ATLANTA, Ga. — Geotab is launching the Geotab Fleet Card.
In collaboration with AtoB, the telematics-powered fleet card pairs AtoB’s payment platform and fuel discount network with Geotab vehicle data, connecting payment authorization to what is happening in the vehicle. This marks Geotab’s expansion into fleet financial technology and is designed to help commercial fleets better manage fleet expenses by preventing unauthorized spending and accessing fuel savings.
“With fuel costs rising across the U.S., fleets need practical ways to reduce what they spend at the pump,” said Steven Berube, vice president, sales, Geotab. “The Geotab Fleet Card connects vehicle data to payment controls to help prevent unauthorized fuel purchases, while giving fleets access to fuel discounts and helping drivers find lower-cost places to fuel”
Stopping Fuel Fraud Before It Happens
Unauthorized fuel purchases can create significant avoidable costs. For a 500-vehicle Class 8 fleet with estimated annual fuel spend of $31.3 million, unauthorized fuel purchases could represent approximately $2.19 million in avoidable annual costs.
Unlike traditional fuel cards, which alert fleets to fraud after a transaction, the Geotab Fleet Card uses real-time dynamic authorization to prevent it from occurring in the first place. The card stays locked until the driver unlocks it in the Geotab Drive app while the vehicle is parked at the merchant location. When a purchase is attempted, the system verifies the vehicle’s proximity, the merchant’s GPS coordinates and the vehicle’s fuel level. It automatically declines a fuel purchase if the vehicle is not at the pump or the tank does not have room for the fuel, helping prevent fuel theft.
For eligible accounts, telematics-verified transactions made using a Geotab Fleet Card are backed by a fraud guarantee of up to $250,000. The guarantee covers transactions that are verified through the Geotab Fleet Card dynamic authorization system, matching the industry’s highest published standard.
Save More at Every Fuel Stop
According to Geotab, fleets may also reduce fueling costs through wholesale discounts at more than 34,000 fueling stations across the US through the Geotab Fleet Card. The Geotab Drive app also helps drivers identify nearby lower-cost fueling locations, allowing them to make purchasing decisions based on current fuel prices rather than habit.
As fuel prices rise, knowing where to find lower-cost fuel becomes more valuable, especially when prices can vary significantly between stations in the same town. Geotab analysis of 419,000 diesel fill-ups across 660 U.S. fleets found that two trucks fueling in the same town could see as much as a 77 cent price difference per gallon for the same type of diesel. For a typical 75-gallon fill-up, that difference represents approximately $58. By combining discounted Geotab Fleet Card pricing with the Geotab Drive app’s visibility into nearby lower-cost fueling options, fleets can make more informed purchasing decisions and reduce the impact of rising diesel prices.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
