Tank Profile & Forecasting Setup User Guide
A simple guide to selecting units, setting tank limits, and controlling delivery timing
Written by Jess Hamilton
Updated at August 12th, 2026
Table of Contents
For a printable PDF version of this resource, click here
For step-by-step instructions for setting up Tank Profiles in Titan Logistics, click here
1. Why forecasting settings vary
The problem
There is no single set of forecasting values that works for every tank. A large, fast-moving Regular tank may need an early forecast and frequent deliveries. A small or slow-moving Premium or Diesel tank may need less inventory and fewer deliveries. The correct settings also depend on customer preference, delivery lead time, normal truck compartments, minimum delivery size, and the tank's usable capacity.
The key point
Two tanks with the same size can require different settings because they may have different demand, delivery schedules, or operating goals. Tank size is only one part of the decision.
A simple example of the problem
A location may have one 10,000-gallon Regular tank and one 10,000-gallon Premium tank on the same load. Regular may use 3,000-4,000 gallons per day while Premium uses about 250 gallons per day. If both tanks use the same forecast settings, Premium may be delivered too often or Regular may forecast too late.
The solution
Set each tank in the same order. First define its physical limits. Next identify how the customer wants the tank operated. Then use recent average demand and delivery lead time to select the planning and protection levels. Finally, compare the result with the tank graph and normal load configuration.
- Physical limits: Tank Size, Max Fill, optional Ceiling Level, and Pump Stop.
- Operating goal: Keep Full, Keep Low, or maintain a selected number of days.
- Demand: Use a stable Average Daily Use, not one unusual day.
- Delivery reality: Confirm lead time, minimum drop, and compartment quantities.
- Validation: Watch several delivery cycles and adjust only when the result is consistently early, late, too large, or too small.
How the example is solved
Keep the slow Premium product at a lower operating level when that matches the customer's goal. Start planning the fast Regular product earlier so enough time remains to schedule a full load. Use Retain for planning time, Safety Stock for urgency, and Max Fill or Ceiling Level for physical room.
Tank Profile fields
Tank Profile defines where the tank can physically operate.
- Max Fill: Highest normal level that the tank should be filled to.
- Ceiling Level: Optional operating cap below Max Fill. Use it only when the tank should normally be kept below Max Fill.
- Pump Stop: Lowest usable operating level before pumping should stop.
Forecasting fields
Forecasting controls when planning begins and how urgent the delivery becomes.
- Retain: Level at which the system begins considering the tank for replenishment.
- Safety Stock: Protection level used to prioritize the delivery and help determine ETA as the point of replenishment.
- Runout: Level at which the tank is expected to run out of usable product.
Retain is not the order quantity
Retain controls when planning begins. It does not directly set the gallons on the forecasted order. Available tank capacity and compartment proxies are used to build the practical load.
Select the unit for each group
Tank Profile and Forecasting are separate three-field groups. Select Percent or UOM (Gallons) once for each group. The selected unit is applied to all three fields in that group.
| Group | Fields controlled by the selection | Allowed setup |
| Tank Profile | Max Fill; Ceiling Level; Pump Stop | All Percent OR all UOM (Gallons) |
| Forecasting | Retain; Safety Stock; Runout | All Percent OR all UOM (Gallons) |
When Percent is selected
The system uses Tank Size to calculate and display the equivalent gallon value. Example: 70% on a 10,000-gallon tank displays 7,000 gallons. The saved setting remains Percent.
2. Quick setup
- Confirm the Tank Size.
- For Tank Profile, select Percent or UOM (Gallons). The selection applies to Max Fill, Ceiling Level, and Pump Stop.
- For Forecasting, select Percent or UOM (Gallons). The selection applies to Retain, Safety Stock, and Runout.
- Enter the three values for each group and confirm the levels are in the correct order.
- Review the forecast timing. Retain controls when planning begins; Safety Stock helps determine priority and ETA.
3. Understand the Operating Style
Do not start by guessing percentages. First decide how the customer and dispatcher normally want the site operated. Then use recent tank graphs, average daily use, delivery lead time, and normal truck compartments to choose the levels.
Use a stable daily-use number
Start with the Trailing 7 Days Average. Compare it with Previous Day, Today Projected, and Week Ago. If one day is abnormal, do not let that single day control the setup.
| Site style | What the dispatcher is doing | Forecasting direction | Ceiling Level |
| Keep Full | Deliver often and keep inventory high. | Higher Retain; higher Safety Stock; early visibility. | Usually blank unless an operating cap exists below Max Fill. |
| Keep Low | Allow more empty space and avoid excess inventory. | Lower Retain and Safety Stock, only when lead time is reliable. | Useful when graphs show repeatable peaks below Max Fill. |
| 3-5 Days | Maintain a predictable number of usable days. | Retain near the upper day target; Safety near the lower day target. | Set only if the desired days should be capped below Max Fill. |
Simple day-based starting formula
- Average Daily Use (ADU) = normally the Trailing 7 Days Average.
- Usable gallons at a level = Level minus Pump Stop.
- Usable days at a level = (Level - Pump Stop) divided by ADU.
- Starting Retain for N days = Pump Stop + (ADU x planning days).
- Starting Safety Stock = Pump Stop + (ADU x minimum protected days).
Capacity check
If the calculated Retain is above Ceiling Level or Max Fill, the requested number of days does not fit in the tank. Use the upper limit and plan more frequent deliveries. Also confirm that normal compartment quantities can fit.
Do not confuse room with the forecast quantity
Upper Fill Limit minus Retain shows how much space exists when planning begins. It does not force that exact gallon amount onto the order. The system still uses available capacity across the load and compartment proxies to build the practical load.
4. Scenario A: high-use location
This anonymous example has no configured Ceiling Levels. The tank history still shows repeatable fill peaks. Those peaks may reflect dispatcher habits, available compartments, or a customer preference to stay below Max Fill.
What the graph suggests
Regular behaves like a high-use keep-full tank. Premium and Diesel are normally kept much lower than their configured Max Fill, which suggests keep-low or days-of-inventory behavior. These are observations, not confirmed customer instructions.
5. Scenario A: practical starting ranges
These anonymous training ranges are based on recent usage and repeated delivery patterns. Confirm customer preference, lead time, Pump Stop, minimum drop, and compartment setup before saving final values.
| Product | ADU | Observed behavior | Possible upper limit | Forecast starting direction |
| Regular | 4,147 gal/day | Frequent large cycles; roughly 6K-17K. | Max Fill 17,600. Consider 15K-17K Ceiling only if the customer confirms it. | Keep Full. Retain about 12K-14K; Safety about 9K-12K; Runout near Pump Stop. |
| Premium | 807 gal/day | Usually refilled near 3K-4K, far below 8,800 Max Fill. | Possible Ceiling about 3,500-4,500. | Keep Low / 3-5 days. Retain about 3K-3.5K; Safety about 2K-2.5K. |
| Diesel | 438 gal/day | Longer cycles; refills commonly near 3K-4K. | Possible Ceiling about 3,500-4,500. | Keep Low. Retain about 2.5K-3K; Safety about 1.5K-2K. |
Why Regular cannot simply be set to five days
At about 4,147 gallons per day, five days equals more than 20,000 gallons before adding Pump Stop. That exceeds the tank operating capacity. The practical response is a Keep Full strategy with frequent deliveries and early forecasting.
Why Premium can use a lower ceiling
About 4,000 gallons represents roughly five days of Premium demand at this site. Keeping the tank near that level can reduce excess inventory while still providing several days of supply.
6. Scenario B: moderate and low-use products
This anonymous example also has blank Ceiling Levels. Regular and Premium repeatedly stop below Max Fill, while Diesel demand is extremely low. A simple three-to-five-day formula is therefore useful for some products but not for all of them.
What the graph suggests
Regular and Premium resemble a three-to-five-day or keep-low strategy. Diesel already has many days of inventory, so minimum drop, supplier lead time, product age, and operational reserve matter more than a short days-of-supply target.
7. Scenario B: practical starting ranges
Use these anonymous ranges only as a review starting point. Repeated delivery peaks suggest operating behavior; they do not prove that the customer approved a Ceiling Level.
| Product | ADU | Observed behavior | Possible upper limit | Forecast starting direction |
| Regular | 1,932 gal/day | Refills near 8K-10K; lows near 2.5K-4K. | Possible Ceiling about 9.5K-10.5K vs. 13,500 Max Fill. | 3-5 days: Retain about 8.5K-9.5K; Safety about 5.5K-6.5K. |
| Premium | 747 gal/day | Refills near 3.5K-4.5K. | Possible Ceiling about 4K-5K vs. 13,500 Max Fill. | Keep Low / 3-5 days: Retain about 3.5K-4K; Safety about 2K-2.5K. |
| Diesel | 39 gal/day | Inventory changes very slowly; no normal refill cycle is visible. | Possible Ceiling about 2K-3K only after minimum-drop review. | Do not use 3-5 days alone. Set Retain from lead time + minimum drop; keep Safety above Runout and Pump Stop. |
Low-use product warning
At about 39 gallons per day, even 2,000 gallons is roughly 51 days of inventory before subtracting Pump Stop. A five-day target would be too small for many delivery compartments. Use minimum delivery size and product-aging rules instead of the days formula by itself.
Confirm before adding a Ceiling Level
Ask whether repeated delivery peaks are intentional. They may come from customer preference, compartment sizes, partial loads, contract limits, or dispatcher habit. Configure a Ceiling Level only when it represents a confirmed operating rule.
8. Final setup checklist
Recommended way to think about it
Use Retain to control when planning begins. Use Safety Stock to control urgency and delivery timing. Use Max Fill or Ceiling Level to control how much product can physically fit. Let the forecasting engine and compartment proxies build the gallon quantity.
- Tank Size is correct.
- Tank Profile has one selected unit applied to Max Fill, Ceiling Level, and Pump Stop.
- Forecasting has one selected unit applied to Retain, Safety Stock, and Runout.
- If Percent is selected, the displayed gallon equivalents look reasonable for the Tank Size.
- Max Fill does not exceed Tank Capacity.
- Ceiling Level, when used, does not exceed Max Fill.
- Pump Stop is at or below Ceiling Level, or Max Fill when Ceiling Level is not used.
- Retain is above Safety Stock, and Safety Stock is above Runout.
- Runout is at or above Pump Stop.
- Retain was chosen for planning lead time, not as a direct order-gallon target.
If the forecast appears too late
Raise Retain so the system starts considering the tank earlier. Do not raise Safety Stock merely to create more planning time, because Safety Stock affects delivery urgency and ETA.
If the forecasted gallons are not what you expected
Review Max Fill or Ceiling Level, the available space in every tank on the load, and the configured compartment proxies. Do not expect Retain to equal the forecasted gallon amount.
Simple summary
Profile = where the tank can operate.
Forecasting = when to plan the delivery.
Retain = planning trigger.
Safety Stock = urgency and ETA.
Compartment proxies + available capacity = practical load quantity.