Invoices from Fuel Vendors typically include files containing a more detailed breakdown of fuel stops and purchases. And while it might be nice to record that information in Tailwind, entering it manually is likely to be quite time-consuming. So instead, Tailwind provides a tool to import the fuel file directly. The Fuel Import tool will automatically create a Bill for the fuel vendor in question while also adding Fuel Stops to your Equipment records.
Fuel Providers, we integrate with
** From the BVD website:
Click on Reporting
Click on "Create New Template"
Select the fields that are required (See attachment for columns needed). BVD Sample File
Click on Save and Run
Enter the report name
Select the "Company ID/name."
Select the Start and End date
Select export type “Fuel & cash transaction.”
Select the "Country"
Select the "Currency"
Group by Card number and order by Date
If you want to report for a specific unit or card: Select Card number/ UNIT/ Driver name under Match by optional.
Click on "Save & Export"
Click on "View Exported Reports"
Click on Download
Setting Up – Fuel Expense Items
Before you can start using the Fuel Import tool, you will need to create several Expense items to be used that will allow you to allocate your fuel costs and related items.
Fuel – Gallons
Fuel – Litres (Only if you purchase fuel in Canada)
Cash Advance (Only if you allow cash advances on your cards)
Oil & Additives
DEF – Gallons
DEF – Litres
Fuel Transaction Fee
Fuel Rebates
Whether you use all of these items is up to you. Still, you will need to have some Expense items in place to associate with the costs imported from the fuel record – otherwise, you will end up with Bills in your system that do not represent the full cost of your fuel card invoices.
Setting Up – Fuel Cards
Fuel cards will be associated with the equipment record of the tractor. You can instruct your drivers to enter their unit number at the pump to ensure the fuel purchase is properly associated with the correct tractor. Enter the full fuel card number here:
Using the Fuel Import Tool
Start by locating the Fuel Import link in the Tools section of the left navigation menu to use the tool. This will bring up the Fuel Import tool page.
File Type and Vendor
Begin by selecting the File Type that matches the fuel file you want to import. Next, select the Vendor to which you want to assign the resulting Bill.
General Information
Continue by filling out the remaining general information fields. The ‘Reference Number’ field will appear on the resulting vendor Bills and is generally used for recording the associated Invoice number.
Tractors
By default, the tool will allocate imported fuel stop data to different tractors based on their assigned fuel cards.
Allocating Expense Types – Fuel Vendor
Once you have filled out the General Information, continue to the ‘Fuel Vendor’ section below. This is where you assign Expense Types to the different line items that will be generated on the vendor Bills. For example, you will probably want to assign the ‘Fuel (Gallons)’ and ‘Fuel (Litres)’ (if applicable) to a matching ‘Fuel’ Expense type. If you do not have an applicable Expense Type, you can always create a new one.
Note that you can select ‘Skip’ as an Expense Type if you want to exclude those charges entirely — they will not be included in the vendor Bill.
Deductions – Drivers, Owner/Operators
The remaining two sections are only used if you pass some of the costs along to your Drivers or Owner/Operators.
In most cases, you will still want to use the same Expense Types, in which case you can use the ‘Copy From Fuel Vendor’ button to duplicate the assignments you have already made quickly.
Import the Fuel File
When you have filled out all the necessary fields, click the ‘Import Fuel Card File’ button at the bottom of the page. This will open a Browse From, which you can locate and select the fuel file you want to import.
Once you select the file, the import process will begin.
Unassigned Fuel Cards
Once the file is imported, a box will appear showing any Fuel Cards that appear in the fuel file but are not associated with any records in Tailwind. For each card, you will have the option to associate it with either a Personnel or Equipment record, depending on how you have decided to organize your fuel cards.
If, for whatever reason, you decide not to leave a fuel card unassociated, the tool will still be able to create the Vendor Bill. However, it will not process any deductions related to that card or create Fuel Stops on the appropriate Equipment.
Once all the cards are assigned, click on the final ‘Process’ button at the bottom of the page. You will be asked to confirm the import – click yes to complete the process.