This story appears in the Sept. 12 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
The use of cardless fueling systems continues to expand, as two more companies embraced radio-frequency identification technology, or RFID, to streamline the fueling process.
Comdata Corp. announced plans to roll out the technology. Likewise, Love’s Travel Stops will begin installing the technology at its 270 truck stops in the fourth quarter. To power their systems, both Comdata and Love’s will use software known as Fuel Island Manager, developed by QuikQ LLC.
“Our customers are the drivers who are fueling up, and we reduce their time at the pump because they don’t have to get out of their cabs and punch in information,” said Jenny Love Meyer, a spokeswoman for Love’s, Oklahoma City. “Our other customers are the fuel managers of trucking companies. This program means less administrative headaches for them when it comes to handling the cards.”
Comdata, the Brentwood, Tenn., electronic payments company, said cardless fueling will use RFID for transactions at fueling locations, instead of requiring an actual card. Drivers and fleet operators with installed RFID tags in each vehicle can use them to activate fueling without leaving their vehicles.
Fuel transactions can be made without a physical payment be-cause the tag wirelessly recognizes the truck as it enters the fuel lane, Love’s Travel Stops said in a statement.
Besides eliminating the need for drivers to spend time entering payment and other information, cardless fueling is expected to cut down on fraudulent use of fuel cards, the companies said.
