Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/140569
technology hnology MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS WORK FOR YOUR FLEET SCORING FUEL BY AARON HUFF Comdata's FleetAdvance can calculate and compare the actual savings or excess fuel costs incurred by each driver. Comdata adds more visibility to fuel transactions E lectronic fuel transactions have been part of the routine in trucking range of factors involved in fuel buying. since Comdata introduced the fuel card in 1981. Fleets since have gained The software recommends the purchase control over purchase limits, fuel locations and transaction visibility. locations and gallon amounts along Card programs today include cash advances and fuel discounts. a route. This information can be sent Meanwhile, visibility has progressed from daily faxes to instant communications to drivers automatically as part of the through website updates, e-mail notifications and integration with transportation dispatch process. management software systems. But fuel optimization systems are not Several years ago, "cardless" technology was created to boost the security and always successful. Drivers are indepenefficiency of truckstop fueling. Rather than drivers swiping cards and entering dent by nature, and many prefer having PINs, the systems require the proper vehicle to be at the pump to authorize a fuel the flexibility to plan their own stops transaction. Z-Con and QuikQ systems now are available at within a fleet's hundreds of truckstops nationwide. fuel network. TOUGH SELL: Fuel optimization is Technologies evolve, but the information captured at the Sometimes the not always easy to implement. point of sale remains the same. One way fleets and technolrecommendaFACTUAL EVIDENCE: Fuel scores ogy providers are differentiating themselves is by using fuel tions themselves show savings potential. transactions to change buying behaviors. can be confusing, such as times NEXT PHASE: Future releases will Pre-planning when drivers are include custom scoring. Fuel optimization software systems can consider the full told to split fuel 34 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL CCJ_0713_TechDept.indd 34 | JULY 2013 6/20/13 4:34 PM