Regular, or low-octane, gasoline does not belong in a high-performance race car. Diesel shouldn’t go into your gasoline-powered sedan. When pulling into a fueling station, customers are putting their trust in the station to keep incompatible fuels from getting into their tanks. Though it’s simple on the outside - customers hit a button and dispense the correct fuel - the below ground aspect is a little trickier. In underground storage tanks (USTs), there are tens of thousands of chances for a delivery driver to make a loading or unloading error that results in customers driving off with compromised tanks.
In truth, incorrect fuel delivery is somewhat rare, but even one mistake can come with a major price tag. The opportunities to create an incorrect octane mix or gasoline/diesel mix-up come at a variety of points in the fuel delivery process, too. There are multiple connection points that drivers and terminal loading staff need to oversee to keep the right fuel in the right tank. The most prevalent causes include:
- Unloading the wrong product into the wrong underground tank at the service station
- Loading the wrong product into the wrong tank trailer compartment at the terminal
- An incomplete cleaning or residual incompatible product causes product contamination
- An incomplete unloading of a tank trailer compartment leaves fuel behind after delivery
Training is one way to combat these mistakes, but human error is a persistent threat for even the most tested, experienced drivers. To give people in the field a hand, and keep the fuel supply chain running more confidently, OPW’s tank truck equipment provider, Civacon, introduced the CivaCommand Smart Tank System, a single interface that gives drivers digital tools to prevent crossover, monitor fuel retention and ultimately get the right product into the right tank for the people that depend on them.
Defining What’s Next in Tank Truck Technology
OPW understands the needs of every party affected by the fuel delivery supply chain. Through the company’s Civacon brand, OPW serves retail stations, their customers and the drivers that service these stations. If a tank truck fuel delivery error is caught in time, disputes are still inconvenient for all involved, and if an error is unnoticed, damaged vehicles and ruined reputations are a distinct possibility.
Get the full story on Civacon’s total tank trailer solution, CivaCommand, and stay on top of the latest products and industry news from Civacon at civacon.com, or on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.