Patent ID: 11866321
Assignee: MAGELLAN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS, L.P.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 0:
1. A central fuel management system including a pre-authorization module in network communication with a plurality of retail-side fuel supply chain management systems and a fuel terminal automated system containing information on physical inventory at two or more terminals, the pre-authorization module including non-transitory machine readable medium containing instructions thereon, that when executed by a processor:
receive carrier, trailer, and driver identifying information from corresponding ones of the plurality of retail-side fuel supply chain management systems;
match, for each meter under a truck rack at each of the two or more terminals, one or more loads associated with the corresponding ones of the plurality of retail-side fuel supply chain management systems to corresponding ones of the carrier, trailer, and driver identifying information;
simultaneously query for each of the one or more loads being matched:
a nomination system containing information on book stock;
the fuel terminal automated system; and
an allocation management system containing information on loading quantity limits at each of the two or more terminals;

decide, on the basis of the query, whether each load of the one or more loads is authorized by a supplier and a retailer prior to the trailer matched to the load arriving to the truck rack and loading and, where authorized, identify which terminal of the two or more terminals and which truck rack at the identified terminal contains the authorized load; and
for each trailer:
send notifications in advance of the trailer arriving at the truck rack to at least one of the carrier and the driver where load authorization of a load is approved and where load authorization of a load is not approved;
display the notifications to at least one of the carrier and the driver; and

where the load is authorized:
map the driver to the identified terminal and truck rack containing the authorized load and send fuel filling instructions to the truck rack at the identified terminal; and

after loading of the trailer, simultaneously send a completion notification from the truck rack at the identified terminal to the carrier, the fuel terminal automated system, and the allocation management system; and
update one or more databases associated with the nomination system, the fuel terminal automated system, and the allocation management system.