|
|
|
|
|
|
|
inside mobile refueling
MOBILE REFUELING TRUCKS 101
|
|
|
In the second installment of Inside Mobile Refueling, SIGMA will lead you through a course titled Mobile Refueling Trucks 101. Here, readers can learn more about the three main concepts essential to a successful mobile refueling operation: 1. Safety; 2. Efficiency; and 3. Easy. By the end of the course, you will SEE the difference!
|
|
|
Safety
First and foremost, safety is the most important component in any mobile refueling operation. “I started a mobile refueling company back in October of 1992, and I did all the work by myself,” said Glen Sokolis, president of the Sokolis Group based in Warrington, Pa. “I learned a couple of things from this experience.” Safety requires the proper equipment on your fueling trucks. From lights to automatic shut off nozzles to drain covers and spill kits, safety starts by coming prepared.
Lighting your truck properly while your employees make those graveyard-shift deliveries is the first step to increasing your safety standard tenfold. Several components, including extra running lights, reflective tape, and even a strobe light while your employees pump the fuel can put your drivers in the limelight. “It’s important to see in dark delivery situations and to be seen by others,” Sokolis added. “Lights help in that situation and can make drivers feel safer, too. It can be scary in a dark parking lot at 2 o’clock in the morning by yourself—I’ve been there!”
Other items that can shed some light on the situation include work lights off the back of the truck, spot lights to shine on areas that work lights cannot access and back-up alarms can help, too.
“And don’t forget the driver,” Sokolis said. “He or she should be wearing safety vests and head lamps while refueling the clients’ trucks, and raincoats too. You have to be ready to refuel trucks in all kinds of weather.”
Another key component to safety while mobile refueling is how you equip your truck to deal with fuel spills. Your trucks should include a remote truck shut-down component, along with automatic shut off nozzles and pump operations with fuel speed controls of “hi” and “low.” “Don’t let your profits go down the drain,” Sokolis stated. “Be sure to carry drain covers, spill kits, extra spill pads and extra oil dry just in case all other safety modes on your truck malfunction.”
Efficiency
After you address the safety of your trucks and drivers first, the next best step is to increase profits by improving efficiency through technology, both on your truck and via handheld components. Equipping your drivers with the proper technology can improve their ability to pump more fuel more accurately. It reduces error, allowing the drivers to know which trucks should be fueled with what product—essentially saving you money by eliminating both timely and costly blunders.
“Handheld systems capture each scan,” Sokolis added. “They can provide a detailed list of each fueling transaction, so if your driver is filling up his tank on the side, you’ll see the missing gallons on the next statement and you can ask what happened to it.”
Equipping your truck properly also abolishes down time. By installing dual hose reels off the back of the truck, along with quick couplers to easily change the nozzle if it breaks and carrying spare nozzles and tools for minor repair, you can avoid your drivers missing out on an entire shift due to equipment malfunctions.
“You should also add a spare hose and a PTO shaft to that long list,” Sokolis said. “Add as many extra components that you can carry that might break the better, usually what can go wrong will.” Technology can also let you know what happens during a shift. With GPS units installed on your truck, you can track the routes your drivers take and see where the truck went if a large window of time goes unaccounted.
“You can see if it was just parked, for example, which might mean the driver took his or her break,” Sokolis stated. “Or, if the driver goes terribly off-route, you know something else might be going on.” A dispatch program is also very good to have. It should tell the driver in what order to fuel the customers that night, and how long they should be at each stop. It also finds out how many gallons they will fuel at that site and how long it takes to get from one stop to another. Set the time expectation for a route and then if actual does not meet expectation, you need to find out why.
Easy
Finally, the act of mobile refueling can be complicated by not remembering the simple things. You might want to take into consideration these items when first venturing into the category, because keeping your trucks as simple to operate as possible plays a key role in how successful your mobile refueling venture turns out.
(1) Buy or use current trucks for conversion that include an automatic transmission and a good turning radius.
(2) Ensure that you put an extra tool box on the truck for your safety materials and parts.
(3) Make sure the hose you equip your truck with is “just right.” Think like Goldie Locks here…not too long, not too short, not too fat, and not too thin.
“Build your trucks for operational flexibility,” Sokolis advised. “And buy by quality, not price!”
That concludes the Mobile Refueling Trucks 101 session. Hopefully you left with some tidbits of knowledge that will help you develop or enhance your mobile refueling operation. To learn more about this exciting and profitable revenue center, please attend the Mobile Refueling Task Force meeting at the SIGMA Spring
Convention in Tucson, Ariz., coming up April 26-29, 2007.
Glen Sokolis, President, Sokolis Group can be reached at (267) 482-8371 or gsokolis@sokolisgroup.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
