There are many different options that companies have to help to cut the cost of doing business. As the price of vehicles, vehicle repairs and fuel continues to increase, saving even small sums of money on each fill up and repair can add up to huge reductions in your fleet budget. One such very simple option is to manage your fleet fuel costs through the use of fleet gas cards. These cards allow you to view reports, keep track of expenses and even track mileage between fill ups and service repairs.

Knowing how often your drivers are filling up their vehicles is an important step in cutting overall fuel use. Through fleet gas cards each individual driver can be tracked. This will allow you to monitor which drivers get the best fuel mileage and which ones seem to constantly fill up more than others. This can lead to a more comprehensive driving policy that is geared towards fuel saving and being economical. Often company fleet managers find out that some drivers leave vehicles idling for long periods of time or they fail to maintain the vehicle properly, resulting in lower than expected fuel mileage.

Fleet gas cards also ensure that the cards are only being used for what they are intended for. Using bank or merchant credit cards, cash reimbursement or fuel allowance methods of payment does leave a lot of grey areas on how the cards can be used. Some employees may be stealing from you by filling up their own vehicles or even completing personal vehicle repairs on the company credit card. By using a fleet card that monitors, in real time, the information on the vehicle with regards to the charge you can virtually eliminate this very common type of theft. Even one or two fill ups per year on a personal vehicle with the company card can add up to thousands of dollars if you have a substantial fleet and number of drivers.

Fleet gas cards have different types of settings that allow for greater protection for both the company and the drivers. Having cards that are branded and can only be used as specific filling and repair stations is a great option. This allows the company fleet manager to work with stations and repair services that offer the best value for their money and even provide reduced fees for vehicles repaired on the fleet cards. By having the same service provider for all vehicles in the fleet you will soon find that a great working relationship develops that allows you to discuss options for greater savings with increased loyalty and use of the cards. Cards can also be limited as to the total value that can be placed on any one purchase, which is a great security feature in the event of the loss or theft of a fleet card.

Last but not least, most fleet gas cards offer rebates back on the amount of fuel purchased per month or year. For most oil and gas companies the total amount of gallons of both diesel and gasoline are used to calculate the monthly rebate, which can be substantial. There is also the option to limit the cards to just diesel or just gasoline purchases to match with your fuel requirements for your fleet. With these substantial rebates on fuel you need to purchase anyway, you will see a definite savings over cash reimbursement or credit card use for company fuel.

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