Latest Fuel News

Why fuel cards make a great investment for transport companies

Oct 30th, 2009

The rising cost of fuel is a pressing issue for businesses, especially transport, delivery and haulage ones. Currently, fuel consumption and costs are two of the most important concerns not only to large scale companies but to the smaller ones as well. All company managers and owners are looking for an alternative that will help reduce the fuel consumption of their vehicles.

Tracking fuel consumption with fuel cards:

As a way of reducing and tracking fuel consumption, most company managers and owners have invested in fuel cards. These cards serve a number of benefits to those companies which use them as they do more than make purchasing fuel easy.

• Fuel cards provide companies with the option of limiting either the money on the card or limiting the amount of fuel that can be bought. This ensures that company fuel cards and money are not used unnecessarily.

• With every transaction made on these cards, purchasers are provided with an invoice. This is proof of the amount of fuel that has been filled in a particular vehicle.

• Invoices obtained from purchases made on fuel cards can help company owners and managers a great deal when it comes to tax rebates.

• Additionally, the invoices also show mileage of the vehicle. This can help when it comes to vehicle maintenance and results in extra cost savings for the company.

Many companies are slowly learning of these benefits and gradually the popularity of fuel cards is increasing, making it an important tool in the transport and delivery industry today.

Report states oil production could hit peak point soon

Oct 29th, 2009

A recent report states that the global production of oil that is conventionally extracted, could reduce in the coming decade. The report which was put forth by the UK Energy Research Council said that the production of oil faces a terminal decline prior to 2020. However, it seems that the Government was not ready to face the risk.

Decrease in the production of oil will eventually lead to more volatile and higher prices which could boost the investment in more polluting fossil fuels like tar sands.

The report claims that less than half of the earth’s conventionally extracted oil has been used up. However, extracting the remaining resources from under the ground will be more expensive and difficult. This will slow down production and at the same time increase the rates of crude oil.

Current exploitation of the oil reserves on the planet are running at over 80m barrels a day. This means that even new key discoveries like the oil fields which were found in the Gulf of Mexico recently would postpone the peak only by a few days or weeks.

This means that as oil prices increase, people will have to look for cheaper alternatives, especially when it comes to travelling. The use of fuel cards has already increased and it seems like more people are going to invest in fuel cards in order to help cut costs.

Petrol prices will go higher in UK

Oct 28th, 2009

After oil hits its highest price this year, the motorists will suffer from petrol price rise by 15p per gallon.

The price of the crude oil was $79.05 a barrel, which will ultimately increase the fuel price by 4.5p. More 10.5p would be added as tax, when VAT increases to 17.5% at the end of this year.

A spokesman for the Automobile Association (AA) said that one thing is sure and that is that the drivers or consumers will face increase in the oil price and even the VAT will increase.

According to the Analysts at Goldman Sachs, costs of oil would be $85 per barrel by the end of this year. The price would be doubled, compared to the price, early this year.

The trading currency is putting more pressure on wholesale cost of fuel for buyers in UK. According to the AA, if the fuel prices in US will be $80 a barrel, then this will add £1.80 to the cost for filling a petrol car in UK. One more fuel duty of government will also cause the rise in fuel price and this duty will come into action in April.

The analysts said that, the optimism about the global economy is the reason for the price rise. The ideal way to combat this situation would be through fuel cards. Big companies that use a large fleet of vehicles can incorporate the use of fuel cards that would offer systematic working and ensures a bit of savings on the budget too.

Make considerable savings on fuel expenses with fuel cards

Oct 27th, 2009

With fuel prices touching new heights every day, it is essential to make as much savings as possible, especially in fuel consumption. Companies that own a large fleet of vehicles will know how important it is to save on fuel expenses. Fuel is a key input in the transportation industry and even small savings can go a long way and help transport companies to make significant savings in the long run.

One way to save on fuel expenses is to use fuel cards. The fuel cards come in many different packages and the billing system and limits can be set as per your requirement. With the help of fuel cards, you can easily get cheap petrol and cheap diesel. Another major advantage of fuel cards is that they are widely accepted at all major fuel filling stations across the UK. Although fuel cards look similar to credit cards, they function in a completely different way.

When using credit cards, you need to pay interest on every transaction that you do whereas in case of fuel cards, you are not charged with any interest. One more advantage of fuel cards is that its billing includes VAT, which means that you will no longer need to waste your time in order to calculate and pay the VAT for every transaction that you do.

So if you own a fleet of vehicles, opting for fuel cards is the right choice as it will eventually help you to make big savings on the over fuel expenses of your fleet.

Consumers are suffering from fuel price hikes at some motor stations

Oct 26th, 2009

According to the study of a motoring group, there is a vast difference in fuel prices across the country and this is because some of the motor service stations charge more than others. Automobile Association (AA) has discovered the difference in their most recent research.

The average price of petrol is little more than 105p per litre but some motorway service stations charge more than 112.9p per litre for unleaded petrol. According to a website, the most expensive petrol in UK is 115.9p a litre.

The AA’s president, Edmund King said that commuters who go to the town can fill up their tanks there and long distance drivers should avoid their stops at expensive areas.

The average price of petrol at Asda was 102.1p per litre, the average price at Texaco was 106.1p per litre and the petrol price at BP was 105.7p a litre.

According to the AA, the consumers in the UK are not benefitting from the fall in the price of wholesale petrol. The wholesale price of the petrol was approximately £400 per tone in September that will be reduced upto £340 per tone by the end of the month.

Thus, the petrol prices should reduce by 3.5p per litre and the companies that use a fleet of vehicles for conducting businesses could use fuel cards and save even more money.

Fuel cards are beneficial for fleet businesses

Oct 23rd, 2009

Do you own a business which manages a fleet of vehicles? If so, you may be under a lot of stress due to continuously rising fuel prices and should therefore consider the numerous benefits of fuel cards.

When you get fuel cards for your company, you may find that you are offered a number of discounts. Even if each discount is not very much, it will make a lot of difference when spread over a whole fleet of vehicles. Additionally, some fuel cards have a special feature which provides fixed weekly rates even if fuel prices increase.

When you own a fleet business, you need to take control of a large number of vehicles. It can become very difficult to monitor how much your driver is spending on fuel each day. There is always the possibility that your driver is behaving dishonestly with your money. However if you use fuel cards for your business, you no longer have to give out cash to all your drivers, reducing the chances that your money will be misused.

Fuel cards can be really useful for your fleet business as they ensure that no money is wasted and that less cash is spent on fuel. With the help of fuel cards, you can be assured that the overall productivity of your business will increase.

Fuel cards can make your life much easier

Oct 22nd, 2009

Nowadays, fuel prices are considerably higher than they were a few years ago and it is looking like they might increase even more in the future. This price rise has not only affected families and commuters, but also businesses that depend on efficient transportation. The solution to this problem comes in the form of fuel cards.

A few reasons why should you get a fuel card:

• Extremely expensive fuel prices are a big disadvantage to any business account or household budget, but imagine that there was a way to pay less for your fuel. Fuel cards can offer great discounts, especially when using a number or fleet of vehicles.
• If you use fuel cards, you do not have to provide your drivers with cash when they are on duty.
• Fuel cards can be used in a number of places throughout the country, so you do not need to stock your vehicles with fuel all the time.

Apart from these, there are many other benefits offered by fuel cards. Fuel prices are constantly fluctuating or rising but by using fuel cards, you could actually reduce the overall amount of money that you spend on fuel for your fleet of vehicles.

Numerous benefits offered by fuel cards

Oct 21st, 2009

Fuel cards have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years due to the many advantages that they provide. The first and most important advantage of owning a fuel card is that it enables you to purchase fuel from most major fuel filling stations throughout the UK at a fixed monthly price. This is vital especially due to the regular fluctuation in fuel prices.

Any business that is associated with transport will surely benefit from the use of fuel cards. So, whether it is a company with a huge fleet of vehicles or a transportation business, they will surely be able to reap many benefits through the use of fuel cards. Most often, fleet owners need to provide their employees or drivers with cash to put fuel in their vehicles. Also tax invoices need to be shown individually. Fuel cards streamline this whole process.

If the security and usage of fuel cards is your concern, fuel cards can either be programmed to a particular vehicle, a driver or to a certain limit. Fuel card suppliers also provide tracking and logging data which enables companies to keep a track of their fuel expenses.

Fleet management is regarded as one of the toughest jobs and with the use of fuel cards, managing a fleet becomes very easy. So, no matter whether you are a big or small company, using fuel cards will certainly offer your company with many benefits.

Fuel cards alongside vehicle tracking devices are an efficient way to manage your fleet

Oct 16th, 2009

The UK HGV industry has suffered enormous losses due to the ongoing recession. The fleet industry is in a state of turmoil and looking for ways to tackle the recession and increase profit margins. This is the reason why fleet managers should come up with effective fleet management techniques to counter the recession.

The fleet manager has a very important role to play in the current scenario. The manager should pay extra heed to the drivers he employs and also train the employees, concerning the road safety regulations that need to be followed to avoid accidents and other road hazards. If you are a fleet manager, you can also use a vehicle tracking device to further reduce the operational costs. Such tracking devices will help you to meet the delivery deadlines by constantly monitoring aspects like the movement of vehicles and fuel consumption.

The usage of fuel cards is another efficient way to help you when managing a fleet. Your drivers no longer need to pay by cash at the petrol station every time they refuel their vehicles. This helps to save the driver’s time, since the transaction takes place via the fuel cards. Moreover, several other benefits like discounts are nowadays offered by fuel card service providers. Such a discount helps you to reduce the overall fuel expenditure of your fleet and hence offer a solution to your vehicle management costs.

Enjoy the numerous benefits of fuel cards

Oct 15th, 2009

Are you upset because of the increasing fuel prices? You are probably frustrated because of the continual reduction in number of notes from your wallet. It is time that you started using a fantastic magical plastic card. The magical plastic card in question relates to fuel cards. These pocket size wonders have changed the way we pay for our fuel.

A fuel card is similar to a debit card and is used to make payments while purchasing petrol, diesel and other types of fuel. Such cards have become increasingly popular in recent times due to the ongoing recession and increasing fuel prices. The time-saving and user friendly nature of fuel cards has also increased their popularity. One of the major benefits of fuel cards is that you do not need to make a payment by cash every time you refuel your vehicle. Such a fuel card system is also hence beneficial for companies who own a large number of fleet vehicles.

Fuel cards also eliminate the need for counting and collecting bills. You can easily log in and check your account whenever required. So drive in to your nearest petrol station and make a payment in style with a fuel card.