“The two highly complementary parts of the system are a major strength — a strong business model that is ideal for oil companies looking to use technology to innovate. It means FleetGO (formerly known as DreamTec Systems) can offer a complete package and help customers realise the benefits.”
Geoff Russell
Finance Director, Johnston Fuels
About Johnston Fuels
Johnston Fuels is a second-generation family business based in Bathgate, near Edinburgh, distributing oil, kerosene and LPG across Scotland and England. Established in 1965 by Jimmy Johnston with just one tanker and a small yard, the business has grown from strength to strength.
| Distribution Network: | Scotland and England |
| Fleet: | 50 vehicles, 8 depots |
| Integration: | TE550, LC3 and TE550 TRUCK III Electronic Flow Meters and Fuelsoft ERP |
The challenge
As Johnston Fuels continued to grow, tracking vehicles and monitoring daily deliveries became increasingly challenging. Without a real-time overview, the customer service team found it harder to answer even basic questions about delivery status. Any query had to be relayed to the driver by phone, which not only interrupted progress but also created unnecessary distraction. For unattended sites, the company was also facing difficulties in proving that deliveries had actually been completed.
Driver productivity was equally difficult to measure, as the office team had limited visibility into individual progress. On top of that, Johnston Fuels’ wide distribution area meant long delays in receiving dockets from remote locations, slowing down invoicing and complicating tasks that should have been straightforward from an administrative point of view. The company needed to modernise its systems in order to support continued growth.
The solution
Around that time, the company appointed a new finance director who recognised the potential for technology to solve challenges around customer service, order processing and stock management. Knowing that only a few missing tickets could be enough to wipe out a day’s margin, Johnston Fuels identified a number of providers that could offer a suitable solution. Following proposals and system demonstrations, FleetGO was selected as the preferred supplier.
“The supplier brief was to provide us with a solution that would be tailored to our needs, while also being cost-effective and capable of integration. We had a series of demonstrations, but when we saw FleetGO, it was clear that it was the one we would go for, as it was specifically designed for oil distributors.”
The return on investment of the system helped seal the deal for Johnston Fuels, which calculated that the savings achieved through improved aftercare and faster handling of customer queries alone would allow the business to recoup the initial cost within two years.
The FleetGO team worked closely with the client throughout the process, holding a series of planning meetings, live demonstrations and site visits. Once the system configuration had been finalised, installation was carried out across the depots in line with a structured rollout plan.
The results
In addition to streamlining Johnston Fuels’ day-to-day distribution activities and order management, FleetGO has helped the company strengthen its customer service offering. Improved visibility across the fleet means customer queries can now be answered quickly, with 99% resolved immediately. Real-time information allows the team to respond in a more proactive and professional way, while every transaction is supported by precise GPS coordinates, providing clear proof of delivery.
“We have made a quantum leap in terms of customer service, as we can now tell a customer the sequence of orders, when a delivery is due, whether they are next on the driver’s list, and whether the driver is on the way. We can do this quickly and without having to call the driver. We now also have PDF copies of signed dockets, so we can respond to invoice queries much more easily. Our aftercare for customers has improved enormously.”
Johnston Fuels has also benefited from improved driver productivity. Because management can monitor individual driver performance and take appropriate action, the overall delivery rate per driver has increased.
“Customer retention is our number one priority. FleetGO allows us to differentiate ourselves from others through improved customer service.”
System highlights for Johnston Fuels
- Enhanced customer service with real-time information and control.
- Vital proof of delivery for non-attended sites with exact GPS coordinates.
- Full tracking of stock and visibility over delivery progress.
- Accelerated driver and office productivity.
- Instant capture of all sales activity, electronic storage and easy transaction recall.
