Fuel Card Article

The Benefits of Fuel Cards?
The main benefit across all fuelcards is the admin advantage they offer. Some fuel cards give a fixed weekly rate for fuel, which will normally save companies around 3 pence per litre, subsequently there is a cost saving on fuel as well as less time spent on administration. Using petrol cards and diesel cards also enables companies to repay the exact amount that drivers have spent on fuel, ensuring they do not overpay expenses, while also ensuring drivers aren’t left out of pocket.

Fuelcards allow fleets to precisely measure their carbon footprint which is vital in understanding current carbon emissions, setting reduced targets and measuring them, resulting in a greener fleet. This can also increase fuel efficiency.

Some fleets may only require their drivers to purchase fuel and others are happy to permit purchase of other items from the forecourt. This is completely down to the customer’s preference and fuelcard companies permit businesses to designate purchase options when setting up their new card. Fleet managers can also set-up alerts on fuelcard usage. For example, a fleet manager might want to be warned immediately when cards are used outside of designated hours, when a higher than usual amount of fuel is purchased or when fuel is purchased outside of a specific area is.

The simplest way to achieve this is to identify the vehicle’s registration number on the fuelcard. This must match the registration number of the vehicle being filled up or the petrol station will refuse the payment.

Traditionally, fuel cards were aimed at haulage and courier companies and other similar industries. But now an increasing number of companies are learning about the advantages of petrol cards and diesel cards, leading to customers becoming more diverse. Other changes may include larger product offerings, for example the ability to pay road tolls and other services, giving firms the advantage of tying in fleet expenses with their fuel spend on a single account.

A reporting system is essential in helping to manage a fleet in an effective way, so it is vital that the reports you get you are able to make good use of. You need to examine these reports that are available and make sure that they draw attention to any purchases that need to be called into question. Also ensure that you are able to gain access to the reports online whenever you need to in order to obtain up-to-date information regarding vehicle and driver performance and to ensure you have sight of exactly when and where fuel was purchased to guarantee your drivers are using cost efficient routes. These reports ensure that every driver is held responsible and can be useful when the need to assess new training requirements arises.
One of the leading UK providers of fuel cards is Cambrian Fuelcard Services who can offer you a no obligation assessment of your business and they can then recommend the best fuel card for your business. Visit their website at www.fuel-card.co.uk or call 01633 677 677.