As gas stations decline and fleet owners look to optimize the efficiency, costs and sustainability of their fleet operations, mobile fueling has taken hold. At Booster™, mobile fueling on demand (MFOD) is our game, and we take pride in helping our clients save time, money and headache by eliminating the fueling hassle and gas station errand for their fleets. Although we now offer service in more than 13 major metro areas (and counting), many people don’t know exactly how mobile fueling works, or understand the attention to detail taken by our dedicated Service Professionals (SPs).
Though we might make it look easy, delivering fuel directly to our customers’ vehicles isn’t quite as simple as taking it from point A to point B. Behind every full tank is a sophisticated combination of technologies, processes, knowledge and people that allows us to deliver the right energy to the right vehicle at the right time.
We have a unique process for fueling each vehicle, taking into account safety, environmental stewardship, efficiency and customer service; we call it a Boost.
The Team
Every Boost begins with a world-class team. Our service professionals — the experts who complete each Boost — are not just the face of Booster, but also the heart and soul. Each service professional is trained, licensed, and fully certified to safely transport and deliver fuel. They drive the tanker to fleet yards each night, working to fill vehicle fuel tanks for the next day while the rest of us sleep.
You might see them sporting purple uniforms. These don’t just make them look cool, they also have the proper gear to safely deliver fuel. For example: safety gloves, sturdy shoes, eye protection, high visibility clothing, head lamps and more. Safety is the biggest priority, both for our SPs and the communities and businesses they work in.
Service professionals are our first line of defense; each one is trained to ensure their vehicles and gear are safe for operation. Their attention to detail and concern for safety are their superpowers, and help them to successfully complete safe Boosts all night long.
But service professionals aren’t the only Booster team members to make MFOD happen. Behind every great service professional is their back-end support. Safety professionals, field trainers, dispatch and routing, supervisors, IT support, fleet support and more all work with the SPs to ensure they have everything they need for a successful fuel delivery.
Our dedicated dispatchers manage people, supply, and anything else that comes their way. Unforeseen traffic holding an SP back? Dispatch can help. Extra demand means they need help to fulfill an order? They can just call dispatch — they’re the ultimate fixers.
The SPs also work with a safety team to make sure their processes are as safe and efficient as possible for our employees, customers, and the communities we work in.
The Process
This is where the magic happens. In a simplified version of the process, the SPs get their trucks from the Booster yard, drive them to the terminal to pick up the fuel they’ll need, then use our proprietary routing software to map out and complete their shift in the most efficient way possible. Once they get to each yard, they fill the designated vehicle tanks with the fuel ordered via our ordering platform (available by app or web browser).
To ensure every Boost is successful, and no vehicle is left with an empty tank come morning, we prepare relentlessly for whatever might come our way. We take pride in the time and effort we put into preparation – our attention to detail is what sets us apart. That is why we conduct pre- and post-trip truck inspections and material check-ups, to ensure we have all the materials needed to safely and effectively perform each Boost.
Another key part of the process is spill prevention. According to the Environmental Law Institute, a typical gas station dispensing one million gallons per year would see annual spillage of 70 to 100 gallons. For a large-volume gas station like Costco, which can sell around 20 million gallons of gasoline per year, spillage could reach 2,000 gallons annually. Because environmental stewardship is a core value at Booster, we are committed to diminishing pollution associated with fueling. We take significant precautions to prevent spillage under our “Zero Drip Policy,” including covering the fuel nozzle with an absorbent pad and placing a spill mat on the ground to absorb any potential accidents. Our spillage countermeasures go above and beyond legal requirements so we can ensure we’re operating safely.
The Technology
As a tech-driven company, it only makes sense for our SPs to be tech-forward. To ensure the perfect — and more efficient — Boost, our service professionals are equipped with industry-leading technology, starting with the purple Booster SmartTanker. Our proprietary tankers are truly one of a kind. They come packed with industry-leading maneuverability, built-in safety features, collision and overturn spill protection, roll protection, and fire protection.
Our central hub, which tracks preventative maintenance, tanker certifications, weights and measures, meters, and licensing and registration, gives us around-the-clock insight into the essential information that keeps our trucks running smoothly.
We also have a range of proprietary softwares to optimize our processes. Routing and telematics are integrated into our fleet management software, allowing us to continuously optimize so we deliver fuel on time every time, with the most fuel-efficient route possible. Our supply management software can predict how much fuel will be needed on every route based on previous customer behavior.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Boost
At Booster, we are constantly working for the perfect Boost. That’s not a Boost with no unexpected hiccups or problems, but the safest one, one where we have a solution ready for anything we might face, and our customer receives their order as promised.
Behind every seemingly simple fuel delivery are the people, processes, and technologies that make us unique. No other mobile fueler is built this way: we’re always improving to make sure that we’re offering the smartest, most efficient fueling possible, with the most exceptional safety standards for ourselves, our customers, and the communities we work in.
At Booster, we want to make the way we deliver energy better for people, communities, and the planet. And that’s why we’ve pioneered reinventing the supply chain, leading to the direct-to-tank delivery of fuel to a customer’s vehicle. This is the new era of fueling: mobile fueling on demand.
