Founded in 1919, New Era Energy Ltd is a long-established and trusted UK fuel distributor, supplying bulk fuels, oils, lubricants, and packed goods to businesses nationwide. Operating a nationwide delivery network supported by a fleet of over 100 fuel delivery vehicles, New Era completes more than 500 fuel deliveries per day during peak demand providing customers with a reliable, responsive, and 24/7 on-demand fuel service.
With sustainability, operational excellence, and customer experience at the heart of its strategy, New Era Energy continues to lead the way in digital transformation within the fuel and energy sector, embracing advanced fuel management software, telematics, and real-time data integration to future-proof its operations.
The Challenge: Manual Processes in a Digital Fuel Economy
Despite its scale and expertise in fuel logistics and energy distribution, New Era Energy’s delivery workflows relied heavily on manual, paper-based processes. Drivers were required to:
- Manually record fuel meter readings
- Print, manage, and return delivery dockets
- Reconcile delivery volumes post-delivery
“These legacy processes created friction across the delivery lifecycle. They were time-consuming, error-prone, and lacked the real-time visibility required to operate efficiently at scale”
John Hayes, New Era Energy Systems Analyst Consultant.
Although an in-cab solution was already in place, limited integration with vehicle meters and back-office systems restricted automation and accuracy. The business needed a fully connected digital fuel delivery solution capable of delivering end-to-end visibility from depot to customer and back into ERP systems.
Core Operational Challenges Identified
- Inconsistent and unreliable fuel delivery data
- Difficulty reconciling delivered volumes accurately
- Poor integration between ERP, routing software, in-cab systems, and fuel meters
- High levels of manual intervention across drivers, planners, and back-office teams
The requirement was clear: a complex, end-to-end integration spanning ERP → Routing → Driver → Vehicle Meter → Customer → ERP without disrupting live fuel operations.
The Solution: A Fully Integrated Digital Fuel Delivery Ecosystem
To address these challenges, New Era Energy partnered with Bestrane and Descartes to deploy a best-in-class fuel and gas distribution software solution built to deliver total visibility, accuracy, and control across the fleet.
At the heart of this transformation is Bestrane Edge, a powerful fleet integration and data orchestration platform purpose-built for the fuel distribution and tanker industry.
Bestrane Edge creates a secure, intelligent link between in-cab tablets, vehicle meters, and back-office systems, enabling live, automated data exchange across the entire delivery workflow.
“Bestrane Edge has become a key enabler in streamlining our fleet operations, providing a reliable and intelligent link between our in-cab tablets and vehicle systems”
Dan Sefton, Transport Director at New Era Energy.
Through Bestrane Edge, livestock level and delivery volume data is captured directly from truck meters and transmitted in real time eliminating manual input, improving accuracy, and enabling faster, data-driven decision-making.
“The platform delivers livestock level data directly from truck meters, giving real-time visibility that improves accuracy, reduces manual intervention, and supports better decision-making throughout the delivery process”
Billy Fuller, Transport Manager at New Era Energy
Operational Impact: From Manual to Real-Time
The implementation of Bestrane Edge and Descartes transformed New Era Energy’s delivery operations by:
- Automating meter data capture directly from vehicles
- Removing paper dockets and manual reconciliation
- Providing real-time visibility of deliveries across the fleet
- Improving data accuracy across operational and financial systems
- Reducing administrative overhead for drivers and back-office teams
Drivers are now able to focus on safe, efficient deliveries, while planners and operations teams benefit from live operational insight and trusted delivery data.
Sustainability and Future-Readiness
By digitising fuel delivery workflows and reducing manual intervention, New Era Energy has taken another step toward its sustainability goals cutting paper usage, improving route efficiency, and enabling more accurate fuel reconciliation.
With a scalable digital foundation in place, the business is now positioned to:
- Support future alternative fuel delivery models
- Integrate additional telematics and vehicle technologies
- Continue optimising fleet performance using real-time data
Ready to Optimise Your Delivery Operations?
Through its partnership with Bestrane and Descartes, New Era Energy has successfully modernised its fuel distribution operations replacing legacy, manual processes with a fully connected, real-time digital delivery ecosystem.
The result is a smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient fuel delivery operation built to meet today’s demands while fuelling the future of energy distribution.
About BestraneBestrane Edge is a Descartes United by Design partner. Bestrane brings together a unique combination of solutions, services, and technologies to solve complex problems for our customers. We specialise in delivering advanced Route Planning and Optimisation from dynamic and same day solutions, to territory or master routing.
If you would like to find out more about Bestrane or discover how Bestrane's tailored solutions can enhance your operations, contact us today.
