The managers of fuel transport fleets and the drivers of their vehicles are significant lynchpins within the global economy. They perform their jobs 24/7, crisscrossing the globe to deliver motor fuels to retail and commercial fueling locations so that the world’s drivers can keep their vehicles – from family minivans and SUVs to online order-fulfillment delivery vans and a whole array of repair trucks – fueled and operational as they perform critical daily tasks.
While they are extremely conscientious about completing their jobs safely and well, fuel transport drivers have historically relied on a simplistic set of routines – for example, a “diesel first” approach to unloading a fuel trailer – to help ensure that the right fuel got into the right storage tank.
Knowing the stress that fuel transport fleets and their drivers can be put under to meet strict delivery schedules, while also ensuring that the right fuel and amount goes into the right tank 100% of the time, Civacon has developed the new CivaCommand Smart Tank System. CivaCommand is a highly engineered, but easy to use, solution that consolidates access to the many different control systems on the trailer – including overfill detection, on-board event monitoring, pneumatic (air pressure) control, crossover prevention, security, electronic product grade indicators (PGIs), troubleshooting and usage history. The system operates through the use of an easy-to-read graphic touchscreen unit that communicates with all of the trailer’s fuel delivery and monitoring components.
The graphic touchscreen unit, which can be operated by the driver even when wearing gloves, can optionally be configured for secure activation only through the use of a unique user ID and PIN. Upon arriving at the loading terminal and being unlocked by the driver, the system automatically enters into loading mode when the driver plugs inserts the loading terminal plug into the socket on the trailer. Loading can only begin, though, if CivaCommand has full permit status, meaning that all valves and vapor connections are open and the overfill detection system is indicating that it is safe to load fuel onto the trailer.
When the driver arrives at a retail site and is ready to unload fuel into the underground storage tank (UST), a CivaCommand Smart Elbow is attached to the inlet fitting on the UST. When properly attached and locked-on, the Smart Elbow reads the RFID tag on the UST and sends an electronic signal to the system. CivaCommand will then only open the internal valve for the product compartment(s) matching the RFID tag indicated product. Additionally, the system will automatically unlock only those outlet valves (APIs) associated with the matching product grade, enabling the unloading process to commence. At the conclusion of the unloading process, when the compartment is empty, the screen notifies the driver that the compartment is indeed empty and all hoses, elbows and adaptors can be safely disconnected.
Fleet companies and their drivers are an undeniably integral part of the motor fuel supply chain, but even the most conscientious and knowledgeable ones can occasionally make mistakes. To remove uncertainty and human error from the fuel delivery process, Civacon offers the CivaCommand Smart Tank System, which is the industry’s most advanced tank truck fuel delivery system. It promises to be an indispensable tool for drivers who strive to complete every one of their deliveries accurately and safely while facing the demanding conditions in which they operate.