If you are a truck owner or owner-operator, you often look for ways to reduce operational expenses and cut back on costs without harming your trucking business. One obvious way you can do this is by reducing your fuel bills. While you cannot control fuel prices, you can limit the amount of crude oil spent per day, week, or purchase oil using a fuel card. This can help you get control of and know how much oil you are utilizing.
In this blog post, we will learn what fuel cards are and the different types of fleet fuel cards. Lastly, we will know the top 7 best fuel cards for truckers that can help you minimize your oil bills.
What is a Fuel Card?
Fuel cards are types of payment cards that can be used to pay bills at gas or fuel stations and sometimes for vehicle repair and maintenance operations. It streamlines fuel spending, which can help truckers keep track of their overall fuel expenses.
What are the Different Types of Fleet Fuel Cards?
There are three main types of fuel cards available for drivers. Truck drivers can use them for refueling all types of freight trucks they use to ship load from one location to other in USA. Let us go through best fuel cards for truckers:
- Branded Cards
These are issued by major oil companies like ExxonMobil, Shell, etc and can only be used at branded fuel stations. They offer benefits like discounts but have limited acceptance locations.
- Universal Cards
As the name suggests, universal cards provided by payment processors like Wex and FleetCor can be used at multiple fuel station chains, increasing their coverage. However, discounts may not be as much as branded cards.
- Co-Branded Cards
A co-branded or co-issue card has aspects that bear the logos of an oil company and a payment processor. It provides discounts at oil brand’s stations and wide acceptance. Monitoring and reporting features are often highly customizable as well. Co-branded cards combine advantages while minimizing the limitations of the other two types.
What Are the Steps to Consider Before Purchasing a Fuel Card?
There are certain steps you should consider before purchasing a fuel card. Let us go through them:
- Location: You should purchase fuel cards only when you have a clear indication that your nearest fuel and gas pumps accept fuel cards.
- Price: The pricing of the available card should be low and affordable. With low pricing, you can cut down on your costs and reduce your operational expenses.
- Acceptability: Before selecting the right fuel card, knowing whether it is widely acceptable is crucial. If your card is unacceptable in the gas and fuel stations where your trucking business operates, it is not worth the purchase.
Top 7 Best Fuel Cards for Truckers?
There are many fuel trucks, and while many are issued by oil-based companies, many fuel cards that are issued by public players. Let us now see and know about top 7 fuel cards:
- Wex
One of the largest providers, Wex, offers a comprehensive universal card with an extensive network of over 50,000 stations. It provides accurate spending controls, robust reports, and integration with ELD solutions. The Wex Edge® program features significant discounts and rewards.
- Fluence
As a universal card, Fluence covers the most significant brands while ensuring competitive pricing on fuel and services. It provides rich data, a customizable dashboard, and integration with TMS, ELD, and GPS tracking systems. The rewards program contributes to significant annual savings.
- Combustible
Combustible’s closed-loop network of over 8,000 stations offers consistency in pricing and discounts. The mobile fuel app allows drivers to pay and capture receipts on the go. The company also provides analytics features for identifying anomalies and opportunities for bigger savings. The company has partnerships with major oil companies like Shell, Exxon and BP.
- ExxonMobil
Offering deep volume-tiered discounts, the ExxonMobil card can be used at its 11,500+ branded fuel locations. Further it also offers gift cards which can be redeemed at ExxonMobil gas stations. The EZ fuel system has a secure payment method which makes their fuel card more secure. Their customer support specialists provide 24/7 support with quick resolution of all issues that the user faces.
- Sunoco
Accepted at over 6,000 Sunoco-branded statioakns, the Sunoco card provides discounts on fuel, lubricants, and car washes. The Fuelman portal permits complete control over transactions, reporting, and payments. Partnerships with Isuzu ensure factory fill-ups for new fleet additions. Multi-layer security protects from misuse.
- Shell
As the fuel partner of choice for many fleets, the Shell card allows fueling at over 9,000+ Shell stations and select non-Shell locations. It integrates with routing and route accounting tools. The Myshell Fuel app enables easy expense reconciliation on the go. Shell has deep partnership with major oil petrol pumps which make it easy for truckers to use their fuel cards anywhere to make payments.
- BP
With over 1,10,000 acceptance points globally, including 7,800 BP and Amoco stations in the US, the BP fuel card stands out for its wide coverage. Generous volume rebates are available on fuel, DEF fluid, and car washes. Quick pay functionality enables swift payment resolution. 24/7 driver support aids trouble-free transit.
Conclusion
Running a logistics business is costly, especially for truck owners and owner- operators, so it’s crucial to save every penny wherever you can. One way is using Fuel Cards. Fuel cards are excellent ways to save money on fuel and gas expenses. However, before choosing the fuel card, one must consider factors like the location of the fuel/gas station, its pricing, and the card’s acceptability. Considering these steps and choosing any fuel-related truck cards, you can save extra money and make your journey more profitable.
So, if you are a truck driver or are running a small trucking company and want to earn more, consider partnering with Dispatch Circle, a truck dispatch services company, where we can help you choose the right fuel card to help you earn more!