# Propane delivery software that forecasts the fill and keeps the cargo tank legal

> Propane delivery is the retail distribution of liquefied petroleum gas by bobtail and transport to tanks a supplier owns or services. The work is forecasting: a K factor per tank turns accumulated heating degree days into a delivery date, and the truck follows that list. Wrapped around it is hazmat law, so an MC 331 cargo tank is due an external visual inspection every 12 months and a pressure test on a 5 year interval. Neurobird keeps the tank record, the route and the expiry dates in one place.

- URL: https://neurobird.com/propanedelivery/
- Product: Neurobird Propane Delivery Dispatch Platform
- Niche: propane delivery
- Buyer: propane retailers and bobtail fleets
- Status: in development, open for early access
- Updated: 2026-08-21

## What Neurobird Propane Delivery does

- Hold a K factor per tank, recalculated from delivered gallons and degree days, so the next fill date is arithmetic
- Build the day's board from tanks that are actually due, and keep the sequence when a will call lands at 10am
- Capture metered gallons, percentage on arrival and the leak check at the tank, so the ticket closes before the driver pulls away
- Track cargo tank tests, cylinder requalification and driver endorsements against their expiry dates rather than a binder

## How it works

1. **Every tank is a record** Size, location, regulator, tank monitor reading, last fill and the delivered gallons behind it, held per tank rather than per customer address.
2. **The board builds from degree days** Consumption history and accumulated heating degree days rank which tanks are due, so the route is a filtered list instead of a memory test.
3. **Compliance rides on the asset** External visual and pressure test dates ride with the cargo tank, requalification dates ride with the cylinder, endorsements ride with the driver.

## From the source material

> Propane expenditures are a household-weighted average of the Northeast, Midwest, and South regions.

Source: EIA Winter Fuels Outlook, https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2025/10-winterfuels/article.php

## Industry context

- **1 year** The periodic test table in 49 CFR 180.407 puts every specification cargo tank other than the vacuum loaded types on a 1 year external visual inspection and a 1 year leakage test, with internal visual and pressure tests on a 5 year interval. (source: eCFR, 49 CFR 180.407, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-180.407)
- **12 years** Table 1 to 49 CFR 180.209(a) sets requalification periods of 5, 7, 10 or 12 years for DOT 4B, 4BA, 4BW and 4E cylinders, depending on the requalification method and whether the service is corrosive. (source: eCFR, 49 CFR 180.209, https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-180.209)
- **50 feet** Table H-23 of the OSHA LP gas standard scales minimum separation distance with container water capacity, from 10 feet at 125 to 250 gallons up to 50 feet once a container holds 2,001 to 30,000 gallons. (source: OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.110, https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.110)
- **$1,286** The federal Winter Fuels Outlook put average household propane expenditure across November through March of the 2025 to 2026 winter at $1,286, a figure that moves with degree days rather than with anything a dispatcher controls. (source: EIA, Winter Fuels Outlook, https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2025/10-winterfuels/article.php)
- **3,140** That same outlook put the United States average at 3,140 heating degree days for the winter, which is the raw input every K factor forecast is built on. (source: EIA, Winter Fuels Outlook, https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2025/10-winterfuels/article.php)

## Pricing

- Single depot: $180 per depot, per month
- Fleet: $360 per depot, per month
- Multi depot: $720 per depot, per month

## Questions

### What is a propane K factor?

The K factor is the number of heating degree days a tank consumes per gallon of propane. It is derived from the last delivery, the gallons that went in and the degree days accumulated in between, and it is what turns a wall map into a forecast. Keep it per tank, because two houses on the same street rarely share one.

### What are the inspection intervals for a propane bobtail?

Under the periodic test table in 49 CFR 180.407, an MC 331 cargo tank is due an external visual inspection and a leakage test every year, with internal visual and pressure tests on a 5 year interval. Certain small dedicated propane MC 331 tanks sit on a 10 year interval instead.

### How often do propane cylinders have to be requalified?

Table 1 to 49 CFR 180.209(a) gives DOT 4B, 4BA, 4BW and 4E cylinders requalification periods of 5, 7, 10 or 12 years, depending on the method used and the service. The date is stamped on the collar, which is why a rack count is not the same thing as a compliant rack.

### Does it do the invoicing?

It closes the delivery ticket with metered gallons, the price basis and the driver's checks, then hands that across to whatever you bill from. Replacing your accounting system is not the job.

### Will the driver app work without signal?

Yes. The app holds the day's stops and captures the ticket offline, then reconciles when it finds a connection. Half of a rural route has no bars and pretending otherwise wastes the driver's evening.

### Where does OSHA end and DOT begin?

OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.110 governs storage and handling of LP gas at the site, including separation distances and odorization. The 49 CFR rules govern the container and the vehicle in transport. A propane retailer lives under both at once.

## Sources

- [29 CFR 1910.110, LP gas storage and handling](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.110)
- [49 CFR 180.407, cargo tank test and inspection](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-180.407)
- [49 CFR 180.209, cylinder requalification](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-180.209)
- [49 CFR Part 172, hazmat communication](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-172)
- [PHMSA hazardous materials registration](https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/registration)
- [EIA Winter Fuels Outlook](https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2025/10-winterfuels/article.php)

## Contact

- office@neurobird.com
- https://neurobird.com/