Letter to the Editor: Fuel Card Fraud

I read your recent article on fuel-card fraud with great interest (June/July iTECH supplement to Transport Topics’ June 13 issue). The complexity and cost of investment in the technologies was mind-boggling. Then, there is the cost of personnel to monitor these devices to determine whether the charts, graphs, etc., are in line with expectations. Without personnel, the hardware/software investment is rendered worthless.

With 57 years of experience as truck-stop operators, we can attest that the small percentage of drivers determined to cheat will stay well ahead of any technology. For every software engineer developing safety checks and guards, there is a hacker out there with a way around the system. We know a lot of the systems because we operated a long-distance fleet for 30 years and were victimized by several very clever schemes.

We have concluded that the best way we can guarantee that you receive the fuel you pay for is to have an attendant pump your fuel into your tank. We do realize this is an old-fashioned idea and one that has been largely been abandoned by most stops. Nevertheless, we still employ driveway personnel who greet your driver and pump the fuel he orders — how simple. We have never had an instance of a driver sharing his fuel with another tractor.

Since we have more than 20 acres of truck parking, we also monitor our lot with the assistance of the local police force. Their presence discourages siphoning. We have seen high-speed pumps capable of emptying a tank in less than five minutes. As diesel prices rise, so does siphoning activity and the longer layover hours present more opportunity for the theft.

Of course, we will gladly participate in the new programs offered us such as those TCH is testing. We welcome all technology and advancements but still believe that hands-on, real contact service is the best deterrent to these two problems.

Kathrena Franks

Big Cabin Travel Plaza Inc.

Big Cabin, Okla.