"In the world of logistics, the smallest leak can sink the largest ship. Vigilance is not just a strategy, it's a necessity."
Fuel theft in heavy machinery is a major issue in India. Particularly in industries like construction, mining & agriculture where heavy machinery is widely used. Heavy machinery consumes fuel at a much higher rate than trucks and hence have much larger fuel tanks, which in turn also increase the scope of fuel theft.
Other than theft, just the operational aspect of operating multiple heavy machines can be really complex, time consuming and error prone. Example engine left running for long durations without any work being done can result in huge losses.
How fuel theft happens.
- Siphoning: This is the most common way of fuel theft. Here fuel is siphoned directly from the machine’s fuel tank using hoses or other devices to drain fuel into containers. This happens usually in non operational hours, at night, weekends or holidays.
- Tampering with Fuel Gauge: Some workers or operators tamper with the fuel gauge to show incorrect making it seem that more fuel than what has been consumed and then steal the excess.
- Collusion: In some cases, fuel theft involves collusion between operators and security operators. It can be anything like, siphoning fuel, recording false usage. And then distributing the stolen fuel or money from selling it among everyone.
Other factors that waste fuel.
- Running Engine left unchecked: In heavy machines the fuel consumption is really high and an engine left running without utilization can lead to heavy fuel wastage and financial losses.
- Unutilised Machines on rent: Many times, these heavy machines are rented out on daily basis. If they are not used properly, the rent may be wasted.
Impact
Considering that fuel can make up to 70% of operational cost for a company, fuel theft can greatly reduce the profit margins. When machinery goes out of fuel unexpectedly, it also halts the operations. Which leads to operational delays and further delays in shipment, and hence even further financial losses.
Fleetx Fuel Monitoring System for Heavy Machinery
Fleetx has been helping trucks detect and prevent fuel for years & helping Enterprises who handle heavy machinery optimize their operations for years. Hence, our engineers had an idea of the impact fuel theft, and the complications that heavy machinery would pose compared to a truck.
Today more than 110 Enterprises that operate heavy machinery use Fleetx to prevent fuel theft and optimise operations.
Key Features
Litre per hour reading:
- In heavy machinery, fuel is consumed at a much higher rate than trucks, even when the engine is kept running.
- The litre per hour is an important metric that you can monitor in Fleetx Dashboard.
Engine on-off Status:
- Monitor and analyse the hours in which the engine was on & off. Considering the fuel consumption rate, it is important to monitor the engine on-off timings.
Primary & Secondary Mileage:
- For Heavy Machinery like dumper trucks, fuel is consumed at separate velocity when the truck is moving and when it does the mechanical/machine work (e.g., dumping).
- With Fleetx, you can check fuel consumed in both primary & secondary cases (Running time & Machine Work).
Notification for Fuel fill & Theft:
Get on time notifications when fuel is filled & theft has occurred
Get Detailed Reports:
Per Vehicle Fuel Consumption
- Primary Fuel Consumption
- Secondary Fuel Consumption
- Running Duration
- Engine Hours
Fuel theft in heavy machinery is a persistent issue in India, leading to financial losses and operational inefficiencies. By implementing robust software we can monitor and measure the utilization of such vehicles, keep a check on suspicious behaviors and discipline them. Leading to better profit margins, lesser downtimes and smoother operations.
