The 6 Best Fuel Cards for Truckers 2023

The best overall fuel card for trucking businesses is ExxonMobil FleetPro.

With the average yearly cost of operating a commercial truck coming in at an eye-watering $180,000 and continually fluctuating gas prices, closely managing your spending is a must. But how do you know which fuel card program is right for your trucking fleet? We’re here to give you the lowdown on the best fuel cards for truckers.

Our in-house research team conducted a meticulous deep-dive into the best fuel cards for truckers, comparing them based on fees, accepted fuel types, card provider, network coverage, and extra perks.

If you're short on time, you can also use our free fleet fuel cards cost comparison tool to receive custom quotes for your business.

Our Top Trucker Fuel Card Picks – A Summary

We’ve done our research by scouring the US fuel card market. We analyzed key fuel card programs and rated them on the factors that matter to trucking businesses, from fees and rebates to coverage and management features.

This enabled us to select fuel cards that are the most generous and offer the best value for truckers.

Click the arrows to compare each fuel card:

1. Exxon FleetPro Card – Best for Diesel-Powered Vehicles

How much does the ExxonMobil FleetPro card cost?

The Exxon FleetPro card has a monthly cost of $2, which is lower than any other card on our list – apart from RTS.

Unlike the cards from Shell, Comdata and Edenred, this card does not offer a rebate. Instead it has a fixed tariff structure, meaning the price of gas is aligned with a tariff set by ExxonMobil, this is great for forecasting your spending and avoiding surprises at the month-end. There is no tariff guarantee however, which means you’ll always pay the tariff fee, even if the price at the pump happens to be lower.

How can the ExxonMobil FleetPro card help manage fuel expenses?

Managing fuel expenses can be a breeze with this card since it’ll offer useful insights into your gas spending data and allow you to view handy stats, such as miles per gallon (MPG) and miles driven in your Fleet Products Reports.

Its aimed at diesel-powered vehicles and claims that its Synergy Diesel Efficient™ fuel is specially formulated to help your vehicles run cleaner for 2% improved efficiency. Overall, this will reduce the need for maintenance and downtime while also improving MPG.

A downside here is that it’s the only card that does not arrange gas expenses into interactive dashboards, so it can be a little hard to get an overview in a user-friendly style.

Also, if you’re a green fleet, this card won’t help you track carbon emissions unfortunately.

Is the ExxonMobil FleetPro card secure?

ExxonMobil’s FleetPro offers trustworthy security features, including unique driver IDs for each card and a pin-code requirement at the point of sale. Furthermore, you can keep an overview of your outgoings because the card offers the potential to set spending limits.

Although you can remotely block cards, the FleetPro falls a little short in its security features by not offering the possibility to restrict the type of gas purchased. This allows you less control and is a feature offered by Shell, Comdata and Edenred. This card also does not send unusual activity alerts or offer fraud protection. If security is top-priority, we recommended Edenred as a suitable alternative, checking all of the boxes in this category.

How easy is the ExxonMobil FleetPro card to use?

With a handy station locator, your drivers will be able to find stations in range that accept the FleetPro card. The station locator does not offer insight into gas prices at each location, however since this card has a fixed tariff you’ll already know what you’ll pay.

Exxon Mobil's FleetPro has the added flexibility of being issued by Mastercard, so it can be used wherever Mastercard is accepted for non-fuel purchases. This card can be used to purchase toll fees, engine lubricants, maintenance, parking, and cleaning so you can keep all of those expenses in one place.

ExxonMobil also offers a subscription to its Exxon Mobil Rewards+ scheme, earning you points with each spend. Every 100 points you earn, is worth $1 in savings. While this is great, FleetPro does not offer any further discounts on vehicle accessories, hotel stays or food. You also cannot pay for gas at the pump with this card, which means drivers will lose time lining up in-store.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

2. Shell Fleet Navigator – Best for Network Coverage

How much does the Shell Fleet Navigator cost?

The Shell Fleet Navigator card costs $2 per month, per card, but there is also a surcharge of $1.25 added to each transaction at truck stops, which is obviously not ideal for truckers.

This card does not offer a fixed tariff so you won’t benefit from knowing your gas prices prior to filling up, or being able to accurately forecast spending. Alternatively, you’ll earn volume-based discounts depending on how many gallons you fill up, allowing you to save, on average, $0.03 per gallon. To avoid extra surcharges, consider ExxonMobil's FleetPro card, which has a low monthly fee of $2 and no surcharges.

How can the Shell Fleet Navigator help manage expenses?

With this card, you’ll be able to gain an overview of your outgoing gas expenses by calculating miles per gallon. You’ll also get clear insights into your spending data via interactive dashboards that arrange data into user-friendly charts.

Is the Shell Fleet Navigator secure?

If there is misuse of the card, you have the power to block it remotely. It also requires each card to be assigned to a unique driver ID, allowing you to track who is spending what. It also allows you to exercise control over purchasing from afar, with a spending limit feature as well as the ability to place restrictions on the types of gas purchased.

It is worth noting that the Shell Fleet Navigator card does lack a few basic security features: no pin code is required at the point of sale, nor does it alert you of unusual activity or offer fraud protection, which can be cause for concern.

How easy is the Shell Fleet Navigator to use?

This card lets you locate stations quickly and easily via the WEX Driver Dash app, but it does not identify the lowest gas prices, whereas Comdata and RTS do. Drivers can also save time with the contactless pay-at-pump function.

This card will not offer you discounts on hotel stays or food nor can it be used for other expenses like toll fees, engine lubricants, maintenance, parking or cleaning fees. You also cannot collect loyalty points with this card, as with ExxonMobil’s FleetPro. While its list of extra perks is pretty thin, you can enjoy a 20% discount at participating Jiffy Lube stores.

For extra savings, consider the RTS card, which also gives you discounts on preventative maintenance, tires, and more.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

3. Comdata Card – Best for Convenience

How much does the Comdata Card cost?

The Comdata Card has a significantly higher fee than other cards at $8 per card, per month. On top of that, there's a one-off $50 sign-up fee. Luckily, there are no extra surcharges with this card.

Depending on the filling station you visit, you can access rebates between $0.08 – $0.25 per gallon, one of the largest savings of all the cards we researched. While WEX and Edenred's cards are cheaper, we reckon the Comdata perks are worth it.

How can the Comdata Card help manage expenses?

Comdata’s FleetAdvance app grants you an overview of your funds and the interactive dashboards display your expenses in a user-friendly chart, ensuring clarity over your expenses. Unfortunately, this card does not allow user to calculate miles per gallon, which is pretty key to gaining an overview of fuel efficiency. It also does not provide carbon emissions data.

Is the Comdata Card secure?

Even though it does not have a pin code function, the Comdata card does have many other impressive security features. You can maintain complete control over your fuel purchases by setting spending limits on each card, and you can restrict certain fuel types, ensuring the correct type is bought. Each card will also need to be individually registered to assigned drivers, so you’ll be aware of how much each driver spends.

This card goes further in its security measures than Shell and Exxon, alerting you when it detects unusual activity and allows you to remotely block the card. If you have less than 10 fuel cards, you’ll also receive fraud protection of up to $50 in case of misuse.

How easy is the Comdata Card to use?

Drivers can also use Comdata’s app for its station locator, which highlights stations with the biggest savings. As an extra, Comdata can also provide you with low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that can be used at 100s of stations US-wide for cardless fueling that uses the same controls, data and prompts as a physical card. This also allows drivers to pay for gas at the pump, saving lots of time in the process.

This card is flexible when it comes to paying for other expenses beyond just gas. You can also pay for toll fees, engine lubricants, vehicle maintenance, parking and cleaning fees with this card. As well as that, you can get discounts on tires and hotel stays but unfortunately not on food. Since you can make a lot of purchases on this card, it would be great if Comdata offered a loyalty program but unfortunately they do not.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

4. Edenred Essentials – Best for Security Features

How much does Edenred Essentials cost?

The Edenred Essentials card will set you back $3 per month, per registered card. Rather than working with fixed tariffs or tariff guarantees, with this card you’ll pay the regular gas station rate, which can of course fluctuate.

It provides savings in the form of rebates, which varies according to volume but, averages $0.025 per gallon.

How can Edenred Essentials help manage expenses?

Its interactive dashboard and data visualization features allow for easy viewing of your fuel expenses and miles per gallon. Coupled with rebates, this should help you keep a handle on your expenses. Despite this card being valid to pay for electric vehicle charging it does not offer other green features such as carbon emissions data.

Is Edenred Essentials secure?

You can be safe in the knowledge that Edenred offers watertight security features on its Essentials card. Each card is assigned a unique ID to the driver, who must then enter a pin code when making purchases. With a variety of remote functions, such as spending limits, limits on fuel types, remote card blocking, fraud protection, and unusual activity alerts, you can stay in control via an easy-to-use dashboard on your phone or computer.

Not only this, the card itself is an EMV chip card. These cards are more secure than magnetic stripe cards as they are basically impossible to clone, and transactions cannot be replayed.

How easy is Edenred Essentials to use?

Edenred’s card can be used for more than just fuel. You can also pay for toll fees, engine lubricants, maintenance, parking, and cleaning, allowing you to keep all your expenses on one card.

On the other hand, there are no discounts available on vehicle accessories, hotel stays or food with this card. There is also no Edenred-branded loyalty program, but you can get a free Costco membership with the card, which would usually set you back $60.00 per year.

Since it's issued by Visa, the Edenred Essentials card has great network coverage. As well as gasoline and diesel, it can also be used for filling up electric vehicles, so it's an ideal choice for fleet managers working with EVs or hybrid vehicles or who are looking to electrify in the future.

Unfortunately, it does not offer a station locator tool or a fuel comparison function. If that's a deal breaker for you, consider the Comdata Card, which allows you to locate stations with the biggest savings.

Annoyingly, there is also no pay-at-pump function, which can affect your drivers’ time on the road.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

5. BP Business Solutions Mastercard – Best Benefits for Large Trucking Fleets

How much does the BP Business Solutions Mastercard cost?

This BP Business Solutions Mastercard comes with zero monthly fees if it is used to buy more than 5,000 gallons of fuel per month. If you buy less than that, you'll pay a $10 account fee each month. It's unclear whether this charge is per overall account or per individual card, so that may be worth checking if your fleet consumes less than 5,000 gallons per month.

Rather than working with a fixed tariff system, this card provides rebates on gas. The terms and conditions make it clear that the rebate offer (of up to 7¢ per gallon) can be subject to change after your first 12 months of the contract, which means that you cannot count on maintaining the same level of saving in the future. Furthermore, this card is not the best for diesel-powered vehicles, since the rebate on diesel is capped at 3.5¢, a better choice would be ExxonMobil which aims its discounts at diesel.

How can the BP Business Solutions Mastercard help manage expenses?

This card offers ample opportunity to stay on top of your expenses. These include tracking per gallon, cost per mile, the ability to set purchasing limits, as well as transaction reports. The ability to rapidly reduce your accounting time via BP’s portal is a boon as it will leave you with more time to focus on core business operations.

Is the BP Business Solutions Mastercard secure?

With the BP Business Solutions Mastercard, you can keep track of when your cards are used, who they are used by, and how much they’ve spent. Their driver identification feature allows you to maintain an overview of individual driver spending. If one of your cards is lost or stolen, you can deactivate it immediately, preventing any misuse. It is not clear whether this card requires a pin-code to be used, or whether it offers any compensation in the case of fraud.

How easy is the BP Business Solutions Mastercard to use?

While the card can be used for fuel purchases anywhere that Mastercard is accepted, the purchase will be subject to an out-of-network transaction fee if its not a BP or Amoco branded station. Luckily, there is a handy station finder, allowing drivers to locate a branded station and avoid those extra fees.

It is also worth noting that this card has one of the smallest networks, with approximately 7,000 stations where rebates apply. In comparison, Shell’s has a massive network of 107,000 stations, which covers 95% of the country.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

6. RTS Fuel Card – Best Discounts for Truckers

How much does the RTS Fuel Card cost?

There are no annual or monthly fees with the RTS Fuel Card, but there is a 50¢ transaction fee that you need to be aware of, as well as a $3 out-of-network fee should you use the card outside of the approved network, which is rather small.

Unlike the ExxonMobil FleetPro, the RTS Fuel Card does not work on a fixed tariff structure. Instead it offers rebates, which retroactively reward you with savings on gas purchased.

While this card gives high rebates of up to 25¢ per gallon, its network only includes 2,400 stations. This is a significantly large rebate, but it's applicable to a much smaller network than giants such as Shell, whose card can be used at more than 107,000 stations, despite offering less of a rebate at only 3¢ per gallon.

How can the RTS Fuel Card help manage expenses?

With extra savings at Pilot Flying J and a generous line of credit of up to $3,200 per truck, per week, this card is full of extras if you’re willing to forfeit a large network of stations.

By signing up with RTS, you can save on fuel and other fleet-related costs, such as preventative maintenance, tire costs, and other truck care services. One thing that is unclear is whether you'll have insights into stats such as MPG, which some other cards such as the ExxonMobil FleetPro card and Shell Fleet Navigator do offer.

Is the RTS Fuel Card secure?

Unlike Edenred’s tight security measures, there is no information about its security features, such as a pin code or fraud prevention for the RTS Fuel Card. The RTS Pro app, however, allows you to store all invoices in an online factoring account, which can help you keep all your finances in one easy-access, private location.

How easy is the RTS Fuel Card to use?

With the RTS Pro app, your drivers can access a comprehensive program that will allow them to manually find nearby filling stations – and locate those with the lowest fuel rates. However, it does not allow drivers to find stations along a route, which is not the most intuitive. A plus is that the app allows you to view credit data, fuel discounts, and more.

The RTS Fuel Card will also get you exclusive discounts on preventative maintenance, tires, and more at 90 truck care locations, including Pilot Flying J, Boss Shop, and Sapp Bros. You can also get discounts of 35% off your fuel tax software.

Fee information accurate as of May 2023

Our Methodology: How Did We Find the Best Fuel Cards for Truckers?

Our researchers carried out in-depth research into US fleet cards according to a comparison framework designed by our research team leader. For each card, we've asked these questions:

• How convenient is it to use?
• How helpful is it for managing fuel expenses?
• What can it do to ensure your company's funds are secure?
• What extra benefits are there?

Taking into consideration specific pain points for trucking fleets, we settled on a final shortlist. For example, cards that reward higher fuel consumption, diesel-powered vehicles and those that offer benefits at truck stops, all did well in our comparison process.

We compared each card based on fees, average savings and discounts, fuel type, network coverage, perks and security features to offer you the easiest choice.

Next Steps

Now you know how each of the top fuel cards for truckers can benefit your business, it’s time to discover which one is the best match for your needs, and find out how to apply for a gas card.

To help you decide on the right fuel card program for you, take advantage of our free quote-finding service. All you need to do is answer a few questions about your trucking fleet (it only takes a minute), and we'll match you up with the best fuel card suppliers for your unique needs. They'll be in touch to discuss your requirements, and provide obligation-free quotes that are tailored to your business. It's the easiest, fastest way to zero in on the card programs that are right for you.