Why use a Cloud based FMS?
INTRODUCTION
As a business owner, an accountant or fleet manager, you understand that fuel forms a major part of any fleet company’s operating cost.
Monitoring costs effectively and claiming tax credit for your fuel usage and minimising wasted fuel or fuel loss can be a major part of reducing your operating cost. However, this generally
becomes an overwhelming task, especially if you are managing a large back to base fleet with multiple vehicles and/or multiple sites, such as:
• Commercial fuel supplier
• Commercial transport
• Civil construction
• Mining
• Municipalities
This eBook will highlight the top nine reasons for using a cloud based fuel management system (FMS).
1.
REDUCE HUMAN ERROR
THINK ABOUT THIS…
Fuel record keeping depends on the driver’s motivation and commitment to recording accurate fuel usage and on the administrator’s ability to effectively record fueling details that
correspond to each vehicle without misreading or transposing numbers or miscounting figures. This is not just a problem for FMS but for any manual operation which needs to be accounted for and
recorded. Even with the most organised filling system, receipts need to be generated and entered into a spreadsheet or accounting system. Each step increases the likelihood of human error. All these
human interactions can accumulate errors and make it difficult to accurately account for and reconcile fuel records.
The solution is to create an automatic system. A well-designed system needs to physically prevent drivers from filling up unless they engage the system and then automatically record what they
use. This will obviously be some type of smart system combined with a physical unit at the site.
A FMS can use various means to track the fuel consumption per vehicle. Initially it is important to identify each vehicle. There are several methods which may be utilised include requiring some type
of code to be entered into the FMS through a keypad or perhaps it is easier to use a swipe card or key tag (e.g. RFID) before the fuel will
start to pump. A key tag, attached to the keys of the vehicle is generally preferable as the vehicle cannot be driven without the keys and therefore the key tag.
Once the vehicle is identified and the physical system is enabled and fueling begins, a system needs to track the data. The most efficient
and error free way of doing this is through a cloud based system. A cloud based system eliminates the need to have someone physically
approach the base station units to download data. A cloud based system will automatically upload the data from wherever FMS is
placed and ensures that reliable, up to date data is always available. A physical unit combined with an effective cloud based system will
reduce or eliminate the human error associated with manual fuel logs and accounting operations.
