A new fuel journey management system, which was developed by a fleet manager unhappy with his current system, has just been launched.

Adrian Harris, fleet manager at Pertemps, developed MIDAS - Mileage Input Data Access System – as an in-house solution for Pertemps’ 600-vehicle fleet and 200-vehicle grey fleet.

He said the system from his then supplier – Arval – could not accurately differentiate between business and private mileage. He found similar problems with other systems and so decided to develop a system internally.

“No one was interested in doing this with us,” said Harris. “They didn’t believe it was a big issue.”

Following several years of development in conjunction with a software company, MIDAS was created as an in-house intranet-based system.

It has now been developed further into an internet-based package that can be offered to other fleets.
Because it has been designed by a fleet manager from the ground up, the system should prove attractive to his peers, says Harris.

It can be used whether you run a pay and reclaim system or if your drivers use fuelcards.

“A company can mix and match both fuel card and pay and reclaim, changing from
one to the other with a click of the mouse,” he said. “Similarly for mileage capture to mileage management.”

But the fuel and journey management system’s main differentiator is that it can accurately differentiate between business and private mileage.

It also ensures the company is Euro VI VAT compliant, whereby companies must ensure they have VAT receipts for all fuel claims.

“It captures a lot more information and even has a clever system of speeding up data entry for drivers,” explains Harris.

MIDAS has already signed a strategic alliance with EuroShell fuel cards. It is also being offered to fleets as a pay-as-you-use internet-based system.