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https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/01-08-2023/trb-annual-meeting

WIDE AREA NETWORK SYSTEM TRACKS FUEL USE

Since the early 1970s, fuel tracking systems have become an important tool for government officials. Recent upgrades allow the addition of many options. This was the case with the City of Dallas when it employed a Wide Area Network System (WANS) to track fuel usage by city employees in city vehicles. While the city had been operating a fuel tracking system for the past 18 years, the WANS allowed tracking in different ways. The system operates much like a credit card and can be adapted for entry of a personal identification number, rather than a card. With WANS, the computer can store twice as much data as with the city's previous system. The city records some 1,200 to 1,500 transactions per day and uses about six million gallons of fuel each year. Installation and training are provided by the local distributor, who also handles maintenance. The system's flexibility makes it beneficial to both small and large fleets. WANS handles the city's billing process, and enables the city to place restrictions on cards and employees. In an era when local and state governments come under much economic criticism, the WANS is a technology that allows officials the ability to constantly track and record finances, as well as fuel, in an extremely costly area of government.

Media Info

  • Features: Photos;
  • Pagination: p. 66-67
  • Serial:

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00489571
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Nov 30 1989 12:00AM