With fuel prices fluctuating daily and drivers scattered across multiple locations, fleet managers are constantly searching for ways to gain control over their second-largest operating expense. That’s especially true in high-cost regions like California, where every cent saved per gallon is essential.
Many fleets use fuel cards to help track and reduce the costs of fuel. One the top fuel cards available is the CFN fuel card.
In this blog, we’ll break down the top three CFN card benefits: wholesale-based pricing, extensive card controls, and advanced reporting tools.
What Is the CFN Fuel Card?
Before we get too deep into the best features of the CFN card let’s go over what the card actually is and what it does.
The CFN (Commercial Fueling Network) fuel card is a specialized fleet management tool designed to help commercial fleets control their fuel spend with discounted pricing, purchasing controls, and reporting. While it’s accepted at thousands of locations nationwide, this card is particularly powerful for fleets based on the West Coast, thanks to the density of CFN cardlock stations in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Idaho.
Wholesale Based Pricing at CFN Cardlock Locations
One of the biggest reasons for getting a fuel card is to save money at the pump, and there is no better discount than wholesale based pricing.
How It Works: Instead of paying retail pump prices, at CFN cardlock locations the pricing is based on the OPIS (Oil Price Information Service) rack rate, which is the industry standard cost that fuel is sold to retailers.
Oftentimes the wholesale pricing is between $0.10 to $0.30 per gallon cheaper than the retail price. For states that have high marked up retail prices this means significant per gallon savings.
Below is a chart that compares a month’s average of CFN pricing with the average retail pricing.
(Average pricing in May 2025)
| Locations | CFN Diesel Avg | CFN Gas Avg | AAA Diesel Avg | AAA Gas Agv |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $4.56 | $4.38 | $5.09 | $3.00 |
| Oregon | $3.79 | $3.57 | $4.03 | $3.96 |
| Washington | $4.31 | $3.94 | $4.57 | $4.35 |
| Arizona | $3.04 | $3.00 | $3.45 | $3.95 |
| Nevada | $3.70 | $3.80 | $3.76 | $3.95 |
| Idaho | $3.39 | $3.25 | $3.50 | $3.30 |
| Utah | $3.24 | $3.29 | $3.43 | $3.30 |
Check out the map below to see the 2,500 cardlock locations around the West Coast, or if you would like to see if there is one near you, checkout CFN’s Site Locator. Just make sure to check CFN Cardlock under the “Locations” filter.
Extensive Controls: Making Management Effective & Easy
Fleet cards are only as effective as the controls behind them. The CFN card gives you the ability to customize permissions for each card individually to meet the needs of each vehicle or driver.
You can configure them to:
- Limit fuel type (e.g., diesel only)
- Set gallon or dollar limits per transaction
- Limit fuel-up frequency (e.g., no more than 2 transactions/day)
- Block retail station access and allow only cardlocks
- Restrict fueling by time of day or day of week
In addition to these, you can also set card security features such as:
- Require drivers to enter a driver PIN or vehicle number
- Mandate Odometer entry before fueling
- Enable real-time alerts for unusual activity
These controls help minimize misuse, prevent fraud, and enforce company fueling policies without needing to micromanage your drivers.
Advanced Reporting
Managing fuel costs is easier when you have clear, organized data. The CFN fuel card provides access to a robust online portal that automatically collects and categorizes transaction data, helping you stay on top of your fleet.
With CFN reporting, you can:
- Generate monthly expense summaries
- Create custom reports by driver, card, location, or date
- Automatically pull quarterly IFTA-ready data
- Monitor trends in fuel usage over time
- Export data to Excel, PDF, or accounting software
This level of reporting simplifies tax prep, budgeting, and oversight, especially for fleets with over a 100 vehicles and locations.
Should You Get the CFN Card?
CFN is an excellent choice if:
- The majority of your operations and fueling is done in the West coast
- You manage more than 5 commercial vehicles
- Keep fuel costs down is top priority
- You need detailed reporting
- Your routes regularly pass CFN cardlock locations
Consider alternatives if:
- Your fleet operates and fuels mainly outside the West Coast
- Broad card acceptance is more important that cost savings
- Your fleet is smaller than 5 vehicles
