McLeod Software’s latest fleet management software, LoadMaster Enterprise v7, provides a fuel surcharge functionality that automatically updates and calculates a carrier’s fuel surcharge based on customer and shipping locations, the company says.
The LoadMaster system automatically downloads weekly national and regional fuel averages from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) website, eliminating manual Internet access and potential errors in recording the averages. The setup allows users to determine different base prices, variances, methods and amounts based on per-mile or percentage by customer.
McElroy Truck Line Inc., Cuba, Ala., went live with LoadMaster Enterprise v7 in December 2002. Betsy Holcombe, system administrator of the 400-truck fleet, says one employee used to spend 4 to 5 hours per week obtaining the averages from the DOE, making the needed calculations and entering them into the system.
“The new LoadMaster system automatically does all that for us by simply pressing ‘Enter’,” Holcombe says. “Saving that kind of staff time is extremely valuable to us.”
