How to Protect Your Fleet's Margins When Fuel Prices Stay High
Fuel is one of the largest variable costs in any fleet. When prices rise and stay high, that cost has to go somewhere. Usually, it comes out of your margin.
You can't control the diesel market. You can control how your fleet buys fuel.
Why are fuel prices staying high?
Recent reporting from Reuters, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), and The Wall Street Journal points to the same issue. The constraint isn't only how much crude oil exists. It's how much of it the world can refine into diesel and gasoline.
Diesel inventories are running low. Refining capacity is tight. Those pressures also affect unleaded prices at the pump.
Prices will move. But the forces behind them aren't expected to disappear quickly. Fleet owners should plan for months of elevated fuel costs, not weeks.
Why does this hit fleet margins so hard?
Most fleets can't raise rates as fast as fuel prices rise. If your revenue per route or per stop stays flat while cost per gallon climbs, every extra gallon shrinks your margin.
The timing makes it worse. Peak season means more routes, more miles, more drivers, and more gallons. Seasonal drivers add even more transactions to track.
What can fleet owners actually control?
Five things:
What you earn back on the gallons you already buy
Where your drivers fuel
What gets purchased on company cards
How often transactions get reviewed
How exposed you are to fraud
How do you earn more on gallons you're already buying?
If your fleet buys thousands of gallons a month, those purchases should work for you. A fleet card with a fuel rebate program returns a portion of eligible fuel spend.
Where you fuel matters. With the RCPA Fleet Card, a fleet buying 1,000 gallons of diesel per month would earn about $30 in rebates fueling at standard locations. At participating Premier Fuel Vendors, those same 1,000 gallons could earn up to $100 in rebates.◊
Same fuel. Same volume. Different rebate.
How do you get drivers to fuel at the right locations?
Drivers make dozens of small purchasing decisions every week. Make the better choice the easy one.
Give them the tools. Use the RCPA mobile app and Premier Vendor map so drivers can find participating locations on their route.
Set a target. Pick a weekly percentage of gallons purchased at Premier Vendors.
Reward the win. A team breakfast or small gift cards can cost far less than the added rebates your fleet earns.
Moving from 50% to 60% or 70% of gallons at Premier Vendors adds up over a quarter.
What counts as unnecessary spending?
Some of it is fraud or theft. Much of it is simpler:
Snacks and convenience-store items you never approved
Fueling at unnecessarily expensive stations
Passing a participating Premier Vendor to stop somewhere else
High fuel prices make every one of these more costly. During peak season, they multiply fast.
How do you catch problems before they add up?
Review transactions on a set schedule, not only when something looks off.
Check purchases and locations in your RCPA dashboard weekly
Set purchase controls by card, driver, or product type
Flag repeat patterns, like the same driver skipping Premier Vendors
Transaction monitoring tools help you spot issues early, before they show up on a monthly statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will fuel prices come down soon?
Prices will change, but current forecasts suggest elevated pressure for months. It's safer to build your plan around what you can control than around a price drop.
What is a fuel rebate?
A fuel rebate is money returned to your business based on eligible fuel purchases. It is paid after purchase, not taken off the price at the pump. RCPA rebates are issued quarterly.
What is a Premier Fuel Vendor?
A participating fuel location where RCPA Fleet Card holders can earn higher rebates on eligible purchases.
How can a fleet card help reduce unnecessary spending?
Purchase controls limit what cards can buy. Transaction reporting shows what was bought, where, and by whom.
Plan for the costs you can control
The energy market may improve. Until it does, focus on what's in your hands: earn more on every gallon, send more gallons through Premier Vendors, and watch every transaction.
Want to see what your fleet could earn back?
Rebates vary by eligibility, volume, and participating locations. See program terms for details. Rebates are earned on eligible fuel purchases at participating locations and are based on gallons purchased each month. Higher rebate rates apply only at participating Premier Fuel locations and may be subject to additional eligibility criteria. Accounts must remain in good standing to receive rebates. Rebates are issued quarterly via mailed check and must be redeemed within 12 months of issuance. Subject to credit review and approval. Personal guaranty required. Late fees and default interest may apply as disclosed in the Cardholder Agreement. The RCPA Fleet Card is issued by Fifth Third Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Mastercard.