An Expense and Fuel Risk Management Platform That Puts Fleet Owners and Managers in Control

In a Nutshell: Fleet logistics optimization often takes a back seat to the constant pressures of competition. The result is that many fleets continue to embrace legacy technology and data darkness until it’s too late. RoadFlex exists to change that. The comprehensive RoadFlex expense and fuel risk management platform supports credit and prepaid cards and offers robust security features with partner integrations. RoadFlex gives fleet owners and managers granular data visibility in real time to save significantly and make confident decisions.

Fleets make the economy work — there are no two highways about it. But Rush Akin, Chief Revenue Officer at the expense and fuel risk management provider RoadFlex, thinks there’s still plenty of room for progress.

That’s a big statement considering the size of the American fleet industry. The widely cited American Trucking Trends annual report put the power of the industry at $987 billion in 2023, up from $940.8 billion the previous year. More than 3.5 million professional drivers are among the more than 8.5 million workers employed in American fleet-related jobs.

What’s more, fleets operates in every nook and cranny of the economy. From long hauls of everything imaginable over the interstates to door-to-door deliveries in neighborhoods across America, fleets are our economy’s major movers.

Yet many fleets, even some with thousands of vehicles and drivers, operate in an environment of data darkness where the home office doesn’t know what its drivers are doing with their money. That can mean unaccounted for spending of up to 11%, according to RoadFlex.

Akin and the RoadFlex team have replaced the data opacity and lack of accountability of legacy closed-loop fuel-card platforms with a comprehensive expense and fuel risk management capability based on VISA credit cards and prepaid cards.

Wherever merchants accept VISA, over-the-road and field-service drivers at thousands of American fleets use RoadFlex cards to do what they need to do — whether it’s to spend on fuel, food, or anything else — and roll on.

That goes for up-and-coming EV rigs, as it does for everyone else.

“The industry has been comfortably numb in accepting that unaccounted fuel spend of up to 11% is the cost of doing business,” Akin said. “We want to fix this high dollar cost by accounting for every single drop and every single kilowatt.”

To get there, RoadFlex employs a proactive fuel risk management protocol that allows admins to limit the dollar amount, merchant category, and location. Drivers operate under strict yet transparent limits that give them the freedom and flexibility to think outside the box when necessary but protect them during routine transactions.

“Our proactive approach sets us apart from other fuel card companies because we leverage AI and machine learning to eliminate fuel fraud and theft — issues that cost fleets millions of dollars annually,” Akin said.

The diverse RoadFlex client base ranges from small businesses to large enterprises — more than 5,000 firms, some as small as a handful of vehicles and others with hundreds of thousands of mixed-unit fleets.

Akin said they all receive essentially the same experience because the RoadFlex partnership with VISA signals trust and assures acceptance at millions of merchant locations free of transaction fees. RoadFlex goes a step further with in-network savings.

“We have an exclusive Fuel Discount Network with thousands of gas stations and truck stops nationwide, with discounts up to 25 cents per gallon at this time,” Akin said.

In addition to seeing an annual fuel cost savings of 11% on average, RoadFlex customers reduce administrative tasks by over seven hours per week and improve reporting turnaround time by more than 85%. That can mean savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars for some RoadFlex customers, showing that individual victories can add up to a championship season.

RoadFlex’s proactive, six-layered security program uses AI and machine learning to validate user identity, vehicle location, fuel levels, and other markers in real time, subjecting each transaction to granular, real-time scrutiny.

As a controlled payment method for all types of purchases, not just fuel, it allows fleet managers to set robust controls and restrictions. AI-powered security features can go beyond identity, location, and level to include Level 3 fuel transaction details, including gallons fueled, price per gallon, and fuel type.

This granular data, combined with RoadFlex’s AI and machine learning capabilities, enables proactive management of fuel consumption, driver behavior, and overall fleet efficiency. The system automatically blocks suspicious transactions to prevent unauthorized expenditures before they happen.

That said, RoadFlex acknowledges the need for flexibility in its name. No two fleets operate the same, so it offers practically limitless options for setting user permissions on a per-card basis.

“For an over-the-road driver, maybe you want to allow a Holiday Inn, a per diem for meals, and permission for emergency roadside services, so you’re not delaying anything — all of that is possible with the RoadFlex card,” Akin said.

Unaccounted-for spending has an insidious way of sneaking up on all owners and managers saddled with legacy platforms. One by one, undocumented transactions and exchanges that skirt the bounds of expectation add up to create significant bottom-line impacts for many.

All too often, transactions get bogged down in the minutiae of corporate management — details that working with RoadFlex would eliminate through automation. Fortunately, RoadFlex extends its functionality through partnerships to make it that much more effective.

RoadFlex integrations create a comprehensive, 360-degree view of fleet operations. Integrations help create a flexible yet powerful reporting and analytics environment to optimize performance, enhance operational oversight, and offer a level of control and insight that traditional fuel cards and management platforms do not provide.

“Managers need to address things like that in real time,” Akin said.

RoadFlex includes integrations with leading telematics providers in that group. RoadFlex telematics integrations leverage the telematics provider’s physical sensors to detect what’s already in the tank.

“We’re already confirming that the asset is at that pump,” Akin said. “Now, we’re reading the fuel capacity in the OBD 2 port to know there’s only 10 gallons available.”

A manager’s going to want to know how a driver pumped 25 gallons if there’s only 10 gallons of space in the tank. RoadFlex notifies admins instantly when drivers violate – or attempt to violate — the platform’s rules and limitations. Akin said notifications like that can be an opportunity to change your corporate culture if you handle them correctly.

“You call the driver right at the pump and say you’re just kind of trying to wrap your head around what’s happening,” Akin said. “You’ve immediately changed that driver’s notion of ever doing it again.”

RoadFlex prioritizes customer feedback to iterate and continuously enhance its products and services. Dedicated customer success managers ensure a continuum of support and maintain regular communication.

The company conducts quarterly business reviews to assess performance against key metrics and gather insights on customer needs. It also deploys surveys after support interactions. All responses rated less than top tier result in a follow-up from the VP of Customer Success within one business day.

“This proactive approach has helped us maintain a 96% approval rate on support cases and achieve a 4.9 rating on reputable review websites,” Akin said.

It all adds up to a solution that puts fleets in the driver’s seat. RoadFlex took shape with principles of impact, innovation, and leadership to address the evolving needs of fleet operators. Although fuel cards have existed for generations, a lack of innovation typified the approach of traditional leaders in the space.

RoadFlex decided to take it two steps further by becoming a pioneer in fuel risk management, Akin said. Examples of that include quick virtual card replacements for lost physical cards so drivers can stay on schedule and no limits on card rebates.

“It’s a way to take your spend and usage from reactive to proactive,” Akin said. “That’s what fleet needs — to take every tool they have available to them and combine it with that proactive approach.”

RoadFlex applies that philosophy in its approach to EVs. Akin said RoadFlex reps often hear calls for EV options among customers and prospects. Some clients — especially those in western states where electric acceptance is strongest — already manage fleets with as much as 10% EV representation or more.

RoadFlex’s flexible card solutions, based on the VISA platform, work at those EV charging stations just as seamlessly as it does anywhere else. Also on the horizon for RoadFlex are innovations such as advanced maintenance scheduling and driver safety programs.

“We’re always enhancing our capabilities by integrating with more telematics and fleet management solutions to provide an even more comprehensive view of fleet operations,” Akin said. “We’re exploring partnerships with other industry leaders to bring even more value-added services to our clients.”