Fuel card provider FleetCor and telematics developer Telogis have joined forces to launch a new fuel card they say will help fleets reduced their fuel overheads and tackle unauthorised use.

The partnership is the first to be agreed between a telematics company and fuel card provider but, according to Telogis, it is likely to be the first of many.

“This is not an exclusive relationship,” said Sergio Barata, Telogis head of EMEA, although he declined to reveal which other companies he is in talks with.

“But we expect that this will help drive the industry to partnership solutions that enable fleet managers and CFOs to understand where and how fuel is being used across their moving assets.

“We are planning to bring on other partners. Fleetcor are the first and have been the most proactive in trying to address this need to manage fuel purchasing in the field.”

The Telogis Universal Premium Fleet Card aims to improve reporting and help reduce unauthorised use for fleets using Telogis tracking software, while driving down total fuel expenditure.

According to the company, there will be no application, set up or card replacement fees and the new fuel card will include 24/7 customer service, flexible payment options and possible rebates.

Jason Koch, president of Telogis Fleet, said: “Through the integration of this universal fuel card with our premium platform of location intelligence technologies, our customers now have the most extensive tools available to achieve comprehensive fuel management and help reduce operating costs related to fuel use.”

The fuel card’s launch coincides with the launch of Teleogis’ next-generation fuel management module for Telogis Fleet.

“This next-generation fuel module is leading the way in fuel management through its accuracy, scalability and universal approach to fleets around the world,” said Koch.

“It allows managers to minimise costs related to fuel use and reduce their carbon footprint by leveraging the power of the Telogis platform to seamlessly combine real-time location intelligence with fuel transaction data.”

Arval UK announced the sale of AllStar Business Solutions to FleetCor Technologies for £194m in December 2011 and Barata told Fleet News that any FleetCor fuel card could be integrated with Telogis software.

“There will be a sales outreach programme to existing FleetCor customers, starting in the US, but moving into the UK and other regions, educating them on the benefits of a fuel card with Telogis Fleet Fuel Module,” explained Barata.

By combining the networks and technologies of the two companies, Jeffrey Lamb, executive vice-president of FleetCor, believes it will improve how organisations manage fuel use.

He said: “Businesses that implement our joint solution, which combines location intelligence and fuel card controls and reporting, will have a better opportunity to realise meaningful reductions in fuel waste and expense across their fleet.”

AllStar was the UK fuel card business subsidiary of Arval, which was inherited from a 2000 acquisition, and its sale to FleetCor provided the company with a strong presence in the UK market.

Telogis, meanwhile, has only been in the UK since 2008 and has just a few hundred vehicles on its cloud-based system, but is gearing for growth with its high-end solution.

It launched its Fleet 9 fleet management software last year, which improves reporting and alerts for its routing, real-time work management and telematics products.

Barata hopes to end 2012 with Telogis units in around 8,000 vehicles in Europe, primarily vans, with around 30% of those in the UK.
However, growth could accelerate further if a global agreement signed in 2011 with Ford comes to the UK.

Ford now fits Telogis systems as an optional extra to vehicles in the USA. Barata hopes to bring the deal to Europe and doesn’t rule out similar agreements with other manufacturers: “It’s the route to market in the future.”

Neither Telogis nor FleetCor would say how many fleets they expect to sign up to the new fuel card, but Barata said: “We expect that there is pent-up demand for this across both companies’ customer bases and adoption will be strong.”

 

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