The Challenge: “Good Enough” Was No Longer Good Enough
For more than a decade, CLI Transport relied on a legacy Transportation Management System that:
- Had seen little innovation in 15+ years
- Was not purpose-built for fuel
- Required heavy manual effort for sourcing, allocation, and dispatch
- Scaled only by adding people
As growth accelerated toward 1,000 stores, the math became unsustainable.
“I was on a path to hire a new dispatcher every nine months just to keep up.” - Eamonn Clarke, Director of Petroleum Distribution, CLI Transport
The Goals: Scale, Integration, and Future-Readiness
Sheetz and CLI set out with clear objectives:
- Increase dispatcher efficiency without sacrificing service
- Integrate supply, sourcing, and dispatch into one system
- Move from manual planning to AI-assisted decisioning
- Adopt a modern SaaS architecture to reduce tech debt and unlock future innovation
- Partner with a provider that deeply understands fuel logistics
This was not a point-solution search, it was a strategic platform decision.
The Solution: AI-Assisted Supply & Dispatch, Built for Fuel
After extensive discovery, Sheetz selected Gravitate’s AI-assisted Supply & Dispatch platform, designed specifically for fuel retailers and carriers.
Key capabilities included:
- AI-assisted dispatch optimization (auto-dispatch / route optimizer)
- Systematic execution of supply directives and allocations
- Integrated forecasting that dynamically reacts to demand swings
- SaaS architecture enabling rapid iteration and scalability
- Human-in-the-loop design that augments, rather than replaces, dispatch expertise
Before committing, CLI ran a live pilot across two large markets side-by-side with its legacy TMS.
The results were immediate and measurable.
“What took one of my best dispatchers 44 minutes, the optimizer did in about a minute and a half.” Eamonn Clarke
Even after human refinement, dispatch planning time dropped by roughly 75% during the pilot. The value proposition was proven.
The Implementation: A Full Cutover, Without Missing a Beat
Sheetz and CLI made a decisive choice: a full, same-day cutover.
On March 4, the legacy TMS was shut off. Drivers signing into their ELDs simply began receiving Gravitate-generated loads.
Despite the scale and risk:
- No store runouts occurred
- Operations remained invisible to stores
- 200,000+ loads have since been executed successfully
“If I had asked Sheetz whether they noticed the switch, the answer would have been ‘noticed what?’” Eamonn Clarke
The Results: Proven Impact at Enterprise Scale
Operational Efficiency
- 40–50% dispatcher efficiency gains
- Shift from hiring every 9 months --> no new dispatch hires projected for 2+ years
Stability & Control
- Near-zero retains and .99999 on-time delivery performance
- 100% compliance with supply strategy, enabled by fully integrated supply directives and dispatch execution
Resilience in Volatile Conditions
During a holiday weekend with nearly 2 million gallons of unexpected demand variance, swinging from over-delivery one day to under-delivery the next, dispatchers barely noticed.
The system dynamically:
- Adjusted forecasts
- Replanned loads
- Absorbed volatility without disruption
Better Work, Better Jobs
AI absorbed the stress and variability of manual planning, creating:
- More consistent dispatcher workloads across shifts
- Reduced
- Higher job satisfaction
“Dispatchers are a lot happier. Their days are more consistent and manageable.” Eamonn Clarke
Why It Matters: AI-Assisted Dispatch Is No Longer Theoretical
For large fuel retailers and carriers, this transformation demonstrates a new operating reality:
- AI-assisted dispatch works in live production
- Growth does not require linear headcount increases
- Supply and logistics must be one integrated system
- Modern SaaS platforms unlock future automation, not just today’s gains
Sheetz didn’t just replace a TMS. They redefined how fuel logistics scales.
What’s Next
With AI-assisted dispatch as its foundation, CLI and Sheetz are now positioned to adopt additional game-changing technologies without re-platforming again.
“I wanted technology that opened doors, not one that held us back.” Eamonn Clarke
