Overview
Understanding the true cost of refined fuel is inherently complex. Product acquisition costs and rack prices can change multiple times per day, while expenses tied to transportation, pipeline tariffs, additives, terminaling, and storage vary by distance, provider, and operational conditions. These constantly shifting variables make it difficult to clearly understand margins and determine which terminals and markets are truly profitable.
By automatically ingesting detailed pipeline, transportation, additive, terminaling, storage, and invoice data through the ONEOK Refined Swift+ APIs, users gain a precise, continuously updated view of their true landed costs across terminals. When combined with product pricing and other operational expenses, this data delivers clear, actionable visibility into profitability — and how it changes over time.
User Types that Benefit Most:
Suppliers / Wholesalers
For suppliers, small cost differences can translate into significant margin impact. Accurate, up-to-date cost visibility enables smarter pricing decisions and opens the door to market-to-market arbitrage when conditions allow.
True pricing accuracy depends on a precise understanding of:
• Pipeline tariffs by provider and route
• Storage and terminal fees by market
• Loading, additive, and ancillary costs that fluctuate throughout the day
Without this clarity, suppliers risk deals that look profitable on paper but turn unprofitable once all fees are applied. Real-time cost insight helps suppliers price with confidence, protect margins, and avoid costly surprises.
Inventory Owners:
Inventory owners gain leverage by understanding the real cost of holding and moving product, not just the posted rates.
With current visibility into storage, pipeline, and terminal costs, inventory owners can:
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Identify and eliminate unnecessary or avoidable expenses
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Compare alternatives (store vs. move vs. redirect) using actual costs
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Optimize pipeline dwell times when longer holds may be economically advantageous
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This level of insight enables more deliberate inventory positioning decisions, ensuring capital is deployed where it delivers the highest return—not just where it’s easiest to park product.
What Roles Benefit Most:
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Fuel Supply Managers – oversee terminal performance and cost positions.
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Finance & Accounting Teams – reconcile invoices, validate costs, and analyze margins.
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Commercial Teams – use insights to negotiate supply and transportation agreements more effectively.
- Executives - looking to make supplier, strategic market and many other decisions
API Libraries that Support Profitability Models
- Billing APIs: Additive, Terminaling, Transportation, Storage Invoices
Scenerios
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ONEOK Refined APIs automatically deliver invoice and inventory data into the supplier’s systems.
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This data is combined with product costs (fuel acquisition) and transportation costs (pipeline, trucking, or rail).
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The integrated model produces a true cost-per-gallon view at each terminal.
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Suppliers can instantly see which terminals are delivering the best margins and which are being squeezed by rising costs.
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As markets shift, suppliers can adjust sourcing strategies, optimize allocations, and strengthen negotiation positions with data-driven insights.
Benefits to ONEOK Customers
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Accurate cost visibility: Eliminate guesswork with automated, real-time data feeds.
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Better margin management: Identify profitable terminals and optimize allocations.
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Stronger negotiating power: Use data-backed insights in supplier and transport discussions.
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Time savings: Replace weeks of manual reconciliation with automated, always-current analysis.
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Vendor Management: Encourage use of vendors with lowest actual cost per barrel – not lowest price sheets
With ONEOK Refined APIs, cost management becomes less about chasing numbers and more about making smarter, faster decisions that protect profitability.
