Fuel Card Controls and Odometer Capture Kit

Fuel card controls work when two things are true:

1. the rules are simple enough to enforce
2. exceptions create visible work for someone

This kit installs controls that reduce waste and fraud without slowing down operations.

What you will produce

1. Fuel card policy and allowed purchase rules
2. Driver assignment and lost card handling
3. Odometer capture requirement and exception workflow
4. Weekly exception audit checklist
5. Dispute templates for incorrect charges

Step-by-step implementation

Step 1: Define what is allowed

Decide what is allowed at the point of purchase:

• fuel only, or fuel plus a small set of vehicle-related items
• allowed merchant types
• allowed hours and geographies
• purchase limits per transaction and per day

Step 2: Assign every card to a driver and vehicle

If a card is shared, it will be abused.

Step 3: Require odometer input

Odometer input is what makes miles per gallon measurable.

If odometer is not available, require a reason code.

Step 4: Install a weekly exception workflow

Exceptions should be reviewed weekly, not quarterly.

Templates

A) Fuel card policy (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Fuel Card Policy

Owner:
Effective date:

Allowed purchases:
- Fuel at approved fuel merchants
- Vehicle fluids (oil, DEF, coolant) at approved merchants
Not allowed:
- Food, gift cards, alcohol, tobacco
- Personal items
- Purchases without vehicle assignment

Required at purchase:
- Driver ID
- Vehicle ID
- Odometer (or approved reason code)

Limits:
- Max per transaction: $____
- Max per day: $____
- Allowed purchase hours: __ to __
- Allowed geography: [in state / region / as assigned]

Lost or stolen card:
- Report within ____ hours
- Card is locked immediately
- Replacement requires manager approval

Consequences:
- Repeated violations trigger escalation and card suspension

B) Allowed merchant rules (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
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Allowed Merchant Rules

Allowed merchant categories:
- Fuel stations
- Truck stops
- Auto parts (optional)

Blocked merchant categories:
- Grocery
- Restaurants
- Convenience stores (optional)
- Entertainment
- Online retailers

C) Odometer exception codes (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Odometer Exception Codes

- Odometer unavailable due to equipment failure
- New vehicle not yet configured
- Emergency fueling event
- Other (requires explanation)

Rule:
- Any exception requires a note and manager review

D) Weekly exception review checklist (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
Copy
Weekly Fuel Card Exception Review

Week ending:

- Transactions with missing odometer
- Transactions outside approved merchant categories
- Transactions outside approved geography
- Multiple fuel purchases in a short window
- Unusual gallons vs tank capacity
- Suspicious patterns by driver or vehicle

Actions:
- Approve with reason
- Dispute with merchant or fuel card provider
- Escalate policy violation

E) Dispute email template (copy and paste)

Copyable template (TEXT)
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Subject: Fuel card charge dispute

Hello,

We are disputing a fuel card charge with the following details:

- Date:
- Merchant:
- Amount:
- Card last four:
- Reason for dispute:

Please confirm next steps and expected resolution timeline.

Thank you,
[Name]

Common failure modes

• cards are shared, so accountability disappears
• odometer is optional, so efficiency cannot be measured
• exceptions are reviewed too late to recover spend