Top 5 Tips for the Ideal Fleet Shop - If you’re a fleet manager, you may have your own opinions about what the ideal maintenance shop looks like to you. Some of the top common goals may be safer and more ergonomic working conditions for employees, improved productivity with lower costs, and increased focus on green initiatives. How you accomplish all these things will vary by fleet and fleet shop manager. Check out these top five tips for the ideal fleet shop. Establish a physical layout that will best fit your fleet’s needs: Make sure it’s wide enough and long enough, with plenty of space for operation, storage, etc. You may have been so focused in the past on fitting your trucks and tools into your shops that you forgot about adding space for vehicle maneuvering, storage and technician work areas. Add plenty of lighting, both artificial and natural: Adding overhead, ambient and task lighting is critical, as is letting in as much natural light as you can through the ceiling (think skylights). It’s also a good idea to paint the walls white to brighten up the interior. Maximize productivity: When you think in terms of productivity = money, the [...]

Tips for Disaster Preparation - Natural disasters disrupt our quiet complacency every once in a while, showing us Mother Nature’s unchained fury. Just take Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria this last fall for example, with Harvey alone causing the deaths of nearly 100 people and $200 billion in damage. Here in the Northeast, nor’easters, blizzards and ice storms will soon be ripping through the region, causing their own damage and disruptions. To ensure smooth operations during a natural disaster, follow these preparedness tips: Have a plan. When disaster hits, everything is thrown into chaos. The last thing you have time for is to come up with a contingency plan to get fuel for your fleet. Getting the ball rolling quickly means you have a plan, push one button or make one call, and it’s taken care of. Getting that plan in writing so you can refer to it easily is imperative. Taylor Oil works with our clients to create emergency fueling profiles that can be put into action should the need arise. Be prepared to make quick decisions: Indecision will cause even more delays, and you don’t have time for that when an ice storm is barreling down upon your [...]

Construction Refueling Plan - Do You Have One?  - If you don’t have a construction refueling plan, it’s time to come up with one. This is critical in preventing emergencies, especially during the winter. Plus, it helps you smoothly handle your fueling needs without stress. The economy is improving, which is increasing competition in the construction industry. That boost in competition means that only the most efficient and reliable firms will stand head and shoulders above the rest. Failing to have a re-fueling plan for your construction equipment can affect the timely completion of projects. If you can’t complete a job on time, you lose money, time and productivity. Partnering with a responsive fuel provider can make all the difference in developing a strategy to put continuity of equipment-based operations at the forefront. So why do construction delays, failures and setbacks happen? Well, it has a lot to do with management frameworks punctuated by poor planning. There is indeed a cost to bad project management. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study reported by Gallup, just over two percent of organizations had a 100 percent success rate in their project management performance. Developing a Plan You may be wondering where you should [...]

Vessel Fueling: What to Know Fueling your vessel takes care and attention. Just like fueling your car, there are certain rules to follow for your safety, the boat’s safety and that of everyone around you. The first rule is: never fuel at night unless you have to due to an emergency. In this event, use only electric lights, and attempt the fueling far away from the water or at least on a commercial fueling ramp. Here are some more tips: Prior to Fueling Securely dock the boat and make sure all passengers are off the boat. Tell everyone to refrain from smoking or striking a match in the vicinity of the boat. Check the fuel lines and vents, as well as connections. Close all windows, ports and doors so fumes can’t get in. Turn off engines, fans or electrical equipment that could cause a spark. Shut off the fuel valves and put out all open flames on galley stoves and pilot lights. Fill portable fuel tanks on the dock, not on the boat. During Fueling: To prevent static, keep the nozzle of the fuel-pump hose in contact with the tank opening. Be careful so as not to spill fuel [...]

Tips on Fuel Management - In order to optimize income and traffic in regards to fuel and inside sales, it’s important for retailers to possess both a stellar procurement team and street pricing team. They should be able to work in tandem with one another seamlessly to deliver smooth, cohesive services. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the variables of both: Procurement Follow these tips to foster a great procurement team: Have plenty of options in regards to multiple suppliers, multiple terminals, multiple trucking vendors and a portfolio of contracts, including (index, MERC, posted, fixed and differentials. Know your transportation costs, from trucking to pipelines. Know blending economics such as RIN, short for renewable identification number. Understand that the procurement director’s responsibility is to supply the system and buy better-than-index or on level with the competition, NOT to speculate on prices. Concentrate on events that impact supply in a given region such as refinery outages, pipeline interruptions, strikes, turnarounds and terminal constraints. React to those events promptly and professionally. Street Pricing Check out these top tips when it comes to street pricing: Optimize contract sales via online sales, loyalty programs and fleet programs. Price to your competition in [...]

Three Tips for Fueling Your Construction Site - A construction site is a busy, chaotic place. There are often dozens of trucks, generators, compressors and pieces of machinery required to get the job done the right way and on time. In general, most equipment will need more fuel every three to four hours. It’s a no-brainer, then, that fuel is one of the highest recurring costs on any job site. There’s nothing you can really do to curb this; it’s a fact of life that in order to run your construction site, you need diesel fuel. Just like with your own vehicle, you are at the mercy of the diesel fuel prices of the moment. Those fluctuating prices and inability to predict the markets can be a major source of stress for foremen and construction company owners. However, there are some tips you can use to better understand, assess and effectively manage your fuel costs. TIP 1: Determine your unique site needs. Do you need on-site fueling for individual pieces of equipment, or would a delivered fuel tank and pumps (along with special protection shields that guard against theft and damage) be best? Depending on the choice you go with, [...]