How Mahlubi Construction Cut Fleet Fuel Theft with Escort TD-BLE Sensors

Summary

This case study describes how Escort TD-BLE sensors became part of an integrated monitoring system for construction fleet fuel control and driver behavior monitoring.

Application: Construction fleet monitoring
Equipment: Escort TD-BLE fuel level sensors
Client: Mahlubi Transport and Plant Hire
Location: South Africa
Result: Reduced fuel theft, better fleet visibility, and improved operational control

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Customer’s goal

Mahlubi Transport and Plant Hire wanted to solve several problems at once:

To reduce fuel thefts
In South Africa, company employees often steel fuel from their own employers, and our client lost $15,700 every single month

To improve customer service
If Mahlubi Transport and Plant Hire could show where the machines are now, it would increase customer confidence

To reduce the number of thefts of construction materials+
It’s quite common for construction sites to conceal thefts as well. To achieve transparency, the supervisor wanted to know exactly when the dump trucks were delivering

To monitor the behavior of drivers
No company can afford to lose valuable cargo due to drivers’ negligence – and by monitoring how well employees handle their vehicles daily at different times of the day. If a problem is spotted in time, employees can be sent for refresher training or other training – this will increase the safety of cargo, vehicles and the drivers themselves

To control fuel theft remotely
The company’s managing director, Siviwe Radebe, is on project sites most of the time. He wanted to get up-to-date data on fuel theft online so he could stay informed even when he’s not in the office

Solution

To solve the customer’s problems, integrator Tracking Africa has thought of an entire monitoring system. The company installed Streamax C6DV5.0-A cameras and Escort’s TD-BLE sensors on the vehicles. The sensors can monitor fuel levels in the tank with 97-99% accuracy, and information about any changes is quickly transmitted via Bluetooth.

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The TD-BLE is also compatible with many trackers – in the case of Mahlubi Transport and Plant Hir, Teltonika’s FMB120 was installed on the vehicles. The tracker monitors the time and location of the vehicle, and with the help of sensor determines when and where fuel has been tampered with. And to enhance the control of fuel, special Trakfuel Bluetooth covers were installed on the tanks of some dump trucks.

The data from all devices are sent to the Wialon monitoring system. It processes the information and displays it in the form of tables, graphs, maps and reports. Thanks to the Wialon mobile app all data can be viewed on the phone from any location, just as Managing Director Siviwe Radebe wanted.

In addition, the customer receives notifications in Telegram with updated data. In addition, with the Wialon Locator it is possible to show customers, contractors and repairmen where a particular machine is.

Advantages of the TD-BLE sensor

It can be installed in an hour.
The device is wireless, so there’s no need to spend a lot of time and energy to run wires through the whole system of the car

One battery lasts for 7 years.
The battery lasts up to 7 years thanks to its material, lithium thionyl chloride, and Bluetooth 4.0 technology, which is energy efficient.

Easy setup.
You don’t need a laptop: all you have to do is to install an app on your phone.

High accuracy: the device captures even micro-slips.
Ability to constantly update data: the sensor measures fuel every 10 seconds and sends the information every 5 seconds.

Reliability.
Its body is protected by shockproof polyamide that’s why it is resistant to mechanical damages. And the TD-BLE does not break when it is overloaded, overvoltage spikes, or attempts to deliberately disrupt its operation.

Results

The quality of customer service has improved. Mahlubi Transport and Plant Hire customers can see where their vehicles are with Wialon locator.
Access to the data has become more convenient. Thanks to the mobile app, you can monitor fuel theft, vehicle locations, and other information from anywhere.
Building materials theft can be spotted. The customer keeps track of where the vehicles are located, when they arrive at the desired location and what stops they make along the way. Now it is easier to see if a driver deviated from the route or stopped out of schedule.
The tariffication of employees has been simplified. Now the customer knows exactly how much time their employees spend at the construction site, so it is easier to calculate wages.
You can control the drivers. Now the client can see if a worker violates traffic rules, makes unauthorized trips or spoils transport due to sloppy driving. Because of this, the company can save money and send employees for additional training.

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