Industry Insights from Vertrax

The propane industry is changing at a rapid pace, and driving that change is the generational shift in consumer demand for a smarter and easier way to live with propane. The evolution and application of new technologies are pushing the boundaries of what industry professionals thought possible — one of these technologies being remote tank monitoring.

Current tank monitoring solutions are seriously flawed, making a meaningful and scalable deployment impossible. To combat this, Vertrax is proud to officially announce Vertrax Tank Monitoring Service — the only true sonar remote tank monitoring device and service.

Remote tank monitoring is one of the fastest-growing innovations in the trucking industry. Suppliers are realizing more and more that remote tank monitoring is a must-have addition to their current technology suites rather than a nice-to-have. In fact, a Berg Insight report revealed that in 2017, the number of active remote tank monitoring solutions reached almost 1.8 million units worldwide and 600,000 units in North America.

The NPGA Southeastern Convention and International Propane Expo brings together more than 3,000 marketers and suppliers from across the United States and other countries — making it the industry's largest event. Each year, the event grows bigger and brings together the best and brightest from all over the world.

This year is no different, so we thought that we’d highlight some of the key areas and learning opportunities to check out.

New technology is constantly developed to streamline trucking operations. In fact, technology is expected to eliminate $236 million in trucking operational inefficiencies over the next four years.

The generational shift towards demanding technologies that make life more convenient has led to the emergence of remote tank monitoring. These devices allow both suppliers and customers to see the liquid levels of tanks in real-time from any location. This technology allows consumers to have peace of mind that their levels are being monitored to avoid run-outs, and suppliers to have inventory planning.

In order for organizations to be successful in today’s rapidly changing and fast-paced transportation environment, it’s essential for them to be connected and integrated with the entire supply chain. To do this, a quality transportation management system (TMS) is needed.

While many trucking organizations are embracing the new technology that has swept across the industry, some are still using outdated methods to conduct business. In a lot of cases, trucking leadership simply doesn’t know about the many ways technology can help make improvements business-wide.

For example, we conducted a survey and found that 20% of trucking organizations are still using paper run tickets and spreadsheets to handle their ticketing — an inefficient process that can be easily streamlined with an electronic solution.

Read on to discover the astonishing advantages that come with electronic ticketing, from increased productivity to better-informed business decisions.

The road to full compliance with the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate has not been a smooth one. That being said, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) knew that it would take time for trucking companies to install ELDs in all commercial vehicles, and subsequently created a staggered implementation timeline to ease the transition.

But the final deadline is approaching quickly.

While December 18th of 2017 was a soft deadline requiring trucking companies to use either ELDs or existing automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs), by December 16, 2019, ELDs are mandatory for all drivers and carriers who are subject to the ELD rule. (In general, that means all drivers who maintain Record of Duty Statuses (RODS).)

Read on to learn about AOBRDs and ELDs — and how your fleet can make the transition with ease.

The trucking industry is rapidly changing, and 2019 will play an integral role in this transformation. To have a successful year and beyond, it is vital to recognize the top trucking trends of 2019 and put in place processes to either capitalize or lessen the impact on your organization.

In order to help, here are the top 4 trucking trends we see having a big impact this year.

With 2018 coming to a close, we thought we’d take the time to share our top blog posts from this year. We had too many great posts to highlight here, so we compiled the most popular posts from the past year.

Consider these your must-reads to set the stage for success in 2019!