01Why Meridian
The difference is who picks up the phone.
Every fuel company covers after-hours somehow. Here is what the usual options cost you, what we handle overnight for your customers and your drivers, and how the three approaches compare side by side.
The after-hours problem
After-hours is when things go wrong.
Operators cover it one of three ways.
You staff it yourself
A competent overnight dispatcher runs $45–60K a year plus taxes, benefits and PTO — and you still need backup when they're sick.
Or a call center answers
A script-reader who doesn't know a bobtail from a transport takes a message. Your driver is still stranded. Your customer is still out of product.
Or you're the night shift
Every customer run-out, driver breakdown and emergency delivery rings your phone. You haven't had an uninterrupted night — or a real weekend — in years.
Meridian is the fourth: professional after-hours dispatch, run by people who specialize in the fuel business.
What we handle
We run your after-hours desk like it's our own operation. Because we've run one.
- Your customers' calls: delivery ETA questions, will-call orders, run-out reports and complaints, answered live in your company's name. Callers never know we're not in-house. For most operations this turns out to be the bigger half of the after-hours phone.
- Your drivers' calls: answered by someone who has worked the same problems, at the terminal and on the road.
- Load coordination & driver dispatch: real dispatch decisions, not just message-taking.
- Emergency escalation: leaks, spills, breakdowns and run-outs, handled per your written procedures, with the right person woken up and the wrong person left asleep.
- Daily morning shift report: every call, every decision, every escalation, in writing.
- Full weekend & holiday coverage: including the nights everyone else refuses.
Three ways to cover the phone, side by side
| Meridian | Generic call center | Night-shift hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers at 3 a.m. | Someone with 30+ yrs in fuel trading, supply & dispatch | A script-reader juggling ten accounts | Whoever you managed to hire |
| Handles your customers, not just your drivers | ✓ ETAs, will-call orders, run-outs | ✗ Takes a message either way | Depends on the hire |
| Knows a bobtail from a transport | ✓ | ✗ | Maybe |
| Real dispatch decisions | ✓ Loads coordinated, drivers routed | ✗ Messages taken | ✓ |
| Weekends & holidays | ✓ Included with weekend coverage | Extra charge | Overtime & PTO battles |
| Written morning report | ✓ Every morning | Rarely | Informal at best |
| Coverage when they're sick | ✓ Documented backup plan | Shared pool roulette | You're uncovered |
| Commitment | Month-to-month, 30-day out | Annual contracts common | Employment, benefits, payroll |
Ready to hand off the night shift?
Answer a few questions about your operation and you'll see your estimated monthly range instantly, then an exact proposal within 24 hours.