Digital tank-monitoring systems can provide managers and drivers improved visibility into loading / unloading operations . By Mark Dudley

Digital tank-monitoring technology can help drivers do their jobs better .

Fuel-transport drivers , while extremely conscientious about performing their jobs well , are also human and at potential risk of unintentionally committing errors during a fuel drop . For decades , they have been at the mercy of a rather simplistic set of routines that present a risk the right fuel may not get into the right storage tank every time .

For instance , many fuel-delivery companies have adopted a “ diesel first ” approach to unloading a fuel trailer , meaning that the driver is expected to fill the diesel tank first . An “ advancement ” in this area occurred with the invention of manually adjustable product-grade indicators ( PGIs ) that listed diesel , regular gasoline , E85 , etc ., for the different compartments on the transport , with the driver tasked with resetting the PGI , if necessary , after each new load of fuel was acquired or dropped .

The overriding shortcoming of these outdated manual and analogbased methods is easy to identify : a rushed driver forgets to unload diesel first or reset the truck ’ s PGIs , which can lead to a whole host of time- and cost-intensive complications down the road .

Recent advancements in the utilization of digital smart-tank monitoring technologies can give fuel-delivery drivers and their

24 FEBRUARY 2022 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com