Fleet misfuels are a classic early morning story. A driver hops out of their own diesel ute at home, then borrows the wife's petrol Corolla for a servo run, muscle memory grabs the diesel nozzle. Or a new hire on the tools jumps in the second van of the fleet and doesn't clock that it's the petrol one. It happens. Here's how to keep it a small problem.
The maths on downtime
A fleet van sitting on the side of the road is not just the drain cost, it's the lost job that morning, the crew standing around, the customer waiting, the rescheduling calls. Put an honest hourly number on all of that for your own operation and it dwarfs the drain itself, which is exactly why the drain should happen on the spot rather than tomorrow.
That's why the best answer is not "tow it to a workshop and fix it tomorrow." The best answer is "get the drain to us, on the spot, this morning, get back on the road before the crew has finished their coffee."
Set up a fleet account
We offer direct fleet accounts across Adelaide. Rough shape of it:
- Your drivers have one number to ring, our number. We don't send them through a call centre or a phone tree.
- Priority response. Fleet calls go to the front of the queue, no waiting behind residential jobs.
- Monthly invoicing to the fleet email address, one line per job, EPA Licence 52359 reference on every invoice for your compliance records.
- Optional job report emailed to the fleet manager the same day, so you know what happened without having to interview the driver.
Standard job rate stays the same as it is for the public, no fleet markup. The value on our end is repeat volume and cleaner scheduling, not premium pricing.
Compliance and insurance paperwork
Every fleet manager needs the same three things on the invoice for the finance team to sign off:
- Date, time, driver name, vehicle rego
- What was done in plain language (drain, flush, refuel, running check)
- EPA licence reference for the fuel disposal, so it's clear the recovered fuel didn't just go in a drain
Our standard invoice has all three. If your accountant or auditor needs a specific format, let us know and we adjust.
Driver training, honestly
The best way to reduce fleet misfuel calls is a two minute rule at the tool box meeting: green handle diesel, black handle petrol, on most brands. Not all brands, so read the sticker on the pump. Second rule: if you're driving a vehicle that isn't yours today, check the inside of the fuel filler flap before you fill. Most modern vans and utes have a big sticker in there saying DIESEL ONLY or UNLEADED PETROL.
You won't get it to zero. Even mechanics do it once in a while. But those two rules cut it in half.
When it does happen
Tell the driver: don't start the engine, don't feel bad about it, ring the fleet number. If that number is us, we'll be on the way inside a few minutes and the crew is back on the tools before smoko.
Fleet enquiries, ring (08) 7083 9699 during business hours and ask about a fleet account.
