What it tracks
Used oil, coolant, cleaning fuel, mix fluid, graywater, crushed and whole filters, rags and non-hazardous wastewater. Each one is counted on its own, in gallons or pounds, so a pickup is never just one lump number.
Drums by number
Every drum has a permanent number. RouteMule knows what's in it, how full it is, whose it is and where it's sitting: at a customer, on a truck, at a base or at headquarters. We explain why we use engraved numbers instead of stickers.
Tankers by compartment
Base Inventory draws each tanker with its compartments and fill levels, so you can see oil and coolant side by side and how much room is left.
At the stop
The driver enters what came out, gets the customer's signature and completes the receipt from their phone. There's a note for problems such as water in the oil or a blocked tank, and a contamination flag so a bad load can be traced back later. See the 1,000 ppm halogen rule.
The paper trail
Federal rules ask transporters to record who the oil came from, how much, when and a dated signature, then keep those records for three years. Here's what EPA requires on every pickup. In RouteMule, receipts and manifests are searchable by customer, driver, receipt number and manifest number.
Base to headquarters
A transfer records the base, truck, driver, materials and quantities. Then you can compare what the truck reported with what was received, because that gap is where losses hide.
A day on a used oil route
The dispatcher opens the morning with what's due and what's been called in. The driver gets the route on the phone and taps the first address. At the stop, the driver pumps the tank, swaps a full drum for an empty one, enters what came out by material, gets a signature and finishes the receipt. On board goes up, and the office can see where the route stands.
When the truck's done, it unloads at a base with a transfer, and the manifest is closed when the load goes in at headquarters. By then the invoices are sitting as drafts with the gallons and fees already on them.
What to ask any used oil software vendor
- Can it follow one drum from a customer to your headquarters?
- Can it keep oil and coolant apart on the same truck?
- Can it show what's on board each truck right now?
- Can you find a signed record from two years ago in under a minute?
- Does it record what the truck reported and what was received?
- Can a driver flag a contaminated stop so the load can be traced?
Invoices and what's ahead
Invoices come from the pickup with gallons, stop fee and manifest fee on them. Projections looks one month to a year ahead, stop by stop, against what each truck can hold.
Questions and answers
Is RouteMule built for used oil collection?
Yes. RouteMule tracks oil, coolant, cleaning fuel, mix fluid, graywater, filters, rags and non-hazardous wastewater. It follows the material from the customer to the truck, from the truck to a base and from the base to headquarters. See used oil collection software.
Can RouteMule track drums and tankers?
Yes. Every drum has its own number. RouteMule shows what's in it, how full it is and where it's sitting, at every base. Tankers show each compartment and how much is on board.
Does RouteMule handle manifests and receipts?
Yes. The driver completes a signed receipt at each stop, and the truck's manifests are kept by load. You can search past pickups by customer, driver, receipt number or manifest number.
Does RouteMule send invoices?
Yes. Invoices come from the pickup with the gallons, stop fee and manifest fee already on them. You can send them by email, mark them paid and send reminders, and overdue accounts show up on their own.