Investing in technology to improve transport fleet efficiency

Creed Foodservice has upgraded its depot fuelling facilities as part of an ongoing programme to improve the efficiency of its transport operations.

The upgrade includes the implementation of Merridale FuelWorks, a web based fuel management service which tracks all the company’s vehicle fuelling transactions. The hardware components are Merridale Auditor GX units which have been installed on the fuelling points at each of the company’s depots in Cheltenham and Ilkeston.

Creed customers include care homes and other key accounts such as colleges and universities. Typically orders are confirmed on a daily basis for delivery on the following day.

“Previously we had no control over how the fuel was being dispensed.  Now the Merridale system records every transaction, how much fuel is put into each vehicle, its current mileage and the identity of the driver. Everything is on line and we have weekly reports showing precisely how much fuel has been used by the fleet.”

“Our customer services are dependent on delivery vehicles which are also an important aspect of our brand image, explains Assistant Transport Manager, Max Kennedy.  “We operate a mixed fleet of eighty leased vehicles from our depot facilities in Cheltenham and Ilkeston. Diesel consumption for both sites amounts to over one million litres a year.

The Merridale Auditor units are designed to control access to the fuel pumps, allowing authorised personnel to draw fuel, only for pre-registered company vehicles.

“Clearly even the smallest saving can have a significant impact on our overall operating costs. By measuring mpg performance we can evaluate drivers’ ability and we are now using this information to support our driver training programme, says Max Kennedy. ”

“Previously we had no control over how the fuel was being dispensed.  Now the Merridale system records every transaction, how much fuel is put into each vehicle, its current mileage and the identity of the driver. Everything is on line and we have weekly reports showing precisely how much fuel has been used by the fleet.

“We are also using the mpg analysis to evaluate different vehicle types. As a result, we have introduced Iveco vans which have an automated transmission. As well as making life easier for our drivers, we can see that they are helping to deliver important fuel savings which helps to make our fleet even greener.”