Anyone attended NASTC's class for NEW O/O's called "New Entrant Survival Training"?

Hey, I have an Idea! Why don't you go and come back in here and tell us how it went? Sound Good!

 

I did two year ago. Though it was at the Mid-American Truck Show in Louisville. If you want to be a small fleet, it probably has something for you. If you're just a solo signing up for the fuel card, then there's not much for you there. But, getting their fuel card is worth it. Make no bones about it, NASTC is in the business of providing services to small trucking companies. So, they will pitch you all their services while you're there. Nothing high pressure, etc. But, they're trying to make your company succeed so that they can have another continual business partner ($250/year memberships, plus I'm sure they get some incentive from Fleet One). However, the fuel price savings are vast. Namely TA/Petro and AmBEST locations, but they're cost-plus. Just filled up in Hagerstown, MD at the AC&T (AmBEST), paid $3.7679 and the pump price was $3.999. Also, the fuel card keeps track of all your gallons purchased by state for the month, so much easier to do your quarterly IFTAs. So, less headache than debit/credit card or cash transactions having to tally those up as well.

 

Is that mandatory to get on the QPN program now? I joined NASTC in 2008 just to run the fuel card. But I was already in business. The fuel card program is one of the best things there is for OO and small fleets. Shows you a lot about how truck stops and oil companies operate and how long it takes them to lower the price after the wholesale has already gone down compared to how fast they raise it when it goes up. Like wholesale goes down at midnight on Saturday but price at truck stop stays the same all the way to Monday morning, stuff like that.

 

I went last year. David Owen will flat out tell you he's a great salesman, so hold on to your wallet if you go ! It's about half good info (nothing you won't find on this forum), and about half sales pitch for all their products. I kind of screwed up because I had already been in business several months when I went and had solutions in place for many of the products they offered. I was sold on the fuel card at the time, but have since decided it's not for me either. It's a good program though, lot's of info packed into a short time period in an entertaining fashion.

 

What made you decide that the program no longer worked for you?

 

Why do you think it is mandatory to get your authority? I just got my authority and I never went to any classes.

 

If you want to sign up for their fuel card program & you are a new o/o they want you to take their classes.

 

The card loading was a hassle, I like to be able to put money on a card through a web portal 24/7 rather than monkey with e-checks and wait for it to show up.

I think the cost-plus is okay if you are going to fuel up at TA and Petro all the time anyways. But for me, let's say I get to a Petro and it is $4.19/gal, and there is a place across the street that is $3.99/gal. With cost-plus I have no way to know which one is a better buy until after I purchase. The QPN price may be 20 cents off, and they will tell you you just "saved" 20 cents/gallon. I just prefer to know what I'm paying before I pump I suppose.

But to be honest, the main reason I quit using the QPN was I started factoring, and it's simply easier and quicker to have the factoring company load it onto their fuel cards directly. I also haul loads for Landstar and Jones Motor occasionally who pay out on cards as well, which is handy albeit a little expensive. I also sometimes simply use my bank debit Visa at Pilot's since I can pay at the pump with Visa up to $495. So with these solutions at my fingertips I mostly just don't need another account to manage, especially since it is a hassle to move money to and from that account.