The Legalities of Storing Fuel On-Site

Fuel is an essential resource that every vehicle fleet manager needs to manage correctly. You need to ensure that you always have what you need for the jobs you are committed to, but you also need to ensure that it is being used efficiently and safely.

The most efficient way of managing your fuel is to invest in onsite fuel storage tanks in conjunction with superior fuel management and monitoring system that will assist you in getting the most out of the vital resource. But to benefit from these, your fleet needs to maintain a high level of health and safety through compliance with government regulations.

Many factors need to be monitored by fleet managers in order to maintain this beneficial onsite diesel fuel storage. Installation, refilling and its daily status are all areas that cannot be ignored or taken for granted.

Fuel Storage Regulations

Compliance with government regulations means adhering to the Oil storage regulations for businesses 2001. These regulations cover all the elements of storing and dispensing fuel in the workplace. The safe storage of that fuel is covered in The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002. A business installing an onsite diesel storage container that can hold over 200 litres falls under these same regulations. Additionally, if your fuel tank exceeds 2500 litres, it must have a secondary (bunding) containment.

This toxic substance requires a high level of vigilance to maintain compliance and benefit from the health and safety provided. Therefore, all deliveries should be closely supervised, and any refuelling should be done in a contained area away from natural water sources or drains to prevent contamination.

Fleet Managers are responsible for the safety of their employees when it comes to fuel storage tanks. Therefore, tanks should be regularly inspected to catch any problems early, including any potential spills from use. You should also monitor the condition of your storage after particularly cold or wet weather to monitor its condition.

Benefits Of Onsite Fuel Storage

With effective fuel management systems such as ours, you can make significant savings when purchasing fuel for your fleet. This is due to your new ability to buy diesel fuel in bulk instead of filling, requiring your drivers to fill up at a fuel station. In addition, some fuel companies like to grow a positive business relationship with regular buyers, such as vehicle fleets, and potentially offer lucrative deals.

Onsite fuel tanks also help with your driver’s efficiency when working. It is commonplace for vehicle fleets to store diesel onsite so that their drivers always have easy access to refuel their diesel vehicles. This tried, and true practice has assisted countless fleet managers in conducting their operations.

Once they have access to fuel at your depot, they no longer have to make detours to fill up at these fuel stations. This allows jobs to be completed quicker and with more efficient fuel usage, leading to increased profits.

Preventing Theft

Fuel theft is a genuine concern for fleet managers. Maintaining the security of this vital asset is necessary for running your onsite fuelling. Fortunately, at Fueltek, we have excellent, highly effective solutions to prevent fuel theft.

Firstly, where your tank is installed is essential; our team of experts can advise you on the best location within your premises and how to improve your preventative theft measures and any practical physical security measures your business may require. If you’d like to know more about effective ways of preventing fuel theft, please read our other blog explaining fuel theft and how to prevent it.

We recommend combining our popular bunded storage tanks with our premier fuel management software for complete peace of mind. Our bunded fuel tanks are a secure, safe and cost-effective way of storing fuel at your location. These tanks can be interfaced with our TankWatch fuel tank monitoring system to allow you to monitor the status of the tank in real-time wirelessly—everything from current stock to authorised and unauthorised changes in that stock.

Alarms can be placed within your fuel management software to alert you of any unusual stock movements such as theft. It does this by comparing the tank’s status with the fuel pump you have installed; if they do not match, someone may be siphoning off your fuel. We have found that this combination, alongside standard security such as CCTV, creates a perfect protection system for your fuel management.

Professional Fuel Storage Solutions

At Fueltek, we specialise in providing the best fuel management systems in tandem with durable fuel storage tanks to create the perfect onsite fuel solution for any size fleet. If you are interested in investing in onsite fuel storage, please browse our selection of pumps, tanks, and management software online today or fill in our enquiry form. One of our experts will help you find the perfect solution specifically for your business.