Correspondingly, the discounts vary at the fuel stops, they can even change daily. The discount differences are based on the fuel prices and rates between the fleet fuel cards companies and the merchants.
Whether you are an intermodal or a warehousing company, you need fleet fuel cards that you will get a maximum benefit from.
For example, get the one that offers maximum savings at those locations where your company is based.
Continually, finding the right card program offering discount blends as well as flexibility can bring you lot of savings to your trucking business.
Consequently, there are further reasons besides the above mentioned that actually help in the title of the fleet fuel cards as beneficial.
How Are Fuel Savings Calculated?
As shown above, the merchants and fleet fuel card companies are negotiating the discounts per gallon.
In other words, there are two savings models that are being offered by the companies of fleet fuel cards:
- retail minus
- cost plus
To clarify, the retail minus is a saving model which is the same as it sounds. In other words, a particular sum of money is subtracted from the retail fuel price.
Henceforth, those savings are passed to the customers of fleet fuel cards.
In addition to this, the cost plus is rather complicated. To explain, there is an independent agency named Oil Pricing Information Service (OPIS) that determines the price of fuel at every location.
Moreover, the taxes and the transportation costs are involved to the price. Correspondingly, the plus is added along with the other fees.
Surprisingly as it may sounds, the cost plus is cheaper than the retail minus.
However, it is cheaper in California and Hawai where the transportation costs are more expensive.
To continue with, there are fleet card companies that offer better options. For instance, with every fuel purchase, the cards automatically select which of the models provides bigger savings.
In this way, the fleets and the drivers are carefree when it comes to switching between the two models. With this offer, the fleets get the best pricing.
Reasons to Use Fleet Fuel Cards!
Beyond the money savings on diesel expenses, the fleet fuel cards involve other advantages.
As an illustration, they are the following:
- Spending control
- Fleet Management
- Communication
- Other Savings
- Fuel Discounts
These are some of the benefits that most of the fleet fuel cards offer. As shown above, they are some of the reasons why the cards have been created in the first place.
Same as the credit cards are used to cover your material expenses the fleet fuel cards have its specific use as well.
The point often overlooked, they help you with your fuel expenses. They are made to decrease them, as it is another factor in the success of trucking business.
Spending Control
Regarding the expenses, the company has fleet cards are a must. For example, if a trucking company needs to equip the trucking office or to buy semi truck mud flaps the cards can save him money.
Especially, the small trucking businesses.
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There are fleet fuel cards which provide the credit lines weekly. Then the companies check if the truck drivers can use them while hitting the highways.
Each fleet is able to monitor and limit the amount of money which the drivers spend with their fleet fuel cards.
Thus, the trucking companies can reduce the chances of fraud.
Comparatively, it is a much safer way to protect your money than giving the drivers unrestricted cards or cash to use on the road.
Generally speaking, you may use power only loads to increase your profit but the cards will save you money and you have a win-win situation.
Fleet Management
Similarly, there are fleet fuel cards which allow the following:
- online accounts
- real-time management
- detailed report on transactions
In effect of the online reports, you can much easily identify how much each driver spends on the road.
More importantly, you can be constantly updated with the updates and best deals of the fleet card companies.
With attention to operating the fleet efficiently, the fleet cards also allow you to do the following:
- monitor and score the driver’s behavior
- compare the drivers’ behavior
- pinpoint routes and fuel stops
Explicitly, the data you collect from the fleet fuel card’s account may actually help you with the IFTA taxes.
Communication
Due to the fluctuations in fuel prices on a daily basis, it is crucial to have fleet fuel card company to communicate the latest discounts with.
For example, there are those fuel card companies that have mobile apps. Accordingly, with the help of these apps, you can find the lowest prices in the country.
In this way, you save plenty of time in planning the routes instead of paying an unnecessary amount of money at truck stops.
Other Savings
Although saving money on fuel is key in the fleet card program, there are others that will save you money as well.
Additionally, depending on the card, the trucking companies also receive discounts on the following:
- Maintenance
- Truck Tires
- Repair
- Document Scanning
- Lodging
- Other Company Expenses
As shown above, companies have many expenses involved. Continually, the successful trucking businesses are either sending drivers to truck driving schools or the companies offer paid CDL training.
These expenses take a lot from your profit. This is one of the reasons to use the fleet cards, no matter how much they will save you.
Either way, it counts.
Fuel Discounts
Continually, if you are in a trucking company that works with nothing but cash then you will miss the big discounts.
Some say that discounts are not that important for the trucking company to be going.
However, they are more than one might think.
