By Fleet Management Weekly Staff
October 8, 2025
Intelligence platforms have presented fleets with a host of benefits, such as reduced downtime, fewer safety incidents, and increased efficiency. But while many providers offer a one-size-fits-all solution, IntelliShift has struck a different path, working hand-in-hand with fleets to address their needs directly. Intellishift is a unified platform built for fleet people, by fleet people. With their customized solution, IntelliShift brings together disparate data from multiple systems to empower fleet managers with actionable insights.
One major client of IntelliShift is Paraco Gas, a propane delivery company that operates a fleet of trucks to deliver propane directly to homes and businesses across the Northeast. Paraco Gas relies on IntelliShift to improve safety, cut accidents, optimize fuel, coach drivers, and digitize inspections and reports, while monitoring its fleet in real time to maintain DVIR compliance and ensure safe, on-time deliveries.
We had a unique opportunity to interview members of both Paraco Gas and IntelliShift, providing us with a firsthand view of the companies’ partnership and how they work together to the benefit of both organizations. During our interview, we spoke with Scott Tucker, Senior Operations Process Manager at Paraco Gas, as well as Ryan Wilkinson, Chief Operating Officer with IntelliShift.
Scott Tucker of Paraco Gas
My first few questions are for Scott. What specific challenges led you to adopt IntelliShift? What measurable results have you seen so far?
Scott: Paraco adopted IntelliShift back when it was called Silent Passenger. We used it as our preliminary routing solution in the very beginning. Slowly, with the addition of the AI cameras and telematics systems, we’ve rolled our entire fleet into it. We have a very diversified fleet, from small delivery trucks to mid-size vehicles and tractor-trailer loads which can be difficult to manage.
One of our biggest obstacles was being unable to monitor our drivers on the road. We wanted to ensure they projected the right image for Paraco, both in how they operated the vehicles and how they interacted with the public. The driving force behind this initiative was lowering the cost of insurance premiums, which we achieved by committing to the use of a camera system and a telematics system.
Why was batch DVIR delivery such an important feature request? What efficiency gains has it created for you?
Scott: Paraco used the standard DVIR for our commercial fleet for the longest time. When we introduced electronic logs for our transport drivers, we transitioned to computerized DVIRs, which we found helpful since our fleet is spread out across five states. Once we established that with a small part of our fleet, we transitioned to electronic logs and DVIRs through the IntelliShift app for all our vehicles.
A significant benefit for us is that drivers are required to complete them to sign in and out of their vehicles for the day. That assists our dispatch team in knowing who’s in what vehicle out in the field. The DVIRs are uniform, and they’re all being done and checked consistently. We can set up electronic alerts that notify our management team. If there’s an issue, we can immediately decide whether the vehicle goes out on the road or not if it’s genuinely out of service.
Since integrating IntelliShift with our fleet, we can send failures to both our mechanics and our contracted field providers simultaneously. Then we can track our bills or repairs back to the completed DVIR. It’s helpful to be able to quickly bring everything back up when we’re in roadside inspections or audits. In the past, you’d have to hunt through paper in 25 different buildings. The electronic age has made it much easier to manage everything.
What advantages does an API-based approach to geofencing provide? How is Paraco applying it across sites, drivers, homes, and vendors?
Scott: Paraco has been using geofencing technology since before the introduction of an API. By loading our customer base into the system, we can see the relevant customer information whenever our drivers make stops. Our database changes daily, with new customers coming in and out, so having an API is really helpful in keeping us from falling behind or having to do major imports.
We’ve started placing geofences again around our drivers’ homes. Most of our drivers start from the office, but our service technicians are on call 24 hours a day, so many of them begin their shifts from their homes. The system automatically flags their DVIRs, so they complete them before they hit the road.
The second benefit is that we can report on when a driver passes a particular geofence. We do the same thing with our repair shops–we’ll know when a driver stops for repair, what was done there, where their favorite gas station is, and so on. We also see whether they stop for gas at the end of the day, which is a requirement of ours. Paraco is always trying to make things more efficient. While we give the drivers a lot of latitude, this allows us to keep track of what’s going on and maintain an efficient and effective business.
How are reporting and benchmarking, such as asset utilization and idle time analysis, shaping operational decisions at Paraco?
Scott: We just started reviewing our benchmarking against other leaders in the petroleum and delivery industry. One factor we closely monitor is the length of time our trucks are idle. Some of our vehicles have to idle to make their deliveries because they’re PTO-driven. When looking at some of the PTO options we can track, we’ve really seen just how much fuel we use when trucks sit idle.
We also use this data to evaluate fleet utilization. As a 365-day operation, we have to justify how each vehicle is being used year-round. While most people think propane delivery only happens in the winter, we also run a barbecue exchange program in the summer, which requires a dedicated fleet. We need to demonstrate that our fleet is being utilized during the summer, as the cylinder delivery business is a niche market. The same thing happens with our bulk delivery vehicles. We have to justify the fact that those trucks sit idle at certain times of the year because eventually there will be an uptick.
We apply the same thought process to our fleet as we do to our driving staff. We mix our fleet and drivers as much as possible. Most of them are cross-trained to run either type of truck. We also tailor our fleet mix to match business needs. For example, we use stake body, rack body, and side-loading beverage trucks for the barbecue exchange program. At the same time, we rely on rack trucks throughout the year for plant and manufacturing fuel deliveries. By clearly defining which truck works best for each service, we resolve many of our capital issues.
What thoughts do you have about the power of partnerships in the current fleet landscape?
Scott: I belong to the IntelliShift Consumer Advisory Board, which puts me in close contact with IntelliShift leadership, including Ryan and Patrick, the group that actually builds the programs with other people in the industry. We can come together and provide feedback on ideas that benefit everyone. I believe it drives cooperation between their development and where we’re headed in the future.
There are many programs out there. I’ve seen many companies get into a transportation, telematics, or logistics program without using it to its fullest capability. By working within the industry and utilizing Intellishift, I’ve been able to extract much more value from these tools. We’re able to use around 50-60% of the program instead of only 20%. There are some parts we don’t currently use, but we continue to develop what we need. We also aim to centralize our equipment as much as possible to minimize software maintenance and upkeep.
Ryan Wilkinson of IntelliShift
Now, moving on to Ryan. How does IntelliShift ensure AI data and reporting tools are actionable for fleet managers rather than being overwhelming?
Ryan: IntelliShift has been providing our customers with fleet technology for over 20 years now. Data integrity is crucial for our program, as well as for our R&D and development teams. By partnering with customers like Paraco Gas, we’re able to really understand their unique requirements and what exactly they’re trying to solve. That helps us tune and process our AI algorithms to ensure we’re giving our customers meaningful, accurate data at all times.
Looking ahead, what industry trends are driving demand for integrated telematics platforms? How is IntelliShift positioning itself to meet them?
Ryan: In today’s market, commercial fleets are demanding consolidated technology and solutions. They want to unify their operations, moving away from swivel chair management, where one looks at multiple screens and systems. That’s the most significant demand we’re seeing from the commercial fleets we’ve talked to – the ability to consolidate fleet technology under one platform or one pane of glass.
The other major factor is safety. Fleets want us to integrate data from sources such as digital inspections, dash cameras, and exterior cameras with other data, including vehicle location information, driving behavior, and performance metrics. All of this ultimately impacts the overall operations of each fleet.
What do you think of the power of partnerships in this current fleet landscape?
Ryan: Partnership is a powerful word, primarily when two companies work together toward a common goal. That’s one of the things that sets IntelliShift apart–we really do provide a partnership approach to our customer relationship. We try to understand what the customer wants from their investment in fleet technology solutions, as well as how we’re going to map our solution and technology to their success. I think it’s critical when tying together multiple systems to really understand the actual business need or requirement. Sometimes it isn’t driven by technology. It could be driven by installation or by how we interface with their team to train them on the driver app. So, we take a holistic approach to partnering with our customers.
