When setting up a fuel card account for your fleet, arguably the most important thing you have to do is set up your controls. Without controls, there is no safeguard against the theft and misuse of your fuel card which ultimately results in the loss of company assets. However, too much control can be just as damaging as too little. Which is why it is crucial that you set your controls in such a way that you protect your card from theft, but also don’t accidentally prevent your drivers from purchasing fuel when they need it. In other words, finding a balance between the two unwanted extremes. In what is to follow, we’ll discuss how to best find that balance as we work through some of fuel card control’s best practices.
1. Use every control available to you
It entirely depends on the type of card, but the controls most typically offered by a fuel card are Driver ID, gallon amount, day of the week/time of day and fuel type. And it is my suggestion that you take advantage of every single one of them. Reason being, is that each control type prevents a particular sort of fuel theft i.e. a day of the week/time of day control is set so that fuel isn’t purchased when it isn’t supposed to be. So as a result, anytime you don’t use a particular control, you open yourself up to being stolen from in that way.
2. Know every driver’s schedule
Controls such as time of day/day of week are great at eliminating card misuse because they limit the card’s functionality to the timeframe of your choosing. Our suggestion, and what companies typically do is set their limits to match their hours of operation. However, if set incorrectly or too inflexibly you could accidentally prevent a driver from fueling up when they need to. Which could result in late deliveries, angry customers and one angry driver. So be careful, and be sure to account for every driver as you set your controls.
3. Take advantage of your reports
Your reports are what clue you in to how your controls are working, and specifically what holes need plugging within your control set-up. By paying special attention to your reports, you’ll be able to spot evidence of theft/misuse by matching purchasing records with your knowledge of how the cards are meant to be used and then make adjustments accordingly.
4. Different Controls for Different Cards
Some of you after reading our second suggestion probably thought of that driver or two of yours that drives all night across the country, and wondered what time frame you’d put on that card. Well with drivers who drive around the clock, there really isn’t a time frame to put on his/her fuel card. Fortunately, not all cards need to be controlled in the same way and you can alter levels of controls based on each driver’s situation. In doing so, you’ll have achieved the highest level of control possible while at the same time allowing your drivers the access they need to do their jobs.
5.Prepare to Flexibly Update
Sometimes changes happen within a company happen, which means that you’ll need to cancel a card or cards. If that’s the case for you, be sure to cancel those cards quickly before they’re used by someone who shouldn’t be using them anymore. And sometimes, other changes happen within a company that also affect your fuel cards. For example, your hours of operation may change which then necessitates an hour of operation control change. So when these changes happen be sure to notify your fuel card provider quickly to maintain a tight watch on your fuel card program.