Ward AFMS Case Study

Ward Fuel Management System Improves San Antonio Water System Fuel
Management Program

San Antonio Water System (SAWS) has a fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles and six refueling locations. To monitor fuel use and vehicle maintenance for the fleet, SAWS has relied on a Ward fuel management system for more than 20 years. In 2008 SAWS updated the Ward fuel management system to improve driver accountability, maintenance and vehicle performance.

Challenge

A primary challenge that faced SAWS was their current Ward automated fuel management system which was implemented in the 1980’s was in need of replacement. The Ward Automated Fuel Management System (AFMS) still functioned well, but afte decades of reliable use, SAWS thought it was time to upgrade the system to utilize the latest fuel management technology.

Solution

SAWS sought to eliminate driver errors through a more updated fuel management system. As a result, SAWS sought bids for a new automated fuel management system. SAWS selected the Ward Automated Fuel Management System (Ward AFMS). The new fuel management system incorporates wireless technology and radio frequency identification, completely replacing the previous fuel management system, and may eventually interact with GPS technology in vehicles.

Results

When SAWS drivers refuel at the water system’s fueling stations, information about the vehicle’s performance, such as odometer readings, automatically downloads to the Ward fuel control terminal. The Ward AFMS automatically authorizes vehicle fueling without the need for driver intervention, reducing driver error and preventing unauthorized or non-SAWS vehicle use. In addition, the Ward AFMS Fleet View software includes several new reporting options to help SAWS fleet management team monitor and track preventive maintenance on SAWS vehicles.

Customer Comment

“Since implementation last year, the new Ward automated fuel management system has noticeably improved SAWS fuel business processes and efficiencies, including accountability, security, and preventive maintenance.”

Marty Martinez – SAWS Material Manager

Miami Dade Transit 

 Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) is the 14th largest public transit system in the United States and the largest transit agency in the State of Florida. With over 1,000 transit buses in operation, MDT records over 326,000 daily weekday boardings.

Challenge

As one of the largest departments of Miami-Dade County government, tracking transit bus usage was paramount in maximizing transit fleet efficiencies. MDT found its fuel management system difficult to operate, lacked reporting accuracy, and occasionally did not work. MDT required a fuel management system that was not only dependable, but provided critical bus data for scheduling maintenance and fuel usage.

Solution

Miami-Dade Transit sought out a transit specific fuel management solution that would increase bus efficiencies and reduce operating costs. Through a comprehensive selection process, MDT selected the Ward Transit Automated Fuel Management System (TAFMS) as their new fuel management system. The Ward TAFMS provided MDT with many of the features they needed including advanced reporting and the reliability they were not getting from their current fuel management system.

Results

For over 13 years the Ward TAFMS has not only met Miami-Dade Transit’s requirements, but it has exceeded them. The Ward TAFMS has enabled MDT streamline operational procedures resulting in lower labor costs. As MDT’s requirements have expanded over the years, the Ward TAFMS has provided the expandability to support MDT’s growing bus fleet. Ward’s product reliability is a testament to how long the fuel management system has been in operation at MDT. 

Customer Comment

“The Ward Transit Automated Fuel Management System has significantly improved bus and fleet performance through accurate data, meter readings and integration into the fleet maintenance system.”

District of Columbia – Department of Public Works

The District’s Fleet Management Administration (FMA) maintainsthousands of vehicles and mobile equipment units needed to sweepstreets, tow cars, enforce parking laws, plow snow, and collect trash. FMA also services vehicles for over 30 other agencies. Additionally, FMA operates eleven state-of-the-art municipal fuel sites, including the District's first multi fuel 24/7 computerized station.

Challenge

The FMA needed a way to locate their tanker fuel trucks 24/7 due to security risks. As a result of possible tanker truck theft, the FMA wanted the ability to find the stolen tanker truck location through the use of the latest GPS technology. The FMA also wanted a driver panic alert feature incorporated into the GPS device. Since the FMA had turned to Ward to provide it with the most advanced automated fuel management system, the FMA once again challenged Ward engineers to develop a viable GPS solution that incorporated the latest fleet technology.

Solution

The FMA selected the Ward Asset Tracking System (ATS) real-time vehicle tracking device. Not only did the Ward ATS exceed all of the FMA’s requirements, Ward provided a customized solution that incorporated a driver panic alert feature. The customized one touch panic feature provided the ideal driver safety solution. The Ward ATS also integrated with the FMA’s existing Ward AFMS, thus enabling the FMA to incorporate both fuel and GPS data in one report. Future scalability was important to the FMA since they wanted the ability to expand fleet data as their fleet needs required.

Results

24/7 access to the FMA tanker truck fleet location has been critical in securing the FMA tanker fleet accountability. The Ward Fleet View mapping software has enabled the FMA to quickly locate a tanker truck from any computer. The FMA has also used the Ward ATS as a dispatch resource enabling the FMA to improve route optimization and quickly determine vehicle heading change.

Customer Comment

“The Ward ATS has proved invaluable. We now have the ability to locate our fuel tanker trucks anytime, day and night. This gives the entire fleet the peace of mind that the vehicle will always be located.”

Lloyd Carter

Vehicle Control Officer

Town of North Hempstead, New York

Covering a span of roughly 58 square miles the Town of North Hemstead borders Long Island Sound and is 14.5 miles from Manhattan. With a multitude of fleet vehicles including street sweepers, snowplows, and buses, North Hempstead’s fleet of service vehicles facilitates all of the Town’s utilities, parks and road maintenance services. The Town’s responsibility is to make every effort to monitor and maintain their fleet in order to produce the highest level of efficiency at the lowest cost possible.

Challenge

North Hempstead’s fuel dispensing process was done manually, which was not time efficient and was difficult to track. After dispensing fuel in the fleet vehicle, the Town employee would then manually fill out a carbon-copied Fuel Dispensing Log on which was noted the vehicle ID, vehicle license plate, odometer reading and gallons dispensed. Copies of the Fuel Dispensing Log were then dispersed so that one copy stayed at the pump, one copy stayed with the employee, and the final copy went to the direct supervisor. Each day all fueling information would then be manually entered into the Town’s Fleet Maintenance System.

Solution

The Town’s fleet managers sought a solution that would automate and improve this tedious process, by eliminating steps and thus free up employee time. Ward’s Automated Fuel Management System (AFMS) provided North Hempstead with what was needed by enabling the fleet team to track and monitor critical fuel management data with the versatility of over 1,000 report configurations. Ward AFMS provides the flexibility and ease of use that made it an obvious choice to solve the problem.

Results

Ward AFMS was customized to integrate into the North Hempstead Fleet Maintenance System so that each manager now has access to the system with rights to view only their own department’s vehicle consumption information. Reports are used to calculate department fuel billing. The Ward AFMS has streamlined all aspects of the fuel dispensing process thusly. Employees no longer have to complete fuel dispensing logs and gas consumption reports. Fuel dispensing errors are eliminated. Fuel information is automatically transmitted into the Town’s Fleet Maintenance System. The savings to the town is in the reduction of man hours spent dispensing fuel as well as manually managing usage, departmental billing, and reporting.

Customer Comment

“The Ward Automated Fuel Management System provides the Town with an efficient, easy-to-use method to dispense, analyze and monitor fuel consumption. The system greatly reduced the hours and errors from the prior manual fuel dispensing process, which, in turn, will save the Town money.”

Frank Prisciandara,

North Hempstead Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications

City of Madison, Wisconsin

The City of Madison operates more then 1,100 vehicles, from fire apparatus and refuse collection trucks to police and executive cars. The City’s fleet consumes more than 1 million gallons of fuel each year.

The City faced an uphill battle in ensuring each vehicle received the correct fuel and correct quantities at each of its fueling stations. The City approached Ward to update their existing outdated fuel management system.

Challenge

The City of Madison’s 20-year old two-card fueling system and the manual entering of vehicle mileage continued to be a nuisance for the fleet. Vehicle operators would forget mileage or accidentally enter the wrong information into the keypads. Not only did these errors shut down fuelings, they necessitated overriding the system. Errors also affected PM scheduling and evaluating vehicle condition. The old system was also open to fuel theft which, while rare, did occasionally happen. The City needed a more user-friendly and up-to-date fuel management system. The City also wanted a more passive system that required no operator interface and provided better data that was more reliable.

Solution

The City of Madison selected Ward’s Automatic Fuel Management System (AFMS) since it is a hands-free system that delivered a wide array of fleet information to fleet management. The Ward AFMS also communicated directly to the vehicles on-board computer data which is transmitted to the fleet maintenance computer via an internet connection. The Ward system met Madison's key criteria and it required little or no input from operators. The Ward AFMS also had the ability for report customization which allowed extensive reporting options.

Results

Instant access to critical vehicle information, transmitted to fleet headquarters via an automatic email has proven invaluable in addressing maintenance related issues. Entry errors have been eliminated and the City of Madison has not had any fuel related thefts. The Ward AFMS allowed the City to better evaluate its equipment, meet maintenance schedules, and control fuel usage.

Customer Comment

“One of the biggest benefits of the Ward AFMS is the ease of use for our operators. The data collection is as good as any system I’ve seen. It’s definitely leading-edge technology.”

Bill Vanden

Brook Madison Fleet Superintendent