Service stations that have implemented a new fleet management system have seen their costs drop and efficiency levels rise. Imperial Truck Centre, Elandsfontein, is one example.
Says fleet customer Lettie Naude: "Before implementing the SmartFuel Forecourt system we took about two days to reconcile our fleet accounts; now this process only takes 20 minutes."
The Forecourt system boasts a variety of features that allow for a smooth, automated billing and accounting process. The automatic debtor tagging facility allows for an improved flow of traffic on the forecourt, thus increasing overall fleet productivity. Each debtor tag, when tagged to the pump, electronically opens that particular account in the back office. The capturing of the transactions occurs electronically at the pump, thus preventing human error and minimising paperwork.
The fleet manager receives a detailed statement, accompanied by detailed management reports. Time wasted on manual fleet reconciliation is now a thing of the past. And if there are any queries regarding the system, they can be sorted out instantaneously. The system provides strong financial controls for the fleet manager who, if he wishes, can set individual expense limits on each sub-account. As the limits are controlled at the pump, the pumps will immediately switch off once the driver has reached his limit for the month. The possibility of going over budget is thus eliminated. Because the area is locally managed, tags can be deleted instantaneously after being reported lost. This obviates the dangers associated with the delay usually attendant on the cancelling of lost garage cards.
Gavin Gordon, fleet manager of Volvo Cars Dealer in Boksburg, notes: "This state-of-the-art computer system has really helped us keep complete control of our petrol usage. In fact, we have almost halved our fuel expenses since implementing the Forecourt system."
Colin Gallop of Land Rover East Rand endorses this view. "Since implementing the fuel monitoring system, we have managed to reduce our company fuel bill by R6 000 a month."
Share
SmartFuel is a forecourt management solutions provider for the fuel retail industry and uses proprietary software and hardware tailored to this industry. It is a medium-sized business focused on the forecourt/c-store market. SmartFuel offers a full-service fleet management system with a high level of data integrity and accuracy.
The company also has its own in-house technicians.
Editorial contacts