Check previous load restrictions digitally, before the transport starts
Previous load restrictions are among the most safety-critical requirements in tank logistics, and at the same time among the hardest to use digitally. In liquid transport, it is often the combination of two pieces of information that decides whether a tank can be used:
- Which products were transported before
- Which cleaning was carried out afterwards
Industrial companies therefore define detailed rules for many products:
Which previous loads are permitted, which must be excluded and when a specific cleaning is required. These rules are decisive for product quality and safety, but they are hard to apply in operations if they are not available digitally. The Loady ePLR check makes previous load restrictions and cleaning requirements verifiable in a structured way. This lets you check whether a tank is suitable for the next transport before dispatch, cleaning or arrival at the site.
Previous load restrictions are complex and rarely usable digitally
For liquid chemicals, food or animal feed in particular, there are often strict rules for previously transported products. In practice, this means:
For each product, a manufacturer defines which previous loads are accepted in the tank and which cleaning is required.
These rules can be very complex.
A tank can be rejected, for example, if the last transported product is not approved for the new load, a mandatory cleaning is missing, or a previous load belongs to a specific category.
That makes them hard for carriers or cleaning stations to check. The result:
Manual clarifications
Uncertainty and planning effort
Rejections at the site
Unnecessary extra trips or cleanings
How the ePLR check works
The Loady ePLR Check makes pre-product restrictions digitally usable and verifiable. When a transport is planned, shippers or carriers can enter the previously transported products of a tank.
The result is returned immediately. The check is based on a structured database of: products, approved product categories, intermediate products and cleaning requirements.
Loady then automatically checks: whether these products are permitted as precursors, whether cleaning is required and which cleaning is accepted.
Smart product classification
The ePLR check does not only work with individual product names. Products are also grouped into categories, so rules can be defined at category level. This makes it possible, for example, to set:
- Approvals for entire product groups
- Restrictions for certain classes of substances
- Differentiated cleaning requirements
This structure significantly reduces maintenance effort and ensures the rules are applied consistently.
Workflow for unknown products
Not every possible previous load is in the database from the start. If an entered product is not yet known in the system:
- Loady detects this automatically
- a workflow is started
- the person responsible for product quality is notified
They decide whether the product:
- is approved as a permitted previous load
- is only allowed under certain cleaning conditions
- or is excluded in general
Once decided, the product is permanently added to the database.
Integration with electronic cleaning certificates
The ePLR check can be integrated directly into electronic cleaning certificates (eECD), for example in solutions such as ECLIC or Bulkvision.
This lets cleaning stations check as soon as a certificate is issued:
- Which previous loads were transported in the tank
- Which cleaning is required
- Whether the issued certificate meets the requirements of the shipper's product
The check is particularly effective when integrated with the actual previous product loads (PPL) of a tank. The previous loads are then included in the check automatically, without manual entry. This makes the check more reliable and reduces sources of error.
Paper-based cleaning certificates can also include the ePLR check, for example with a check note or a stamp on the document.
Data quality makes the difference
The quality of the check depends largely on how reliably previous loads are recorded. The more this information comes directly from the carrier's operational systems, for example:
- Transportation management systems
- Telematics solutions
- Electronic cleaning certificates
the more reliable the check. The ePLR check therefore has the greatest effect when it is part of a continuous digital process chain.
Research-based development of the ePLR check
The development of the Loady ePLR check is recognized as a research and development project under German tax-based research funding. The focus is on formalizing and digitizing complex previous load restrictions into a reproducible, rule-based decision model, as a foundation for automated checks in chemical logistics.
Why this matters now
Liquid transport is under growing pressure:
- Stricter quality requirements
- Increasing documentation requirements
- Increasing digitalization of processes
At the same time, expectations for safety, traceability and efficiency are rising. Digital pre-checks like the ePLR check help to
- reduce risks
- speed up operational decisions
- avoid unnecessary transports or cleanings
and create a reliable basis for automated logistics processes.
Stefanie Kraus
Co-Founder & CEO
If necessary, we can help you calculate the benefit case, which shows the benefits and savings potential of Loady for your company — with a comprehensible method, real figures and a clear ROI assessment for a well-founded decision.
