3mm and even 2mm have been seen. Such tanks are often fitted with low-grade, low-accuracy fuel pumps which are unsuitable for hard work, basic contents gauges, and minimalistic alarm systems. It is for this reason, that approximately 15 years ago, Merridale chose to assist fleet operators in sourcing decent quality and correctly specified storage tanks after already specialising in high-quality fuel pumps. The first move was to create and update a specification that meets and exceeds all existing legislation, whether that means environmental specification or explosive specification, and consider all security needs. The Merridale specification includes many standard items not found on most alternative offers, such as high-accuracy ATEX-certified fuel pumps with air separation and positive displacement meters, fuel management systems capable of expansion to meet current and future requirements, highaccuracy contents gauges linked into the fuel management for full reconciliation, leak and theft detection, security boxes designed to prevent access to exposed pipework and fully ventilated anti-vandal cabinets to protect the valuable equipment on board. Indeed, these are just a few of the features you will find included as standard with a Merridale tank package. Having created such a specification, Merridale regularly meets with carefully chosen quality fabricators to ensure that their standards continue to match those of Merridale’s and more importantly those standards that Merridale customers need. Merridale now supplies storage tanks and equipment for diesel, HVO, GTL and AdBlue across the UK and tank packages can be tailor-made to meet specific site requirements. To discuss whether a bespoke tank solution could benefit your business, call the Merridale sales team on 01902 350 700. Following over a decade of dependable service, Eurocoaches have praised the longevity and reliability of their Merridale systems. The South-West-based family-run business, which has humble beginnings as a private car hire operator ran from the family home now boasts a fleet of taxis, minibuses, coaches, recovery vehicles, and a purpose-built three-acre site. “We’ve had our Merridale system since 2009 and it still works perfectly! We even chose to get Merridale to move it for us when we changed our depot location, rather than replace the system as it would have been a waste. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it.” exclaimed Eurocoaches managing director, Keith Sanzo. They first invested in their Merridale system over ten years ago, when they installed a Merridale Auditor GS pump & management system and a Merridale FT tank management system at their depot in Yate, Bristol. These same systems have remained ever since, with the help of regular inspections and services, and an upgrade from Merridale’s FuelFX software to their betterperforming web-based offering, FuelWorks. “Every time I go to a trade show, somebody tries to sell me a new system, but I’m not interested. With our Merridale system, I’m confident that every vehicle has a key, every driver has a code, and we know exactly how each of them is performing. But most importantly for me, in over ten years it has never broken down. We’ve needed the odd repair due to wear and tear, but Merridale has always sorted that out straight away.” Fleet operators who also wish to upgrade existing Merridale equipment to use FuelWorks need not worry about replacing hardware to do so. Merridale can upgrade most existing systems to make them compatible with FuelWorks, no matter how old the system is. Since 1994, Merridale has been producing built-to-order products using only the best, tried and tested components. With all Merridale products designed in-house to achieve a minimum life of ten years and meet strict ATEX standards, there is no compromise on build quality. The housing units on Merridale’s products are designed to ensure that internal components are easily accessible for maintenance and repair, as well as being easy to update rather than having to replace the whole system. To find out how a Merridale fuel management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk Longevity is the key for Eurocoaches and Merridale Buying Diesel/HVO Storage Tanks
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