“You can’t manage what you can’t measure” - and this well-used expression is particularly true when it comes to fuel. An effective fuel management system (FMS) can make a big difference to the bottom line, the question is: what’s the best way to measure your fuel consumption?

As fuel prices continue to slowly rise, understanding how fuel is being consumed is increasingly important – particularly when organisations of all sizes are under pressure to reduce costs and increase operating efficiency.

A number of different systems exist that are designed to measure fuel usage. A very simple and commonly used system tracks fuel transactions using a fuel credit card and driver PIN. This is suitable for commercial fleets such as couriers that are using similar vehicles travelling on highways and main roads.

Where fuel management gets more complicated is when your organisation is using fuel from a combination of sources such as an on-site refuelling supplier, on-site storage and off-site fuel suppliers. Another factor that can complicate fuel measurement is the range of vehicles and machinery being used. Large earthmoving equipment has completely different consumption ratio to generators, cranes, forklifts and passenger vehicles. On a busy construction or mining site, accurate fuel measurement data is critical to monitoring productivity and controlling costs.

Fuel consumption is not an easy science, with many variables coming into the equation. For example, average consumption rates provided by vehicle manufacturers aren’t always a reliable guide if your dump truck is regularly going to be driving on gradients greater than 10%. And what about payload? The only way to get an accurate picture of your fuel usage is to leave the averages completely out of the picture and invest in an electronic, automated fuel management system that can be integrated with automatic tank gauging systems.

At Bulk Fuel Australia, our customers can use the iPetro Fluid Management Service from Petro Industrial who shares our commitment to quality and customer service excellence. Petro Industrial was the first commercial petroleum equipment supplier to obtain independent, third party certification, complying with ISO9001:2008

iPetro is Petro Industrial’s cloud-based fluids management portal and Bulk Fuel Australia’s customers are provided with their own iPetro portal. There are two versions of the system. iPetro Lite is an entry level version while iPetro Pro adds features such as real-time data streaming and more powerful and detailed reporting.

Both systems provide all the benefits of cloud computing as well as key fuel management features, including:

• Secure – data is protected via our https security encryption and synchronised between the terminal and the iPetro Cloud via an encrypted USB Management Stick
• 250 users – iPetro Lite can be used by up to 250 users with contactless tags
• Customisable – customise your preferences to track consumption by vehicle, driver or both
• Plug and play – iPetro is ready to go, no additional software or hardware required
• Seamless integration – iPetro can accept data from your legacy system
• Stock reconciliation – the system can be integrated with an automatic tank gauge to provide a complete reconciliation of your site wet stock transactions

iPetro Pro

• Protection from environmental issues – receive notifications when stock levels change without a transaction occurring
• Any size of fleet – the system can manage from 2 to 10,000 vehicles
• Real-time technology – allows you to address critical issues immediately
• Powerful reporting tools – you have access to the complete data package for each site’s fluid storage and consumption

The team at Bulk Fuel Australia has been built from the ground up with professionals and industry experts who can provide great value bulk fuel solutions for your business, that’s why we partner with iPetro Fluid Management Service. For more information about fuel management, storage and on-site refuelling, or how to get your own fuel management solution with us, get in touch today on 1300 57 9990.