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| Expert Fuel® |
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| Fuel Purchase Optimization Plan at the Time of Dispatch |
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| Customer Comments |
| "Expert Fuel is not only the best model, it’s the easiest. It’s easy to understand, easy to explain, and easy to manage. Savings are guaranteed independent of marketing or operating plans. We experience savings of 3.5 - 4 cents per gallon on a closed network, and 7 cents per gallon on an open network."—David Samples, Director of Operations EngineeringU.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc.Expert Fuel customer since 1995 |
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| What is Expert Fuel®? |
Expert Fuel is the industry-leading fuel optimization system designed specifically for the truckload carrier (fleets of 50 trucks or more). Fuel optimization is the most technologically advanced approach to systematically reducing fuel expenses—which can result in saving millions of dollars in fuel and out-of-route expenses.
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| How does it work? |
Expert Fuel blends the technology power of your existing dispatch and mobile communications systems with best-in-class fuel pricing and routing data to deliver drivers with optimized fuel purchase and route plans at the time of dispatch. Fuel plans are generated using IDSC’s unique patent-pending algorithm to calculate all essential factors—in real-time, and in a matter of seconds. All relevant route and vehicle factors are considered in the solution including: current fuel prices, fuel level, vehicle fuel consumption, state tax implications, fuel network implications, out-of-route miles, route policies, terminal fueling policies, tank fill policies, and driver amenities.
Upon dispatch, Expert Fuel automatically generates a route optimization and an optimum plan for fueling along the way. The resulting trip plan offers highway-by-highway directions and specific fuel buying instructions, including the number of gallons to buy at each truck stop. The driver can refer to the detailed instructions on the truck’s onboard display for the duration of the run. Expert Fuel monitors driver compliance with these instructions.
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| How will Expert Fuel decrease cost? |
Expert Fuel takes full advantage of the fact that fuel prices vary by location to dramatically decrease the cost of fuel. More gallons are purchased where the fuel is cheap and fewer gallons are purchased where the fuel is expensive. Also, out-of-route miles are eliminated by providing an optimized fuel purchase and route plan at the time of dispatch.
Expert Fuel customers enjoy savings of 4 to 11 cents per gallon per truck. On average, customers see savings of 4 cents per gallon on a restricted network, and 8 cents per gallon on an unrestricted network. These savings per gallon occur because fuel prices vary by location and don’t vary much by carrier size. The savings per gallon tend to be the same whether you buy 1 million gallons of fuel per year, or per week.
The cost of fuel is further reduced by renegotiating discounts and evaluating other fuel networks and fuel card providers.
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Click here for customer testimonials >
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| What are some of the unique functionality features of Expert Fuel? |
Expert Fuel’s easy-to-use design offers flexibility and versatility with features that include extensive amenity information, an intuitive menu system organized to follow driver manager logic, parameter settings easily controlled and inclusive of business rules and processes, and sophisticated screen design that maintains discounts and location information from the same screen. Flexibility throughout the screens is built-in for easy data sorting, filtering, and global updates. Other extras include enhanced via point logic with wizard driven via point creation, radius enabled origin and destination, and routing through postal code or latitude / longitude.
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| How is Expert Fuel implemented and supported? |
 Expert Fuel integrates seamlessly with your existing dispatch and mobile communications systems for fast implementation and for maximizing the return on your technology investments. IDSC offers best-in-class customer support—from implementation, to training, to compliance guidance, to day-to-day issues, to new release roll-outs. Every customer is assigned to a customer account manager to ensure appropriate attention and satisfaction. Online support is also available for documentation downloads, customer forums, and Q & A. The IDSC annual users conference offers several sessions on getting the most out of Expert Fuel, industry-experts speak on current issues, power-users pick up and share tips and tricks and customer’s ideas are collected for future product versions.
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| How is Expert Fuel different from other solutions? |
| > Version 7.0 |
IDSC has specialized in profit improvement technologies for the truckload carrier for over 25 years. Every solution from IDSC is engineered with over 100 years of industry expertise combined with the most sophisticated information technology. Expert Fuel is now on version 7.0, which is testament to IDSC’s commitment to continuous product improvement practices. In fact, IDSC’s Expert Fuel has earned a reputation for being the industry leader. The first fuel optimization program of its kind, Expert Fuel version 1.0 was introduced in 1994. With every new version, customers enjoy the latest technology advances designed with trucking-specific requirements along with user-specific improvement requests.
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| > Comprehensive Real-World Constraints and Business Rules |
Expert Fuel offers the most comprehensive real-world constraints and business rules. All relevant route and vehicle factors are considered in the solution including, but not limited to: current fuel prices, fuel level, vehicle fuel consumption, state tax implications, fuel network implications, out-of-route miles, route policies, terminal fueling policies, tank fill policies, and driver amenities.
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| > Robust Reporting |
Expert Fuel generates several real-time and historical reports with drill-down detail for extensive data mining. These reports give management the high-value intelligence needed to make informed decisions on driver performance and compliance, and fuel network design. Total custom reporting is made easy with built-in wizards, printing flexibility, and export capability.
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| > Netgraf Graphical Information Display |
 With IDSC’s graphical information system, Netgraf®, you can quickly display your network of locations labeled by effective price per gallon to better understand network needs as well as how best to negotiate discounts. Use these graphs to understand where locations are needed in order to improve coverage and compliance. Increased compliance translates into increased fuel savings.
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| > Seamless Integration to Dispatch and Mobile Communications Systems |
All of IDSC’s solutions are pre-integrated to industry leading dispatch systems (Tom McLeod Software, Innovative Computing Company, Maddocks Systems, Showme Software & TMW Systems) as well as industry leading mobile communications systems (Qualcomm, GeoLogic). Actual highway routing is laid out using either ALK or Rand McNally software, whichever the customer chooses. Customers can also select their choice of daily fuel price data supplier—either OPIS or T-Chek Systems. A seamless integration results in a fast and worry-free implementation—and a faster return on investment. IDSC also offers integration to custom systems as well.
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| > Integration to IDSC Product Suite for Greater Efficiencies |
Expert Fuel integrates directly with IDSC’s Trip Alert™ for more advanced out-of-route management and swap capabilities and also to IDSC’s Route Advice® for the most accurate turn-by-turn driver directions. Each module is engineered to create greater efficiencies and savings in concert with savings from Expert Fuel. As with every software module from Integrated Decision Support, Expert Fuel integrates with our entire product suite for a complete end-to-end planning and execution transportation management system designed to accelerate the profitability of your fleet. For more information, contact us toll-free at 877-671-0045 or email us at sales@idscnet.com.
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