TruckandTrackAutumn2019

www.truckandtrack.com Autumn 2019 Truck and Track 37 FUEL MANAGEMENT is using what, if anyone is under or over filling their vehicle, track MPG and CO2 data and maintain fuel levels so that we never run out.” Donna then went on to also praise Merridale’s aftersales support, saying “Merridale are quick to support us with any service or repairs we need. I don’t think we have had to wait more than a day before. The service helpdesk is great, there is always somebody available at the end of the phone and they have either talked us through how to fix the problem or have sent somebody out straight away.” Carvers Building Supplies A Wolverhampton-based building supplier has recently credited quality and longevity as key factors in its decision to remain with Merridale when replacing an old system. For over 15 years Carvers has relied upon a Merridale pump and fuel management system installed at its site near the city centre. However, the company required a replacement following accidental damage to a wall mounted control panel. Operations director, Bryan Purslow, said “We have been using Merridale since the early 2000s, the original pump lasted well over 15 years before it needed replacing and the management system seemed as if it could have gone on forever had it not been for the accident. “We knowwe can rely onMerridale, the after sales service has been brilliant, that is why we didn’t even consider anyone else when we needed a replacement system.” Merridale are one of the market leaders for fuel management manufacturing and are at the forefront for quality and design. They offer complete fuel management systems which can be configured to suit the needs of any business. Their products include storage tanks, tank management and pump systems, and a range of software. Designed in house by Merridale, the software allows users to monitor fuel usage, efficiency and stock, predict restocking requirements and evaluate environmental impacts, therefore enabling users to adhere to FORS reporting standards. One of Merridale’s fuel management software packages, FuelFX, also enabled Bryan to spot and prevent further fuel theft. “I use FuelFX to report on our fuel usage every month and it has never needed replacing. I know exactly how much fuel we have used each month and how much is has cost me. Without it, we would have to estimate figures using the mileage. “We once had an unfortunate scenario where one of our drivers stole fuel from us by taking the truck home and filtering some out. We were able to spot this and catch him when we noticed an unusual change in his MPG on FuelFX. Without that, who knows how long that could have gone on for.” Fuel theft directly from a bulk storage tank, rather than from a vehicle, is also a threat to business owners. To help combat this, Merridale’s tanks can include high-accuracy content monitoring to provide warnings of any unauthorised or unexpected drop in fuel levels. This, when combined with their updated software package FuelWorks, can send real-time alerts by both email and text message when a theft appears to be in progress. Linburg Bus & Coach Linburg Bus & Coach has been using Merridale’s fuel management system since 2013 and has credited its usability when reflecting on the company’s transition to digital reporting. Before the systems were installed at Linburg depots in Sheffield andDerby, the business relied on handwritten accounts of fuel usage. “We kept paper on each coach for drivers to log fuel purchases and odometer readings. We’d manually calculate overall costs and MPGs, but it was time consuming and open to human error because we usually only had diesel-soaked scraps of paper with blurred ink to go by.” explained company director John Hadaway. As part of the upgrade, which included a Merridale Auditor GX management system and vehicle mounted vLink identification, Linburg chose to use Merridale’s web-based software FuelWorks. With this, users can access data from any device connected to the internet and export reports as spreadsheets if required. “Initially, the thought of moving to FuelWorks was almost intimidating but I quickly found it simple to use and navigate. I only needed a very short time to see that I wouldn’t really need instructions at all. It’s so easy to use!” FuelWorks allows multiple users to report on and monitor their environmental impact, fuel usage, costs and vehicle performance across multiple sites or tanks. It also has the capability to monitor tank levels and predict low stock, with email alerts being sent in such events. “I can’t think of a time I’ve looked at our reports and wished FuelWorks could tell me something more. It seems to cover everything. It’s great having access on any device too, rather than being limited to a single computer. Since making the jump from a written log, I can’t see why any company with a fleet of coaches wouldn’t have a Merridale management system in place.” To find out how aMerridale fuel management system could benefit your company, contact Merridale on 01902 350 700 or visit www.merridale.co.uk