INDIA · ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Verifying Hot-Bitumen Deliveries in Ahmedabad

A road-construction supplier connected measured discharge, product temperature and equipment signals with customer locations to verify hot-bitumen handovers and investigate unloading problems.

Ahmedabad, India · Hot-bitumen deliveries

Explore the solution View the tracker

An insulated bitumen tanker parked at an asphalt-plant yard near Ahmedabad, India — illustrative scene

Solution device

SMART S-4533

RS-485/Modbus flow meterHot-bitumen temperature probePump and valve signals

Market: IndiaAhmedabad
Equipment: 11 insulated bitumen tankers
Application: Road construction

THE CHALLENGE

Check quantity and temperature during each handover

A road-construction supplier delivered hot bitumen to asphalt plants and highway projects. Location tracking showed where a tanker stopped, but could not confirm how much material was discharged or its temperature during handover.

The company needed a delivery record that could be checked against the reported quantity and used to investigate unloading problems.

THE SOLUTION

Connect discharge readings and unloading events

The installation covered 11 bitumen tankers. SMART S-4533 collected discharge measurements from a compatible flow meter through RS-485/Modbus. A Bluetooth temperature sensor with a probe suitable for hot bitumen monitored product temperature. Three inputs recorded ignition, discharge-pump operation and outlet-valve status.

Verify the transfer at each customer site

The monitoring platform combined these readings with the tanker’s location and time. Staff could review the unloading sequence: arrival, valve opening, pump operation and measured discharge. Temperature readings provided the conditions at the monitored point during the same transfer. This allowed the operations team to compare the reported delivery with the meter record and check temperature against the requirements for the supplied bitumen grade. Pump operation alone was not treated as proof of a completed delivery.

Investigate interrupted unloading

If the pump was running and the valve was open but little or no flow was recorded, staff could ask the driver to check the unloading process. The combined record helped distinguish an equipment check from a delivery that was still progressing normally. A low-flow event prompted investigation; it did not identify a blockage or other cause by itself.

Warn about an open valve during movement

A buzzer connected to a tracker output warned the driver if the tanker began moving while the outlet valve remained open. The warning prompted a stop and valve check; it did not automatically prevent movement.

RESULTS

Check reported deliveries against discharge

Staff could compare the reported delivery with the recorded quantity and temperature at the customer’s stop.

An unloading interruption could be reviewed with the driver using the pump, valve and flow sequence. The in-cab warning also prompted a check when movement was detected with the outlet valve open.

WHY SMART S-4533

Make every discharge accountable

S-4533 gave the supplier a way to check a delivery after the tanker had left the customer. Staff could compare the reported quantity with the recorded discharge and temperature at that location, then investigate a specific discrepancy.

Its role went beyond showing an arrival on a map: it connected the material transferred to the unloading activity and brought an open-valve warning to the driver when movement was detected.

SMART S-4533

YOUR PROJECT

Tell us about the work you need to measure

Share the vehicles, routes, sensors and decisions you want this data to support.

Talk to Sales