How To Get A Fleet Card

As a trucking company, it’s critical to manage costs and cash flow. One of the most significant operating costs is fuel. So to manage your fleet fuel expenses, you’ve probably considered getting a fleet fuel card. Here’s how you can get a fuel card for your business.

Benefits of Getting a Fleet Fuel Card for Your Business

There are many benefits to utilizing a fleet fuel card for your trucking business. Whether you run one truck or manage a whole fleet, a fuel card can help your small business in a few ways. 

Saving on business fuel purchases

Fuel cards have incentives with every purchase, including fuel price discounts or rebates. These discounts and per-gallon rebates will depend on the type of fuel card you choose and the particular savings network. Some cards are widely accepted at many gas stations or truck stops, while others may be limited to particular vendors – such as Speedway, Pilot Flying J, BP, or ExxonMobil.

Fuel expense tracking

Another benefit of fuel cards is that they offer real-time fuel expense tracking. Using online dashboards and spending tools, you’ll be able to oversee spending for each of your drivers and each truck. The ability to see individual employee spending can help you see which drivers and trucks are most and least fuel efficient. You’ll get data like which driver is filling up, how much fuel they buy, odometer reading, location, time of day, and more.

Spending controls

Fleet fuel cards offer robust spending controls, helping you control when and where your drivers fill up. These purchase controls give you the ability to set customizable limits on certain drivers as well as geographic fueling locations.

Reduce fuel theft

Because fuel cards utilize these spending controls, you’ll be able to reduce instances of fuel theft. When purchasing fuel, drivers need to input a specific driver ID PIN while also having pre-determined spending limits. This can help you monitor and manage fuel spending, reducing fuel theft.

Streamlined reporting

Another benefit of fleet fuel cards is that they streamline your reporting processes. Fuel card programs record each transaction and many can generate reports like IFTA reports, saving you time in the back office.

Who can use a fleet fuel card?

Small and large fleets can utilize a fleet fuel card for their operation. Typically, fleet owners or fleet managers assign a fleet fuel card to each driver who drives a company vehicle. Because fleet fuel cards help businesses manage their fuel spending, they’re limited to businesses. Therefore, individual consumers cannot obtain a fleet gas card. Consumers may benefit from credit cards that offer incentives. However, these are not fleet fuel cards.

How much does a fleet card cost?

There are many different types of fleet card fee structures. Some cards may have no fees or very low fees, while others have annual or monthly fees. There could also be setup fees, card transaction fees, or other fees. Often, fees are charged per card, so you’ll multiply each single card fee by the number of cards you’ll need for your operation. Contact the appropriate fuel card companies to get a complete list of fees.

How to choose the best fleet card for your business

To find the right fuel card for your business, here are three questions you’ll want to consider:

Where can you use the fleet card? 

A fleet card is only as good as where you can use it, as discounts only count when drivers fill up at select fuel stations. Because each card has a preferred network, you’ll need to consider your truckers’ gas station and truck stop preferences. Then, find a card that maximizes these in-network locations for your fleet. You’ll also want to consider additional places your truckers can use the card, such as maintenance and repair shops like Jiffy Lube.

What are the spending controls?

Next, you’ll need to know what types of spending controls are available for your fleet. Each operation will have different needs, so choose according to yours. These could be daily, weekly, or monthly transaction limits, geographic spending limits, or even per-day transaction limits.

What additional tools and perks does the card offer? 

As you’ve seen, many fleet fuel cards are more than just fuel discounts – they also offer account management tools to keep your fleet running. Whether it’s mobile app alerts for drivers that are near in-network fuel stops, 24/7 roadside assistance, automating IFTA reports, or fleet management software integration, the right fuel card for your business goes beyond cost savings.

What is the best way to get a fleet card?

After your business weighs the pros and cons of fuel cards and fuel card providers, you’ll want to apply for a fleet fuel card program. Often, it’s as simple as completing an online application. The fuel card provider will take into account your business credit score, spending habits, and other factors before making a decision. Once a fleet card provider accepts your business, you’ll be ready to put the fuel card to work for your operation.

Fuelman has fuel cards with great discounts

Ready to reduce fuel costs with a fuel card that’s accepted at over 50,000 locations? A Fuelman fleet card can help. With industry-leading per-gallon fuel rebates, you’ll save every time your drivers fuel up. Plus, your savings go beyond the pump, with discounts on fleet maintenance and other trucking expenses. Your business also gets account management tools to improve your business operations while reducing manual recordkeeping. Apply now to get started with Fuelman.