‍If you’re on the fence about signing up for a fleet fuel card, this article will help you make the right call for your trucking company. We’ll provide a brief overview of fuel cards, followed by eight fleet fuel card benefits so that you can make an informed decision about what’s right for your business.

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‍What is a Fleet Fuel Card?

Professional drivers use fleet fuel cards (also called fuel cards) to access fuel discounts, track and limit their spending, and fund other trucking-related expenses like:

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• Repairs and maintenance
• Parts
• Tools
• Consumables, such as:
• Windshield washer fluid
• Motor oil
• Antifreeze
• Windshield wiper blades

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To maximize their fuel card benefits, fleet owners should look for a card company that offers:

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• Low or zero operating fees, such as:
  • ACH fees
  • Transaction fees
  • Overdraft fees
  • Out-of-network fees
  • Setup fees
  • Per-card and card replacement fees
• Widespread access to truck stops and fueling stations
• Credit bureau reporting
• Enhanced tools for trucking businesses, like:
  • Spending reports generation and analysis
  • Paperless billing and payments
  • Accounting software integration
  • Built-in regulatory reporting

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A fleet card is so much more than a credit card for fuel purchases—the ideal card will streamline your administrative tasks, improve your profit margin, and protect you from overspending and fraud.

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Fuel Card Benefits

Keep in mind that not all fleet cards are created equal—with so many options available on the market, you should choose the fleet fuel card program that offers the best combination of the benefits below.

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#1 Savings

Despite supply chain challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and other international concerns, the professional driving industry is alive and well. In January 2025, American Trucking Associations reported that truck volumes are expected to grow 1.6% in 2025, and ultimately rise to nearly 14 billion tons by 2035.

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However, inflation has drastically increased the costs of goods and services like vehicle parts, maintenance, and consumable goods. This makes finding fleet discounts more important than ever.

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Fuel card companies, like AtoB, offer up to 25¢ off per gallon, which helps to keep costs down with features to optimize and save on fuel spending.

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#2 Convenience

Fleet cards aren’t just useful for fuel tracking and discounts—they also provide additional convenience benefits. Some examples of enhanced convenience tools include:

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• ‍Live spending tracking for fleet managers and their employees
• Spending limits to keep costs down
• Automated, paperless report generation and analysis
• Fraud protection and monitoring
• Integration with bookkeeping software for easy invoicing

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Plus, some cards offer additional, exclusive perks that make refueling and saving easier than ever. Some examples include:

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• No-network refueling – While some fleet card companies require their users to refuel at specific truck stops, others provide access to fueling stations anywhere. Be sure to watch out for out-of-network fuel fees before choosing a card.

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• One-click payroll – Some fuel cards offer enhanced driver payment options that streamline and simplify the payroll process.

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• ‍‍Credit bureau reporting – Fleet owners can get approved for the AtoB Unlimited prefunded fuel card regardless of credit score. Additionally, timely monthly payments are reported to Experian to help small businesses build their credit.

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#3 Credit Access

Instead of applying for a new card and undergoing an additional credit check each time you want to increase your limit, fleet cards give you faster access to your credit as you spend and pay responsibly.

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What does that process look like? Let’s explore an example:

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• You own a C-corp trucking company with two employees. You apply for a fleet card, and you’re approved for a $5,000 fuel spending limit with Net 7 terms (meaning you have seven days after the closing date to pay your balance).
• You use the card for five pay periods, spending most of your limit each time and paying in full and on-time. 
• In return for your healthy payment and loyal spending, your fleet card company increases your credit limit and authorizes non-fuel spending on repairs, parts, consumables, insurance, and more.

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#4 Financial Safety Net

‍Fuel cards can provide a financial safety net for fleet owners who are still building their cash flow and savings. What does that look like?

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• If you’re still awaiting payment from a customer, you can use your available cash to pay your employees, vehicle loans, or insurance premiums and use your fleet card to temporarily finance your fuel.
• Some fleet cards offer same-day driver payments, using your available credit to cover payroll if you’re waiting on a client payment. 
• When you need a significant repair or service but don’t have the cash to get it done, you can use your fleet card to pay your mechanic while you wait for your next client payment—all without interrupting your everyday operations. 

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With select fuel cards, you can say goodbye to financial stress and overdrafted checking accounts.

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#5 Fraud Protection

Fraud is a serious concern for fleet managers. Fraud incidents can decimate your credit score, drain your cash, and lead to increased insurance premiums.

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‍Fleet card providers help fleet owners protect themselves from fraud in two ways:

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1. Enhanced authentication techniques to prevent unauthorized access to your card, such as PIN entry or driver ID verification.
2. Spending monitoring and custom alerts for potential fraudulent charges increases your peace of mind and decreases your response time if you’re defrauded.

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#6 Spending Limits

Fleet managers can limit spending in a variety of ways:

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• ‍Restrict drivers to fuel-only purchases even if they’re eligible to spend on other purchases.
• Create individual spending limits even if the driver’s available credit is higher than the chosen limit.
• Create purchase-specific spending limits. For example, a driver with a $5,000 weekly limit can allocate $4,000 to fuel expenses and $1,000 to non-fuel purchases (or any ratio desired by the fleet manager).

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#7 Access to Spending Reports

Fuel card companies often provide detailed reporting functions to help managers analyze, monitor, and report spending.

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‍Fleet owners in International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) jurisdictions, for example, must report information quarterly, including:

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• Number of gallons purchased
• Average fuel economy
• Miles driven
• Overall fuel spending

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Report generation can also help you streamline other tasks, like:

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• Client invoicing and accounts receivable
• Tracking repairs and maintenance costs
• Financial planning
• Employee oversight
• Spending analysis

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With the power of convenient, accessible, and useful reporting tools, you can build benchmarks and track progress, which can positively impact your bottom line.

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#8 Paperless Operations

‍Fuel card companies, like AtoB, help owners reduce their paper consumption, printing needs, and postage costs:

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• ‍Instead of printing and mailing paper invoices, professional drivers can track their Driver Pay history, view pay stubs, and get paid faster with the AtoB driver portal. 
• Instead of keeping a separate spreadsheet or paper notebook to track costs, you can generate spending reports and MPG calculations from a mobile app or desktop site.
• Instead of collecting and organizing paper receipts for manual entry into an accounting system, the AtoB easy-to-use dashboard automatically tracks all transaction data.

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AtoB: The Best Fleet Card on the Market

With so many fuel card benefits, it’s hard to argue against integrating a universal fuel card into your trucking business’s financial plan.

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AtoB customers can link their accounts with Quickbooks for fast and easy invoicing, pay employees and subcontractors in one click, and buy gas anywhere.

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‍Sources: 

1 US General Services Administration. GSA Fleet Card. https://www.gsa.gov/buying-selling/products-services/transportation-logistics-services/fleet-management/vehicle-leasing/gsa-fleet-card

2 Truck volumes are expected to grow 1.6% in 2025, and ultimately rise to nearly 14 billion tons by 2035.

https://www.trucking.org/news-insights/truck-freight-bounce-back-2025-ata-projects