In the fuel oil business, time is money. And making a mistake could be disastrous. With seasonal routes, annual driver turnover and high delivery costs, fuel oil delivery companies need ways to automate and optimize their routes. That's exactly what Sippin Energy wanted to do when they turned to UPS Logistics Technologies for help.

Sippin Energy Products, located in Monroe, Connecticut, services over 7,000 customers with home heating oil. They service 15 towns by routing 10 trucks during peak season and average nearly 30 drops per day per truck.

When Gary Sippin, vice president of Sippin Energy Products, realized that his drivers spent an average of 45 minutes per day sorting tickets, he realized he was wasting valuable time and money. He also realized that his routes were not optimized, because his drivers decided the best way to get from house to house. For even experienced drivers that meant crossing paths numerous times during the course of the day, or driving damaged streets causing unnecessary wear and tear on the vehicles.

So Gary started investigating routing software packages. "No one could understand that we're a seasonal business. Then I found Roadnet, which allowed me to plan for the peak season and would make my routes more efficient," stated Sippin. "Additionally, I wanted a routing package that would print the tickets in order, which would save time and money."

After a flawless implementation of the software, and just a few months of using Roadnet, Gary Sippin has seen some significant results:

• 100% reduction in ticket sorting time per driver
• 75% reduction in navigation time (idle on the side of road looking at a map)
• 50% reduction in "office time" per driver
• 10% reduction in mileage

Since Roadnet prints comprehensive driver directions, drivers don't have to drive with one hand and read a map at the same time. Gary also believes that since drivers are now using "preferred roads" instead of back alley short cuts, that he's saving money by reduced wear and tear on his vehicles. Additionally, "since driver turnover is significant season to season, I can spend less time training new drivers, because Roadnet prints the directions for them to follow," said Sippin. "I'll also be able to measure their performance much more regularly."

So, after just a few months of utilizing the software, Gary Sippin is confident that he has selected the right package for his organization. To sum up, he remarked "just off the facts I have today, I've reduced expenses, improved my routes and increased customer service and yes, I'd recommend it to my colleagues."