Unless you've been living on Gilligan's Island with the Skipper and his crew you've certainly heard about the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. An explosion of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon last year killed eleven workers and spewed untold barrels of oil into Gulf waters. The full extent of the damage won't be known for years, maybe decades, but the repercussions will most certainly be enormous. But what can businesses like ours learn from this event?

Okay, maybe you don't have an oil rig drilling in your yard, but if you store fuel in a tank or fuel trucks on your site, aren't you introducing hazards to your workers, the environment and your bottom line? Every time your people stop at the pumps you are subject to the damages. Sure, this isn't life and death and you're unlikely to pollute hundreds of miles of shoreline, but the risks are still high.

Damages from a spill can include lost productivity, toxic seepage, and higher insurance rates and the resulting clean ups that could run in the tens of thousands of dollars. But you can protect your company from spills by reviewing which of the three common methods of fueling you use and deciding on the best option for your business.

Three Ways to Fuel Your Fleet

COMMERCIAL CARD-LOCKS are a relatively safe method, as long as your driver is paying attention. When there's a small spill at card-locks, the station typically absorbs the cost. However, if it's a large spill it's on your tab and the clean-up has to meet the station's standards, not yours. Even if there is no spill, card-locks lead to the unavoidable and unhealthy exposure of your employees to diesel fuel on their hands, clothes and equipment.

ON-SITE FUELING is another common method of refuelling in the trucking industry. Essentially operating your own card-lock, on-site dispensing can reduce the 45 minutes typically needed to travel to and fuel at card-locks; however, most tank owners are chiefly concerned with keeping the tank from running dry, not minimizing their exposure to risk. If your equipment, tank or pumps are old, or you don't follow a strict "best practices" policy, leaks, spills and accidents will happen.

While you may not end up with Green Peace on your doorstep, when a spill occurs government agencies will become involved and you may be subject to a costly clean up, heavy fines and endless visits by government inspectors. And who needs that?

ON-SITE WHEEL-TO-WHEEL FUELLING is the third option. It involves hiring a 3^rd party professional wheel-to-wheel fuel delivery company. This method of refuelling can increase productivity by as much as 40 to 45 minutes per unit, per day. It will also serve to minimize risk to your people, the environment and your community.

Delegate the Task, Skip the Headache.

Fuel management is a growing area of resource management and business planning. Reducing risk from spills is just as important a part of managing fuel investments as maximizing productivity and minimizing cost and waste. No one needs any extra risk or headache in their lives. When it comes to fuel - and more specifically fuel spills - it's always best to hand the responsibility over to the professionals. Choose the right supplier to manage your risks and you'll have more time to put into your business.