How do I know when I need to refill my fuel or AdBlue tank?
Running out of fuel or AdBlue never happens at a good moment.
It usually happens when:
A machine is urgently needed
A generator has to keep running
Someone thought, “There’s probably still enough left”
And then everything stops.
Good level monitoring is not about watching percentages in a dashboard. It’s about preventing downtime before it happens. When your notifications are set up correctly, you know in advance when refuelling needs to be planned. No last-minute panic. No emergency deliveries. No unexpected downtime.
Below, we explain how fuel and AdBlue notifications work and how to check whether everything is set up correctly in the portal.
Notification flow
Notifications are built from four components that work together:
Event definition: determines when something becomes a warning, error, or critical event
Notification preset: determines how you are informed (portal, email, SMS, etc.)
Notification role: groups notification presets for specific users or teams
Subscription: links users to specific assets using a notification role
If you are unfamiliar with these concepts, see How notifications are configured in the portal.
1. How fuel & AdBlue level monitoring works
Fuel and AdBlue levels are monitored through something called an Event Definition.
This simply means: you decide at which tank level the system should consider the situation a Warning, Error, or Critical. These levels reflect increasing urgency.
In most cases, this is already set up for you.
The Tank Monitoring template includes standard settings for:
Diesel fuel
AdBlue (DEF)
You usually do not need to create anything new. If you want to adjust the notification levels for a specific tank (for example, because it consumes fuel faster than others), you can edit the thresholds for that individual tank. This only affects that tank and not the rest of your fleet.
2. How you are notified
There is a difference between:
When something becomes important
How you are informed about it
The first part is controlled by the Event Definition (the tank level).
The second part is controlled by a Notification Preset.
The Tank Monitoring template includes two standard presets:
Calculus – Brandstof/DEF management – Basis
Calculus – Brandstof/DEF management – Advanced
If your organisation requires different communication settings (e.g. SMS), you can create a custom preset.
Presets starting with “Calculus –”:
Are included by default
Cannot be modified
Represent recommended best practice
Do not need to be recreated
If these presets already exist, you can simply use them.
Basis (proactive monitoring)
You receive:
Portal notifications at Warning, Error and Critical
Email notifications at Warning, Error and Critical
This is recommended if you:
Plan refuelling in advance
Want early visibility
Prefer to act before the situation becomes urgent
Advanced (intervention-based)
You receive:
Portal notifications at all levels
Email notifications only at Critical
This is recommended if:
You only want emails when immediate action is required
A fuel shortage has direct operational impact
You prefer fewer non-urgent emails
3. Link the preset to a notification role
A notification preset by itself does not send anything.
Think of it like this:
The preset defines how notifications are sent.
The notification role defines who should receive them.
The preset must be linked to a notification role, otherwise no one will be informed, even if a tank reaches a critical level.
If a suitable notification role already exists, you only need to make sure the correct preset is linked to it.
If no role exists yet, you can create one and connect it to the appropriate preset.
4. Subscribe users to tanks
Even if everything else is configured correctly, notifications will only be sent when users are subscribed to specific tanks.
A subscription connects:
The user
The tank (asset)
The notification role
If a user is not subscribed to a tank, they will not receive notifications for that tank, regardless of how well everything else is set up.
It’s always worth double-checking subscriptions if notifications are not coming through.
5. When should you adjust event thresholds?
In most situations, the default thresholds are appropriate.
You may want to adjust them for a specific tank if:
It consumes fuel significantly faster than others
It supports business-critical operations
You need earlier warning for planning purposes
Changes made at tank level only apply to that tank. Other tanks remain unaffected.
Try to keep settings consistent across similar tanks. Too many different thresholds can create confusion and unnecessary notifications.
How notifications work – Overview
Fuel and AdBlue notifications consist of four building blocks:
Event definition: Determines when a tank level becomes Warning, Error or Critical.
Notification preset: Determines how you are informed (portal, email, etc.).
Notification role: Bundles notificationpresets.
Subscription: Links specific users to specific tanks using a specific role.
If one of these elements is missing, notifications will not be delivered.