Alanco Technologies has announced that its StarTrak Systems subsidiary has introduced a new fuel usage data service feature for the Sentry ReeferTrak refrigerated trailer monitoring system, which can provide significant reefer fuel cost savings for fleet operators.

The new fuel monitoring service utilizes an advanced reefer fuel tank sensor and proprietary firmware which can be remotely downloaded to any Sentry ReeferTrak device.

StarTrak's fuel data service provides fleet operators new tools to manage and control three potentially costly fuel related events:

1) Fuel Theft
The new fuel monitoring capability detects and monitors rapid fuel loss events connecting associated parameters of time, GPS location, gallons lost and responsible party, providing a powerful behavioral deterrence to reefer fuel theft.

2) Short Fuel Delivery
Reefer fuel tank gauges generally only measure a typical 50-gallon tank to 6-8 gallon accuracy. StarTrak's Sentry minimizes "short" deliveries by providing a more accurate fuel delivery measurement for billing audit, including time and GPS location. The new service also provides automatic certification of full fuel tank status prior to shipment, a frequent transport contractual requirement.

3) Accurate Assessorial Fuel Usage
The new service captures a time record of incremental reefer fuel usage when a trailer is delivered to a distribution center for loading and unloading operations. Precise measurement of fuel usage consumed by unwarranted delays during distribution center "dwell times" are recorded and are often invoiced by the fleet operator as "assessorial" charges, which can amount to significant fuel savings for the shipper.

Tim Slifkin, President of StarTrak, commented, "In the current environment of rapidly increasing fuel costs, StarTrak's Sentry clients who have subscribed to the new fuel data service are realizing an extraordinary ROI in fuel savings alone.

A leased Sentry system with our new fuel monitoring feature costs in the range of $50/month, including the monthly data service fee. A typical reefer will consume monthly about $1,000-1,500 of $4.00 plus diesel fuel. The new fuel management service is helping Sentry clients realize at least 5-10% savings in reefer fuel costs; an almost immediate ROI for the fleet operator."