Fuel Card(s) for Independent Owner Operators

Most of the major fuel cards offer some discounts, but with a single truck the discounts will be minimal. Comdata is probably the most popular. There are also others such as EFS, TCH, etc., Most charge a transaction fee around $1.75-2.50 for each transaction. If he only has a single truck, he might do about as well with a PDCA card from Transportation Alliance Bank. It is a debit card tied to Mastercard and can be used at any store that accepts the card. It is great to use for all business expenses since it keeps a good record of everything. It can also help support his per diem deduction on his taxes. The PDCA card has no transaction fees and you will get a $0.02/gallon discount off the cash price at Flying J and Pilot fuel stops. The PDCA card is treated like a TCH card at some fuel stops. Fuel discounts are usually deeper at TA or Petro for those cards that offer regular discounts. Fleet One also offers a card, but I have had issues with them. Discounts can be negotiated and usually reflect the amount of fuel purchased.

 

If you become an approved carrier for LandStar they will offer you a SavingsPlus Comdata card. It comes with a whole book of information. They can pay you for loads you haul for them on it, use it as fuel card in a cost-plus network. ATM, transfer to your bank account. etc... I don't know all the details, I just have them pay me on it for loads I haul for them and use for fuel at Petro's and TA's.

I also have a QPN card from NASTC, you can get it if you join NASTC ($250/year). It's also cost plus pricing, so you always pay the station's cost plus 4 cents per gallon. can save you 30 cents, can save you 5 cents. no way to know til you get your reciept. They overhype the savings somewhat, but it's not bad. Also, mostly for Petro's and TA's, you can use it elsewhere but no discount and you pay a out of network fee.

If I have to fuel at Flying Pilot's or Love's I usually just pull all the cash I can get from the ATM and pay like that so I get the cash price, or else pre-authorize my debit card if I want to put more in. and really that's not a bad way to do it either, or just carry cash. If you find the cheaper fuel spots and pay cash you are going to do about as well as any discount card. They claim huge savings, but's it's based on credit price at the most expensive fuel spots.

 

Were your issues with Fleetone customer service oriented? Bill just switched us back to TCH after negotiating a little better discount on fuel. I never saw any reports on Fleetone but from what he was telling me their system of giving discounts was a stacked deck and the average discount for our fleet using it was maybe a nickel a gallon if that. I was using the exact same fuel stop in their network every couple or 3 days. He said sometimes I got discounts there and sometimes it had me paying cash price. Unless a person has time to go to their website and really plan fuel stops Fleetone is a joke, who has time for that? I will miss pulling into smaller truck stops and not having to wait in line for fuel.... just yesterday pulled into a pilot all the islands had 3 trucks stacked waiting for fuel.... arrrg!!! The evil empire of fuel never knew how much I hated them until I left and came back...

 

Who has the time for any of it ? Some of the cards offer you huge savings, but again they base those numbers off of credit prices vs. their price at TA and Petro. If there's a card that can offer me 0.05 per gallon REAL discount. on 100,000 miles and 6.5 gallons per mile that's $769.23 per year. Nice ! but honestly if I have to read a book of information and look up a chart or website, etc... and spend time putting money on the card and checking the balance. I just don't know, maybe I can spend that time better working on deals, etc... I mean you get into kind of big fleet thinking with these cards, if I had 1,000 trucks I could put a person on reading all the literature these cards send me and keeping the cards loaded, etc.... I think you're about as good off to carry cash or even pre-authorize with whatever debit or credit card you have. I think Flying Pilot's even let you fill up to $400 or something at the pump with Visa now if your card doesn't have a limit.

 

I'm thinking about using our Kroger rewards card and fueling there. Heck, we buy enough groceries in a week there to get me 20 cents a gallon off pump price and they are already 10-15 cents cheaper on the pump price than the nearest interstate truck stop 15 miles away.

 

Anyone here use the Fleet One card from NASTC? They profess to be the largest fuel buyer going.

 

Fleetone has refused to provide some records regarding fraud. We are currently in a lawsuit against them. I like the way TCH does their reports. I used them for years. As I recall, when we did use Fleetone, we only received about $0.02/gallon discount. I would NEVER use Fleetone again, even if I could get my fuel for FREE!!!!

 

Transportation Alliance Bank (TAB) from Flying J offers cash price at virtually everywhere (TCH)

(you gotta have the money in the account)

They have a credit account also, i have no experience in that part

 

If they were the largest fuel buyer going, they would probably be working with Comdata or perhaps TCH and could offer better discounts. However, if they used any card but Fleetone, I might consider doing business with them. I refuse to do business with anyone who uses Fleetone.