Fuel cards

How does a fuel card work for a trucking operation?

You set up an account with the card issuer, and cards are issued per driver, per truck, or both. At the pump the driver uses the card, often with a PIN or driver ID and an odometer entry. Each transaction is recorded with the date, location, gallons, fuel type, price, and the unit or driver it's tied to. You see the activity online or in a statement, and you settle the account on the issuer's schedule, or it draws from your linked bank account or prepaid balance.

Most fuel cards work at a specific network of locations. Some are accepted widely; others only at certain chains or sites. Where a card works matters as much as what it costs, especially on your regular lanes.

What do fuel cards cover, and how are they typically set up?

The main types:

• Discount or rebate cards. Built around a price discount or rebate at participating locations. They may be paid from a linked bank account or prepaid funds, with little or no credit line.
• Fuel charge or credit cards. Give you a credit line and a billing cycle, so you buy fuel now and pay later. Approval and the size of the line depend on the issuer's review. Late payment can bring fees or interest.
• Fleet cards on a broad network. Accepted at many fuel and maintenance locations, with stronger controls and reporting and usually fewer discounts.

Common controls:

• Limits by dollar amount, gallons, transactions per day, or time of day
• Product limits, such as diesel only, or diesel and DEF, with no snacks or merchandise
• Driver PINs and odometer prompts at the pump
• Alerts for unusual activity and the ability to shut a card off immediately

What a fuel card usually doesn't do: it isn't working capital, it doesn't replace factoring or a line of credit, and any credit line is tied to fuel and related purchases. For a broader cash gap, see working capital or factoring.

What affects what a fuel card costs, and who can get one?

Fuel card costs come from more places than the price per gallon. Things to check in any card's terms:

• How the discount is figured. Off the posted pump price, off a retail or cost-plus price, as a rebate paid later, or only at certain sites. Two cards with the same advertised discount can work out very differently on your lanes.
• Fees. Card fees, monthly or account fees, transaction fees, out-of-network fees, paper statement fees, and late fees.
• Payment terms. How often you're billed, when payment is due, and what happens if a payment is late.
• Network coverage. Whether the locations you actually fuel at are in the network.

What affects whether you can get one, and how much credit comes with it:

• Business and owner credit, for cards with a credit line
• Time in business and fuel volume. Issuers often treat new-authority carriers more cautiously and may ask for a deposit, a prepaid setup, or a smaller line.
• Bank account history, for cards that draw from a linked account
• Factoring relationships. Some factoring companies offer or tie in fuel cards and fuel advances, which can change how the card is paid. Read how the two arrangements interact.

Who in trucking and logistics typically uses a fuel card?

• New authority: A simple way to separate business fuel from personal spending and start a clean record from day one. Expect tighter limits or prepaid options at first.
• Small fleets: Per-driver and per-truck controls, spending limits, and one report across every unit.
• Couriers: Vans and box trucks fueling at regular gas stations may need a card accepted broadly rather than a truck-stop network.
• OTR and local haul: OTR operators lean on network coverage along their lanes and jurisdiction-level fuel records for IFTA; local operators often care more about controls and broad acceptance.
• Brokers and dispatchers: Not usually users themselves. Some brokers and dispatchers point their carriers toward fuel programs or advances; carriers should read those terms on their own.
• Towing and repair: Wreckers and service trucks use fleet cards for fuel and sometimes parts or maintenance, with product controls to keep spending on the job.

Fuel cards and IFTA. If you run qualified motor vehicles across state lines, such as a vehicle with two axles over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles, or a combination over 26,000 pounds, you generally need an IFTA license and file quarterly fuel tax returns with your base jurisdiction. Those returns depend on records of fuel bought and miles driven by jurisdiction. Fuel receipts generally must show the date, the seller's name and address, the gallons, the fuel type, and the vehicle the fuel went into (base jurisdictions can require more), and records are generally kept for four years from the return's due date or filing date, whichever is later. A fuel card's transaction data can make those records easier to keep, but you're still responsible for the return and for having records that meet your base jurisdiction's rules. Check with your base jurisdiction on whether card statements are accepted in place of individual receipts.