JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash.–Five fuel points across JBLM have upgraded their fleet fuel systems from Automated Fuel Service Stations (AFSS) to Electronic Points of Sale (EPoS) systems during February 2024. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) began testing these systems in January of 2022 at Fort Belvoir and Davison Army Airfield, Va. and continues to expand the installation of this system to Defense Fuel Supply Points (DFSP) across the globe.
"This rollout is a significant contribution to the DLA director's objective 3.3: update customer service," said DLA Energy Commander Air Force Brig. Gen. Jimmy Canlas, in a 2022 article. "It makes doing business with DLA much more streamlined for these customers."
EPoS utilizes Quick Response (QR) codes to link lines of accounting to specific vehicles for the remainder of that vehicle's lifetime. A scan of the purchaser's Common Access Card (CAC) alongside the QR code eliminates the need for units to regulate access to fuel keys, minimizes the misuse of fuel on military installations, and provides real-time accounting information on both the codes and cards logged.
Security concerns and fraud issues were the main reasons for the upgrade, said Bradley Zink, a fuel accountant with TK&K Services contracted by DLA to run the fuel points on JBLM. He stated that the AFSS system's key-controlled access could be turned off locally but remain operational elsewhere. Now, within 30 seconds of a code getting shut off, access is revoked at all stations worldwide, said Zink.
The system automatically logs seller and purchaser information, reducing the need to save receipts and correct billing errors. The EPoS system is available online and offline, allowing DLA and individual units to capture real-time fuel consumption and government expenditures.
"EPoS will be the primary method of purchasing fuel for military equipment," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hypatia Steele, the G4 Senior Petroleum and Bulk Water Advisor to I Corps. "VIL (vehicle installation link) Keys are a thing of the past."
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