On-site refuelling – Why do I need a fuel tank

Mon, Jul 15, 2013

For businesses with company vehicles such as trucks, vans and company cars, a decision has to be as to whether they are going to invest in a fuel storage tank, or refuel at a petrol station.

The answer relies on the trade-off between the expenditure on the fuel tank and fuel transfer pump equipment required, and the savings that refuelling on-site can generate.

Companies who have quite high fuel consumption, for example because they have a lot of company vehicles, or do a large number of miles, will almost always be better off with an on-site fuel tank for a number of reasons.

onsite refuelling

Time saving

Travelling to a petrol station and then queuing to refuel wastes valuable company time that refuelling on site saves. Time is money!

Fuel cost saving

Having a fuel storage tank allows you to buy fuel in bulk, bringing the cost per litre down considerably in comparison to the “at-the-pump” prices, where multiple small refuelling transactions occur. Additionally, it saves the cost of the fuel used by all vehicles driving to the petrol station on such a regular basis.

Accurate fuel use knowledge

Purchasing at the petrol station and leaving your drivers to pay for their own fuel can result in inaccuracies regarding what is being spent on fuel. As well as the issue of lost receipts, there may also be the problem of “exaggerated mileage”.

Whilst fuel cards can be a solution, there are costs associated with this that combined with the higher priced fuel at the pump, may make it more cost effective to have your own tank.

Having your own tank allows you to determine exactly what you are spending on fuel, and a fuel flow meter identifies what users have dispensed in that transaction that can then be written down. This can be enhanced even further by having a fuel transfer pump with an incorporated fuel management system on the tank, which electronically stores all fuel transactions.

If you have decided that a fuel storage tank is the route you should go down, we can recommend a distributor local to you.