In episode 63 of Straight Talk on Fleet, host Erin Gilchrist, VP of Fleet Evangelism at IntelliShift, is joined by Phil Mirisola from Coast Pay to dive into the persistent challenges surrounding fuel management and fleet payment solutions. This episode highlights practical strategies fleet managers can implement today to regain control, improve security, and enhance efficiency. 

• Driver Compliance and Fraud Prevention: Phil highlights Coast’s approach to helping fleets manage expenses, noting they’ve built “a fleet card expense management platform with the sole focus of really getting folks to be able to spend less.” 
• Real-Time Visibility and Data Integration: Erin emphasizes fleet managers’ critical need for “real-time visibility into transactions” to promptly address situations “when a driver needs help or when a driver is misusing the card.” 
• Streamlining Administration and Card Management: Discussing the burdens of legacy systems, Phil observes that traditional fuel card technology “has not really evolved…over the last 20 to 30 years.” 

Phil outlines the transformative benefits of proactive integration between fuel cards and fleet management systems (FMS), stating clearly: “Taking real-time data from your telematics provider and using it to make immediate decisions about fuel card usage eliminates guesswork and significantly reduces abuse.” 

Erin shares her past frustrations with traditional systems, recalling, “I had to have an administrator just really manning this whole fuel card…on a daily basis. I’m like, wow, I could really use that person to be doing other things.” 

Acknowledging the challenges fleets encounter when switching providers, Phil candidly admits, “This is hard.” He reassures listeners, however, that new digital solutions offer robust support and streamlined transitions. Erin reinforces this point, asserting, “The real pain is staying with somebody who’s subpar.” 

Quick Tips from Erin and Phil 

• Leverage mobile technology to simplify the driver and vehicle identification process. 
• Automate administrative tasks to redirect resources toward strategic initiatives. 
• Choose partners offering personalized support to ensure smooth onboarding and ongoing operations. 
• Clearly communicate the benefits of new solutions to ensure team buy-in and effective adoption. 

Want to hear more about overcoming fuel management challenges? Listen to the complete episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to Straight Talk on Fleet for weekly insights designed to elevate your fleet management operations and career.