Since 2007, Siphonblock has been helping the trucking community overcome a crucial problem that many logistic operators have faced for ages. The device not only stops fuel theft, it increases efficiency as well by shortening the time needed to fill up the fuel tank.

We met with Graham Carmichael, Managing Director of Siphonblock Aft Ent to discuss a little about what the device can do for transport operators. The company was presenting their device at the Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo 2019 held on the 20th to 22nd June.

Graham explained that “Siphonblock is a product designed to stop petty theft of fuel from trucks. “We often get objections from customers that say these thieves can steal from anywhere for example the drain, fuel lines etc. However research has shown that most fuel theft from the tank that happen around the world is usually opportunistic. The thieves usually will skim off around five to ten litres of fuel to avoid being detected.”

As fuel in Malaysia is one of the cheapest in the world, it opens up a great opportunity for the stolen fuel to be traded through on black market. “Many trucks here in Malaysia are equipped with something we call the big weld amd it could be as big as nine to ten inches long. The big weld protrudes out from the fuel tank. It stops fuel theft as well but we think there are so many downsides to it because it might take up to 40 minutes to fill a 500 litre tank. That is a lot of time wasted just to fill up a tank. It is also highly inefficient as time is wasted at the petrol station instead of being on the road; generating income.”

The Siphonblock can be easily fitted to almost any truck be it a Hino, Sinotruck, John Deere, Scania or a Komatsu. The device comes with a short neck to prevent any tank neck breakage in the event of a rollover. Most importantly, the Siphonblock allows fuel to be filled rapidly at 110 litres per minute. This leaves drivers with plenty of time to do the routine pre-drive checks and prepare for the journey ahead.