Introduction
If you are looking for ways to make your fleet more efficient and save money, you are not alone. Fuel cards give you more fuel for your money, and they also have many benefits. But only smart fleet managers can fully take advantage of fuel cards. That is why we have created this article to share with you proven tips to get the very best of your fuel card. But first, here is a quick rundown of the key advantages of fuel cards.
Benefits of Fleet Fuel Cards
Fuel cards Save Your Business Money
When you decide that you will be using fuel cards to pay for the fuel that company’s vehicle use, you get to enjoy lower prices than someone who purchases fuel in cash. This is because petrol stations charge lower prices for fuel card users. The immediate benefit of fuel cards is that you lower your fuel costs.
Access Fuel Card Reports at the touch of a button
Monitoring your company’s cars fuel usage is much easier when they use fuel cards. It is not like using cash or a credit card to pay for fuel. These options require you to keep track of each receipt for tax purposes. With fuel cards, you can access up-to-date reports anytime and from anywhere.
Set Controls
Fuel cards let you set several restrictions to enable you to control fuel usage better. For instance, you can set restrictions that your employees only use fuel cards on working days only, the maximum amount per transaction, and even put a ceiling for the fuel they can use in a week. This way, you will help reduce any fraud and ensure that the card is used to only purchase fuel for company cars.
Tips for Fleet Managers
Make Regular Follow-ups on transactions
Regularly checking on fuel card transactions is a sure way to nab any suspicious dealings. Even better, you can do this from the comfort of your seat. Just log onto your card’s website and analyze the activities of your fleet. While at it, look for suspicious activities that may point to fraud. This way, you can identify the problem early and take the necessary actions against the driver or drivers.
Adjust the limit of fuel cards from time to time
Fuel prices are very volatile. They can be high today and drop drastically the following day. For this reason, it is important to adjust fuel limits based on the prevailing prices.
If the spending rates of drivers fall below the set limits, the best thing is to lower the limits. This not only aligns with your driver’s spending limits but also closes the window of fraud that opens when drivers see that a certain amount of money is not accounted for.
Ensuring that your fuel provider has the most up-to-date fuel IDs for customers
Also, when the card is up to date, you are likely to get the latest and most accurate information on the activities of your card.
Limit the number of spare fuel cards and ensure you keep them securely
Extra few spare cards can be compromised easily, and someone can take advantage of them to commit fraud. That means you should keep the number of these cards to a bare minimum. Also, make sure you keep these cards in a safe location to avoid them falling into wrong hands.
Immediately Cancel When You No Longer Use a Car or Terminate a Driver
This ensures that only authorized members of your fleet are using your fuel cards. As a fleet manager, therefore, you need to quickly cancel a card that’s not being used.
Make Sure to Report Any Suspicious Activity
This is another reason for regularly checking your fleet’s transactions. If you notice anything out of the ordinary,’ it is important to report it right away.
As a fleet manager, you ought to report anything that does not feel right, even the slightest one because it may be a fraud that you can put a stop to.
Fuel PUSH emails to drivers
An email notification helps you to send your drivers PUSH notifications, which helps to curb spending over the limit. It will notify your drivers of excess fuel purchases, MPG deviations, and other things.
Tips for Fleet Drivers
Keep fuel cards in secure locations and not their cars
Ask your drivers to avoid keeping their fuel cards in the car. That makes them more difficult to be found and interfered with.
2. Keep Fuel PIN or Drivers’ ID Confidential
Discourage your drivers from sharing their PINs with any other person. They should also not write them down as anyone can get hold of the PINs. This way, the chances of someone landing a fuel card and using it t commit fraud or purchase fuels are limited.
3. Always Choose pumps closest to gas station attendants
Another tip for drivers is to always insist on using fuel pumps whose gas station attendants are close by. That is because e these stations are avoided fraudsters who install credit card skimmers on these machines.
4. Checking the pump’s card reader, which should be a solid piece of the casing
It is very important to ensure that when you put your card on the reader, it is completely removed from the pump casing. This way, you can be sure that no one commits fraud with your card as the skimmer can be removed easily from the pump. Also, some people might install a bad card reader, so make sure it is similar to those used in other stations.
Conclusion
Drivers and fleet managers play a vital role in ensuring a fuel card’s security. This is the only way that you will be able to fully take advantage of your fuel cards. When used correctly, a fuel card can save you lots of money every year. It also gives you a more convenient way for your drivers to pay for fuel and has vital data and reports at your fingertips.
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