In the work truck industry, businesses depend on trucks and vans to keep operations running. A truck or van with no fuel is useless in most businesses. But when it comes to fueling a fleet, complications from inconvenient locations to varied fuel prices to fraudulent fuel card purchases abound. Ben Morris, founder and CEO of FuelFox, noticed a need in the fleet fueling business and sought to fill it … and refill it.
MWS: WHAT IS FUELFOX, AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
MORRIS:
FuelFox is an onsite fuel delivery service that fuels fleets at night while they are not in use. FuelFox comes to the fleet’s base and fuels the fleet, thereby avoiding gas stations and their inconveniences and inefficiencies. FuelFox operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The client tells FuelFox the day and time they want their fleets serviced, and FuelFox handles the rest. When drivers arrive to work, they are ready to hit the road and service their clients.
FuelFox does not mark up the fuel; instead the client is charged the AAA average gas price for the county in which the fuel is dispensed. AAA is a respected, trustworthy, and transparent benchmark. There is a monthly fee based on the number of vehicles in the fleet and the frequency of fueling.
Safety is the highest priority at FuelFox. FuelFox drivers (referred to as “Ambassadors”) are all firefighters with extensive hazardous materials training. Ambassadors receive constant training regarding best practices, and they have commercial driver’s licenses with hazardous material certifications. FuelFox complies with all fire codes, EPA regulations, and Department of Transportation requirements. Each truck has a double walled tank and a spill kit.
MWS: WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS IS FUELFOX’S IDEAL CLIENT?
MORRIS:
FuelFox targets businesses with fleets that do not have an onsite fuel source and who currently fuel their fleets at gas stations using fuel cards. These businesses receive value from FuelFox in reduced expenses and increased productivity through consistent gas prices for their fleet and adding time to their day that was previously wasted at gas stations.
MWS: WHAT SPAWNED THE IDEA TO CREATE FUELFOX?
MORRIS:
FuelFox was eager to provide a solution to a need that wasn’t met through traditional fleet fueling. Gas stations are utterly inefficient: they are located in inconvenient locations; gas prices vary widely from station to station; and there is liability associated with using fuel cards. Companies with fleets waste a considerable amount of time and money fueling their fleet each month. FuelFox offers consistent gas prices, is reliable, eliminates the risks of using fuel cards, and allows the client to focus on their core business.
MWS: THINKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WORK TRUCK FLEET OWNERS, HOW DOES FUELFOX BENEFIT CUSTOMERS?
MORRIS:
FuelFox reduces the company’s expenses and significantly increases the customer’s productivity because the company is not paying an employee on the company clock to waste time at a gas station. The company is not wasting fuel driving to the gas station to fuel up, and it eliminates the liability of an employee driving to the gas station to get fuel. I am fond of telling all of our clients that if we cannot reduce your expenses and increase your productivity, your company does not need to use FuelFox.
Once the service is complete, the company receives an itemized statement notifying them that the fleet was serviced, the number of gallons each vehicle in the fleet received, the price per gallon, the total charge for each vehicle, the total number of gallons the fleet received, and the total amount for the fleet for that service.
MWS: WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SUCCESS STORIES FROM EXISTING CLIENTS, AND HOW DOES FUELFOX SOLVE THEIR FUELING PROBLEMS?
MORRIS:
One of our clients has 100 vehicles in their fleet. All of their drivers were using fuel cards. Fuel card fraud was an issue for them. One of their employees made thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent charges on the fuel card to fuel other people’s vehicles. They prosecuted the rogue employee, which resulted in protracted and expensive litigation. FuelFox eliminated the risks associated with fuel cards, and the client does not have to engage in expensive litigation prosecuting the fraud claims or waste valuable resources going forward.
Another success story from one of our clients is that we have been able to reduce their fuel costs by 10 percent. Our client’s employees were filling up their vehicles at different gas stations around Alabama with no consistent gas prices. The AAA average gas price is typically less expensive than most gas stations in the vicinity of our clients, thereby reducing their fuel costs.
Another client was able to recoup at least 150 labor hours each month using FuelFox. They have 30 buses that need fuel every day. Their buses have 40-gallon fuel tanks, which require a significant amount of time to fill. The client is able to use those 150 hours to increase their revenue.
MWS: ASIDE FROM ONSITE FUEL FILLING, DOES FUELFOX OFFER OTHER SERVICES?
MORRIS:
FuelFox also washes the vehicle’s front windshield and checks the tire pressure. We will also notify the company of any obvious issues with a vehicle before they arrive to work in the morning. This standard FuelFox practice increases the client’s productivity because it keeps their drivers safe on the road, and the fleet manager is aware of any known issues with a vehicle before they arrive at work, therefore they are not surprised and can immediately address issues.
MWS: WHAT’S NEXT FOR FUELFOX?
MORRIS:
FuelFox is focused on providing excellent customer service to our clients and solving their fueling needs. We are keenly aware that companies rely on fuel to service their clients, and without fuel, companies cannot operate. If FuelFox is not a consistent and reliable service, FuelFox would add no value to the company. At FuelFox, we pride ourselves in being a customer service company that delivers fuel and value.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Find out more about FuelFox, visit www.fuelfox.net.
MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE
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