Maximizing Efficiency
Fuel management is a time-consuming, paperwork-heavy process for many carriers — especially those with just a few trucks. But there’s a simple, high-impact way to streamline this task: integrating your fuel cards with your fleet management system.
If you’re still collecting paper receipts and manually entering data into spreadsheets, it’s time to imagine a better way. Integrating fuel card data into your existing transportation management software (TMS) can save time, reduce errors and make IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) reporting easier.
Let’s walk through how this integration looks and how it can simplify your trucking operations.
The Old Way: Paper Receipts & Manual Entry
Picture this: it’s Friday afternoon. Your drivers return from a week on the road and hand off a stack of fuel receipts to your office manager (or maybe to you). Now, someone is required to sit down and manually enter every purchase into the system — tracking dates, gallons, cost per gallon and purchase locations.
Not only is this process tedious, but it’s also easy to make mistakes. And when it's time to file IFTA, you’re stuck digging through spreadsheets, cross-checking mileage logs and hoping you didn’t miss a state line.
The New Way: Automatic Fuel Data Import
Fuel transactions are automatically imported when you integrate your fuel cards into a TMS — no receipts, no typing, no headaches.
Every time a driver fuels up, the data (date, location, gallons and price) is synced directly to your fleet management software with fuel card integrations. That means the information you need is available for review and reporting instantly.
The result? A clean, digital trail of all your fuel purchases — without the paper receipts and typos. And best of all, no more wasted afternoons entering fuel data.
Make IFTA Reporting Easy
One of the biggest benefits of integrating fuel data into a TMS is how much it simplifies IFTA reporting.
Let’s say a driver runs a route from Denver to Chicago, crossing Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. In the old way, you’d need to manually calculate fuel purchased and miles driven in each state. With fuel integrations, your TMS automatically breaks down this information — each transaction is matched with GPS or mileage data to determine how much fuel was used in each jurisdiction.
So, when it’s time to file IFTA, the report is accurate, organized and audit-friendly.
Better Driver Settlement Statements
You can also pull integrated fuel transactions into driver pay statements with just a few clicks. Fuel purchases appear as line items on the drivers' weekly statements, providing a clear record of expenses. That means less confusion and more transparency between your drivers and back-office staff.
Integrating fuel cards into a TMS can drastically improve how drivers and owners communicate about pay.
Additional Perks of Fuel Card Integration
In addition to easier IFTA reporting and clearer driver statements, fuel card integration gives you:
- Better cash flow planning: Spot fuel usage and budget patterns more accurately.
- Fraud detection and purchase controls: Flag suspicious transactions quickly and accurately.
- Data-backed decisions: Use fuel data to evaluate driver behavior, route efficiency and cost-saving opportunities.
Ultimately, when you integrate your fuel cards with a TMS, you can focus on revenue-generating activity instead of hunching over your desk and sifting through receipts.
What to Look for in a Fuel Card & TMS Integration
Not all integrations are created equal. When connecting your fuel card to your fleet management system, look for:
- Compatibility with your fuel provider (e.g., WEX, Comdata, etc.)
- Automatic syncing (vs. manual uploads)
- Built-in reporting features for IFTA and fuel analysis
- A clean user interface and responsive customer support
If your current TMS supports fuel card integration, it’s worth enabling. If not, it might be time to consider a TMS that does.
ProTransport: Customized Technology Solutions for Truckers
At RTS, we pride ourselves on delivering all-in-one solutions for trucking fleets, including fuel card integrations. Connecting your fuel cards to our TMS, ProTransport, may seem like a small upgrade, but it can have a significant impact. Plus, if you start managing all your daily operating needs within one integrated system, you'll see results even faster.