Will Your Team be Prepared for an OSHA Review? As a business owner or manager, understanding that your business is subject to both routine and unexpected OSHA inspections is important, and having a plan in place to keep your team prepared will support you in avoiding costly fines. OSHA stands... Read More +
Leer en EspañolKeep Your Facility Compliant What is Title 22 Title 22, part 66265.192 and 66265.193 are 2 parts of an official code of regulation within the state of California that outlines specific parameters for properly labeling, storing and removing used oil and oil filters. It is an assessment of existing tanks... Read More +
Oil Marketers Brace Themselves for Lubricant Price Increases Recently we received notification from some of our major and private label oil manufacturers that a 3rd round of lubricant price increases for finished lubricants are coming, beginning July and August of 2018. Notifications continue to trickle in, but as of... Read More +
Leer en EspañolSkimmer Fraud on the Rise at California Cardlock Stations An industry alert recently submitted by the California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA) highlighted a rising trend in skimmer fraud at Cardlock terminals across California. As we explored in a previous SCL Expert Insight post, skimmers are “small card readers installed within... Read More +
Understanding Your Cooling System Your cooling system is essential to the overall health and well-being of your engine, especially during warmer temperatures, and vehicles produce a significant amount of heat during operation. They need to be regularly cooled in order to avoid overheating and other forms of engine damage. Your... Read More +
The differences Between CFN, Cardlock Cards and Credit Cards It’s plastic, it has a mag strip, it may even have a chip, so what is the difference between your credit cards, CFN and cardlock cards? Here at SCL we have encountered more than once a situation where a fleet manager gets caught... Read More +
What Is Lidar Technology By now you have most likely heard the word Lidar, an acronym for light detection and ranging and based on the combined words “light” and “radar.” Lidar technology is a growing surveying technology that measures the distance between a central point and a target by pulsing a... Read More +
Exception Reporting Ensures That Your Drivers Are Adhering to Internal Policies and Procedures What is an Exception Report An exception report is an internal document that points out instances and circumstances where performance deviated from previously defined parameters or expectations. Exception reports aggregate unusual conditions and alert management of activity... Read More +
A Conversation with Troy Hudson on the Importance of Regular Oil Analysis Here’s a new word for you – TRIBOLOGY – the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion that includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. An important science when it comes to... Read More +
With an ever widening spectrum of eco-friendly products from Olympus Green to BioTuff, SCL has what you need If you’re a business owner, organization or governmental agency operating within the state of California, you’re most likely no stranger to the stringent environmental regulations that many industries face. Whether you’re in... Read More +
Understanding the Potential Benefits and Limitations of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Hydrogen fuel cell technology refers to machinery and vehicles that use hydrogen as a primary source of power, converting the chemical energy of hydrogen into available mechanical energy by reacting hydrogen with oxygen. On the market today there are... Read More +
Transparency and Clarity with a Driver Fuel Policy Fleet management is complex with a lot of moving parts, so at SCL we implement a driver fuel policy for each employee in regards to CFN usage that keeps managers and drivers on the same page. With full transparency and clarity around... Read More +
Carbon – The King of Elements The element carbon – number 14 on the periodic table – is the 15th most abundant element on planet Earth and the fourth most abundant element within the universe next to hydrogen, helium and oxygen. Derived from the Latin word carbo, meaning “coal,” carbon... Read More +
According to energy.gov, shale energy development is one of the fastest growing trends in US domestic energy exploration and production, and the American Fuel and Chemical Manufacturers (AFPM) state that “The shale energy revolution has resulted in a dramatic change in energy production in the US. Today, an unprecedented supply and... Read More +
18th century English poet Alexander Pope wrote in An Essay on Criticism that, “to err is human.” When we combine that seemingly universal truth with potentially harmful substances and heavy machinery, a simple mistake can be not only dangerous, but also crippling to a business in terms of repairs and... Read More +
Finished Lubricants Price Increase With the continued rise of raw material costs that impact the manufacturing, processing and delivery of finished lubricants, a 2nd round of price increases are expected by all major manufacturers by as early as April 23, 2018. According to Jobbers World, price increases on finished lubricant... Read More +
How Will Proposed AB 1745 Affect California’s Motor Vehicle Industry District 19 (San Francisco) Assemblyman Phil Ting dropped a bomb on Californians this January with his introduction of AB 1745 – the Clean Cars 2040 Act, which if implemented will require all passenger vehicles sold after January 1st, 2040 to be... Read More +
Protect Your Equipment By Following API’s System Service stations and facilities around the country follow an integrated coding and labeling system designed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) for the identification of fuels and fluids. Proper storage of these products adheres to the API color-coding system designed to prevent... Read More +
A $0.25 Federal Gas Tax is Being Proposed as Part of Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Plan In an effort to augment the White House’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, this past February President Donald Trump reportedly introduced a federal tax on both gasoline and diesel to the tune of 25 cents per... Read More +
Virgin, Recycled, Re-Refined Oil Not all oil is created equal, and contrary to popular belief, recycled or re-refined oils are not “dirty,” or lesser in quality than pure, virgin or newly produced oil. It is also often assumed that recycled, refurbished and re-refined oils are the same product, so below... Read More +
Save Time and Money by Installing an ATG System When it comes to managing and monitoring your onsite fuel tank levels and fuel usage, automatic fuel tank gauge systems, or ATG’s are an excellent investment. With all-in-one packages that include tank monitors, sensors, cables and a data portal with remotely accessible... Read More +
Implementing Fraud Protection Programs to Keep Your Organization Secure Just as with your personal credit card, the practice of CFN card skimming, shimming, wanding and cloning is unfortunately growing more commonplace in the world today. That is why it is important to protect your assets with fraud protection in any... Read More +
Multiple Factors Contribute to Fluctuations In general, economic markets rise and fall like the tides. Sometimes spiking quickly, sometimes slowly rolling over long periods of time. The crude oil market is no different. Throughout the past five decades, oil availability has ebbed and flowed. This is often the result of... Read More +
Rainy Season Best Practices for Facility Safety and Cleanliness Properly Preparing for a Rain Event Will Keep Employees Safe and Your Facility Clean The rainy season (or what should be the rainy season) is upon us in California and it is important for facilities that manage lubricant products and other... Read More +
Knowing What to Look for When Reading an Oil Analysis What is Oil Analysis In a previous article, Oil Analysis – What is it and Why Should You Do It? We discussed the benefits of routinely running and reading oil analysis on your fleet as a way of monitoring and... Read More +
How the World’s #1 Rideshare App is Utilizing Self-Driving Trucks Roughly 15.5 million trucks in operation in the United States. 2 million of these trucks are tractor trailers and are operated by nearly 3.5 million truck drivers. At the helm of one of America’s most iconic occupations, the trucking industry... Read More +
What Are Desiccant Breathers You’re most likely familiar with the small packets of plastic pearls that come inside a box of new shoes – desiccants – hygroscopic substances used as drying agents, removing humidity and reducing particulate and moisture contamination. Desiccant breathers are used in a similar capacity for lubricant... Read More +
Federal Oil Spill Fee – Tax Reinstated – What You Can Expect In our efforts to best serve our valued customers, we strive to keep you up to date as much as possible with industry trends and changes. As of March 1st, 2018, the Federal Environmental Oil Spill fee, previously... Read More +
The Safest, Most Comfortable Truck Ever “Semi is the safest, most comfortable truck ever,” according to Tesla.com. A lofty statement, but with prototypes of the electric semi tractor/trailer/truck on the ground and pre-orders being taken, the Tesla Semi Truck is gaining serious traction within the freight and hauling industry. With four... Read More +
Unfortunately, oil and diesel spills happen, and when they do, they leave behind a wake of environmental and economic devastation. According to an article published on LiveScience.com, “1.3 million gallons of petroleum are spilled into US waters from vessels and pipelines in a typical year. Between 1971 and 2000, the... Read More +
