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Konrad Burger and Charl Wentzel (Engineering Services Manager, LAS) demonstrate the LAS Volguard system for bulk fuel trucks.

Electronics and digital communications technology have revolutionized the commercial transport industry, giving fleet owners tools that help improve efficiency and cut costs. The ability to automate diesel control is a reality and systems are evolving at a rapid pace to make that control 'absolute'. Paul Collings spoke to two leading fleet/fuel management system providers to learn more about where technology is headed in its quest to enhance diesel usage. 

Two major innovations have come together to give transport operators a highly sophisticated platform from which to get a 'birds-eye-view' of fleet fuel consumption, namely, realtime data transmission from truck to base via GPRS and CANbus technology, which logs and reports on with pin-point accuracy all vital engine functions, including how much diesel the engine burns.

Control Instruments OmniBridge
Having helped hundreds of transporters with its Electronic Diesel Manager (EDM), CI-OmniBridge has now integrated CANbus technology it with its FM300 Communicator fleet management System. According to CI OmniBridge Managing Director, Charles Tasker, "the integration of these systems allows for the delivery of rich content as far as fuel consumption is concerned. Detailed reports on diesel use allow transport managers to actually see what various interventions produce as far as driver behavior modifications are concerned."

Fleet Management Systems are unsurpassed when it comes to getting drivers to perform optimally. The FM300 Communicator, when connected into a truck's CANbus, "can report any transgressions such as speeding, excessive idling, tachograph information showing over-revving and out of green band driving that results in lugging - all factors contributing to unnecessary and wasteful fuel use," says Tasker.

The FM300 Communicator equips the driver with an in-cab buzzer that sounds when pre-set parameters are transgressed, be they speed, idling or rev related. Transport company Manline installed 17 EDM units in 2004 but, according to Manline's IT Manager, Jonathan Spencer, "Although the EDM system worked well, we did battle to get conclusive data that would stand up in court when we had to prove fuel theft, due largely to calibration issues. We have now opted for the CANbus route which does not read off the fuel line as the EDM does but directly off the fuel injector, which prevents pass-back fuel from being registered."

Spencer states that the primary reason for fitting the FM300 Communicator is to prevent diesel fraud and theft. "We have also fitted anti-siphon sieves to our trucks which, coupled with the FM300 Communicator will stop the thieving and automate the fuel logging system, which will make fuel management that much more accurate and efficient."
 

Manline Carriers are using the FM300 communicator to primarily control fuel use in its vehicles.

Liquid Automation Systems (LAS)
The concept of the 'electronic handshake' between pump nozzle and truck tank is not new. Vehicle 'tagging' solutions like eFuel and FuelMaster have achieved excellent market penetration and have no doubt delivered millions of rands worth of savings via efficient diesel management. The next-generation in this sector is the 'wireless electronic handshake', spearheaded by LAS with its PetroPoint offering. 

Konrad Burger, Consumer & Retail Solutions, LAS, says, "A major benefit with a wireless RF (radio frequency) system is that you don't have to dig trenches to lay wires in between pump and office. A problem with wired systems is that a wire travels down the dispensing hose to the nozzle. With extensive use, these wires break."

LAS provides fuel measuring systems for refineries, crude oil ships, fuel depots, fuel tankers, home base depots as well as retail forecourts. "The system integrates with fuel cards and links directly to bank accounts, so there's no need to manipulate software," says Burger. "The system ensures that fuel card expenses are only for fuel and not products from the quick shop, which has become a problem as far as fuel accounting is concerned."

For transporters wanting to fine-tune their diesel stock control, LAS offers automatic storage tank gauging and air elimination filters between tanker and bowser, explains Burger. "LAS also brings temperature measurement and compensation tools into the equation for better measurement of bulk storage diesel levels. It's a quantum leap from the ubiquitous dipstick method. The system is able to detect water in tanks as well as detect leaks that could damage the environment and the bank balance."

LAS supplies its technologies to several leading tanker operations in SA. "PetroPoint solves the problems inherent in traditional fleet fuel management," adds Burger. "Our system enables positive identification of the vehicle to be refueled, accurate recording and reporting via GPRS of the odometer/hour meter, driver identification and a secure, dedicated flow path with tank-to-nozzle security, effectively negating any chance of theft."