‘Full steam ahead’ — Fuel card created by a trucker for truckers embraces the power of the past and looks ahead to a super-charged future

A fuel card company that has been in business since the late 1970s is experiencing a major rebirth thanks to a strategic partnership, a history of disruptive innovation, and a decades-long commitment to providing truckers with the highest levels of customer service.  

How It Started: Former OTR Trucker’s Fuel Card Solution Changes The Industry Forever 

CDLLife recently had the opportunity to sit down with CEO Aaron Decker to learn about how this company has evolved over the decades to meet the needs of a transforming trucking industry.  

Decker told us that Overland Park, Kansas-headquartered Multi Service Fuel Card got its start in 1978 as a major disruptor within the trucking industry. Decker explained that in the late 1970s, credit card transactions were conducted using paper and the old school “knuckle-buster” card swiper, meaning that it would often take days before a fleet became aware of a problem.  

When Multi Service Fuel Card started providing trucking companies with nearly instant access to fuel transaction information, it dramatically changed the trucking industry and allowed companies to keep in better touch with drivers while cracking down on fuel fraud in a way that seemed almost magical at the time.  

Over four decades, Multi Service Fuel Card continued to forge a unique path forward. While other fuel card companies grew and merged in the early 2000s, providing truckers with fewer choices and reduced access to customer service, Decker says that Multi Service Fuel Card stayed connected to its trucker-first roots and looked for ways to continue to shake up the status quo within the fuel card market. 

The Fuel Card Future is Brighter and Cleaner 

In September 2021, Multi Service Fuel Card was acquired by global energy powerhouse Shell USA to provide customers of both companies with enhanced product offerings and services. Shell’s acquisition will allow them to provide additional fleet solutions to their North America Commercial Road Transport customers via one of the only three major closed-loop networks in the industry. 

Additionally, the collaboration with Shell – a company strongly committed to alternative fuels and clean energy solutions – gives Multi Service Fuel Card customers a leg up with access to cost savings and efficiency as fuel markets and technology adapt to challenges of the future. 

Multi Service Fuel Card is a non-integrated Shell Group portfolio company that will continue to operate on a stand-alone basis. This essentially means that for the most part, the company will continue to operate as it has been, allowing it to stay close to its customers and be able to quickly respond to their needs. 

Diesel Is Expensive. Here’s How This Fuel Card Can Help. 

Fast forward from 1978 to 2023. Trucking companies are currently dealing with unprecedented challenges, including rising interest rates, a rollercoaster freight market, and staggering fuel costs. With skyrocketing diesel prices squeezing carriers or all sizes, it’s more important than ever to save whenever possible.  

Multi Service Fuel Card uses a closed loop credit system that allows drivers to pay “cash price” at the pump at more than 8,900 truck stop locations across the United States and Canada. Since the cash price for diesel is typically $0.02 — $0.06 cheaper per gallon than the “credit price,” those fuel savings can add up fast.  

Through relationships formed with truck stops over the course of many years, Multi Service Fuel Card also provides fleets with access to negotiated fuel discounts below the cash price that aren’t available to cash or credit card customers. Drivers can also access the company’s mobile app to locate truck stops with the lowest fuel prices along their routes. Additionally, all customers are paired with a dedicated account management team to advocate for personal discounts on their behalf and help maximize fuel savings.

‘Intimate’ Customer Service Experience Sets Fuel Card Company Apart 

Decker said that what sets his company apart is that they provide fuel card users with personable, around-the-clock access to customer service. While other larger fuel card companies make truckers wait for a solution, costing them time and money, Multi Service Fuel Card is able to shield customers from disruptions by providing access to a 24/7/365 live U.S.-based customer service team to fix problems fast.  

Truckers Have A Choice When It Comes To Fuel Cards 

So, what does the Multi Service Fuel Card team want truckers to know?  

• Fleets have a choice when it comes to fuel cards and financial solutions.  
• Multi Service Fuel Card is passionate about providing honest, timely, and personable support for the men and women of the trucking industry who keep this country moving. 
• Through decades of consolidation and change, they’ve endured thanks to hard work, constant innovation, and a little luck— and now Multi Service Fuel Card is uniquely positioned to become stronger than ever in the months and years to come.  

Whether you’re an owner-operator or a small, medium, or large fleet in need of money-saving fuel card services, the Multi Service Fuel Card team is ready to help you succeed — just click here to connect.