Choosing the Right Fuel Card: A Comprehensive Guide for Trucking Fleets

For trucking companies, selecting the right fuel card is an important decision that can significantly impact their operational efficiency and cost savings. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential features to consider, how to assess customer service quality, and perform a cost-benefit analysis to ensure you choose the best fuel card program for your fleet.

Features to Look For in a Fuel Card

Type of Card Based on Route and Usage

• Long-Haul OTR (Over-the-Road) Cards: These cards are designed for drivers who cover extensive distances and need access to a broad network of fuel stations across multiple states or regions. They often come with features that cater specifically to long-haul needs, such as nationwide acceptance and substantial diesel fuel discounts.
• Local Route Cards: These cards are best suited for fleets that operate within a more confined geographic area. Even when a fleet is leveraging the same fuel location(s) regularly, fuel cards can provide significant savings at the pump compared to paying with a credit card.

Prepaid vs. Credit-Based Cards

• Credit-Based Fuel Cards: Credit-based accounts provide trucking fleets with a line of credit to float their fuel and other truck-related expenses over the road, typically providing weekly billing and payment terms. The additional line of credit, coupled with long-term on-time payments can help fleets build their business credit score while providing operational cash flow and savings at the pump.
• Secured Credit Fuel Cards: Oftentimes, fleets with a brand-new authority do not qualify for an unsecured line of credit because there is not enough credit history available on the business. A secured credit line allows the fleet to provide a security deposit on the account. That deposit then behaves like a credit line, allowing the fleet to make charges over the road against the balance and pay the difference back with each statement. Secured credit fuel cards give young fleets the opportunity to build business credit while achieving the same cost savings of a credit-based fuel card.
• Prepaid Fuel Cards: These allow fleets to load money onto the card in advance of a purchase. Payments can be made to prepare for a specific load or can be made daily like a per diem. This can help fleets maintain control of over-the-road spending and budget more effectively. Prepaid cards are a good option for managing expenses tightly, minimizing debt and achieving cost savings at the pump.

Similar to credit cards, fuel cards collect purchase details and consolidate them into a single billing statement for the customer to pay. Typically, your fuel card statement will be more frequent than a credit card statement and have net payment terms for the full balance. However, net pay fuel cards typically do not carry an interest rate and can save upwards of 10% / gallon at the pump. When fuel is the number one cost of your operation, look for ways to save every chance you have.

Discount Programs

Speaking of savings, each fuel card program is likely to have different discounts available at a specific set of truck stop locations. If you have a preferred truck stop, or regular lanes, make sure you discuss that with your fuel card specialist. Look for fuel cards that offer substantial savings on diesel where you need to fuel. Discounts may be a fixed amount off the pump price or a fixed markup on diesel cost and the type of discount may vary by truck stop merchant brand.

Wide Network Acceptance

Ensure the fuel card is accepted at a broad network of truck stops. Even if you have a preferred brand of truck stop, if you are an over-the-road fleet, you may need fuel when there are no locations at your preferred brand available. Make sure your fuel card provider is able to fill in the gaps with a network of alternative stops, prepared to handle your tractor, accept your method of payment, and in many cases, provide fuel savings whenever and wherever you need to fuel.

On-Demand Features

When a driver runs into severe weather conditions or unplanned traffic delays, even the best pre-trip fuel planning can be irrelevant. Make sure your fuel card network provides on-demand visibility to nearby truck stops over-the-road, ideally with pricing and amenity information to help you select your most efficient option.

Additional Benefits

Some fuel cards offer added perks like discounts on maintenance services, tires, and other strategic services. Evaluate these benefits as they can contribute to overall cost savings.

Assessing Customer Service Quality

• 24/7 Support: Since trucking is an around-the-clock job, having access to 24/7 customer support is essential.
• Responsiveness: A good fuel card provider should offer quick and reliable customer service. Long hold times can be a significant hindrance, especially in urgent situations.
• Problem Resolution: Consider how effectively the customer service team handles issues and disputes. Efficient problem resolution is a crucial aspect of good customer service. Beyond hold times, how long is your fuel card company’s average talk time with customers when they call into support? This will give you an indication of how efficiently they are listening and resolving customer problems in real time.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Calculating Savings: Analyze how much you can save annually with the discounts and benefits offered by the fuel card. Keep in mind that while a fuel card company may be able to provide discounts to your specific truck stops, understanding the competitiveness of pricing across the entire network is important. You may save more paying the cash price. For a deeper dive into how these savings are calculated and why discount calculators can be misleading, read our detailed blog post on this topic.
• Assess Broader Operational Savings: Take account of the affiliate savings programs your fuel card offers and assess the impact the full package can have on your bottom line. Especially small fleets can benefit significantly from maintenance savings, tire discounts, insurance and legal service programs.
• Return on Investment (ROI): Evaluate the ROI by comparing the cost of the card and its fees against the savings and benefits. A higher ROI indicates a more beneficial program for your fleet.

Choosing the right fuel card is more than just about fuel savings—it's about finding a program that aligns with your fleet's operational needs and provides excellent customer service. By carefully evaluating each program's features, benefits, and customer service quality, you can ensure that you select a fuel card that offers the best value and support for your trucking operations.