A 2025 Endeavor Business Intelligence study‡ notes that the top concern of fleet management professionals is rising fuel costs, highlighting the need for a smart solution to ensure financial stability and operational success.

Both business efficiency and expansion can be achieved through supportive fleet management programs and tools like fleet cards, which are corporate credit cards distributed to employees that offer enhanced tracking and help regulate spending.

Below we outline the top use cases and benefits for implementing a card program for elevated fleet management.

Use a fleet credit card to ensure transparency

Ideal for midsize to large businesses, a fleet card is designed to be accepted at fueling stations and maintenance locations. Instead of each driver using their personal credit card or cash, fleet cards centralize fuel and maintenance purchases. These cards also provide helpful insights and spend controls to regulate costs and reinforce a culture of accountability and trust. Additional benefits of a fleet card program include:

  • Improved cost controls
  • Streamlined spend management with spending limits and purchase restrictions
  • Enhanced security, fraud and theft protection with transaction alerts, driver/vehicle ID authorization at the pump and real-time purchase restrictions
  • Product level controls by type of fuel, fuel only and/or fleet maintenance
  • Detailed fleet reporting and analytics by driver, vehicle and transactions for increased oversight and documentation to identify misuse patterns and stop any unusual or unauthorized behavior
  • Fuel tax recovery for exempt government agencies (eligibility criteria may apply)
  • Nationwide acceptance, which is the ability to pay for fuel at any nationwide station that accepts Visa®

Furthermore, fleet card programs can be set up as either for driver cards or vehicle cards. The functionalities of each are noted below. These distinctions can help you determine which approach is best for your team.

Driver card

  • Issued to a driver (an employee)
  • Driver retains the card and is responsible for transactions
  • Typically used when one driver drives multiple vehicles
  • Emphasizing driver accountability for fuel and spend control
  • Situations with traveling employees or pool vehicles across sites
  • Configured to prompt for odometer reading and verify vehicle ID

Vehicle card

  • Issued to a vehicle
  • The card is generally stored with a vehicle logbook
  • Typically used when multiple drivers drive the same vehicle
  • Configured to prompt for odometer reading and verify driver ID
  • When you want to track fuel and maintenance spend per vehicle for cost analysis

A good rule of thumb is to choose a vehicle card program if the driver changes more often than the vehicle. If the driver is constant, choose a driver card program.

Recognize and minimize employee fraud

It’s estimated by enterprise fleet management experts that around 22% of fleet spend is lost to theft and fraud‡. While nearly half of employers recognize its impact, many struggle to identify and address it effectively.

An enterprise fleet management card program can help you prevent fraudulent activities and provide much-needed peace of mind without requiring constant vigilance. Fleet cards offer the ability to set precise controls to ensure your employees can only make purchases that comply with your company’s policies. The card’s targeted functionality helps eliminate unauthorized purchases, such as personal items or non-essential services, and its detailed data tracking capabilities enable businesses to monitor expenses more effectively. When you regulate the scope of what employees can purchase, you reduce employee fraud concerns and retain control over your financial resources.

Monitor fleet expenses regularly

Maintain a consistent record of fleet expenses to effectively control costs and enhance financial transparency. Tools like fleet cards help manage expenses and conduct regular performance audits. In addition, perform mileage audits and review maintenance costs to better assess your fleet’s overall health. Finally, tracking the following expenses can also help you level-set costs:

  • Fleet maintenance and scheduled servicing
  • Driver training programs
  • Compliance and regulatory requirements
  • Safety and security management such as surveillance cameras, security personnel and anti-theft devices
  • Fuel, tolls and parking expenses
  • Insurance
  • Proper vehicle acquisition and disposal
  • Enterprise fleet management technology and software
  • Contingency funds

Fleet management credit cards are more than a financial tool. These cards, and the systems they help build, can allow you to curb fraud, gather detailed data sets related to operations, and level up your maintenance and management practices.

If you are interested in learning more about how UMB can help your business and set your financial future, visit our website. 

When you click links marked with the “‡” symbol, you will leave UMB’s website and go to websites that are not controlled by or affiliated with UMB. We have provided these links for your convenience. However, we do not endorse or guarantee any products or services you may view on other sites. Other websites may not follow the same privacy policies and security procedures that UMB does, so please review their policies and procedures carefully.