Construction Company Fuel Card Programs: Choose, Track & Control Fuel Spend | Projul

Fuel is one of those costs that never makes the highlight reel when contractors talk about budget problems. Nobody walks into a meeting and says, “We lost $40,000 on fuel last year.” But when you add up every fill-up across your trucks, trailers, skid steers, and generators, that number sneaks up on you fast.

If you are running a construction company with more than a handful of vehicles, a dedicated fuel card program is one of the simplest ways to get a handle on what you are actually spending, where it is going, and who is spending it. This guide walks through how to pick the right program, lock down controls, and tie every gallon back to your job costing system.

Why Construction Companies Need a Dedicated Fuel Card Program

A lot of contractors start out the same way: hand out a company credit card, tell the crew to fill up when they need to, and sort it all out at the end of the month. The problem is that “sorting it out” turns into hours of chasing receipts, matching transactions to jobs, and wondering why the Visa bill has a $47 charge at a gas station convenience store.

Fuel cards fix this by putting guardrails around the purchase before it happens, not after. Here is what a fuel card does that a regular credit card does not:

• Purchase restrictions. You can lock each card so it only works at the fuel pump, not inside the store. No energy drinks, no beef jerky, no lottery tickets on the company dime.
• Per-driver and per-vehicle limits. Set a daily or weekly cap so no single card can run up a surprise bill.
• Automatic data capture. Most fuel cards record the gallons pumped, price per gallon, odometer reading, and vehicle or driver ID at the point of sale. That data feeds directly into reports you can use for job costing and fleet tracking.
• Fuel-only acceptance. The card physically will not process a transaction that falls outside your approved categories. That is a control you simply cannot replicate with a general-purpose credit card.

For a construction company running 10 or more vehicles, the reporting and control features alone will save you more time than the discount per gallon. The discount is nice, but the data is where the real value sits.

Comparing the Major Fuel Card Programs

There are a handful of fuel card providers that dominate the market. Each one has trade-offs depending on your fleet size, how far your crews travel, and whether you need off-road equipment coverage. Here is a straight comparison of the programs contractors use most.

WEX Fleet Card

WEX is the biggest name in fleet fuel cards. Their network covers over 95% of U.S. gas stations, which makes them a solid pick for contractors whose crews cover a wide territory.

• Station network: 95%+ of U.S. stations
• Discounts: Rebates vary by volume, typically 3 to 8 cents per gallon
• Controls: Per-card spending limits, time-of-day restrictions, fuel-only purchase locks
• Reporting: Online dashboard with export to CSV, QuickBooks integration available
• Best for: Mid-size to large fleets (10+ vehicles) that fuel at multiple brands of station

Fuelman Fleet Card

Fuelman (owned by Fleetcor) has a similarly wide network and is popular with smaller fleets because there is no minimum vehicle count to sign up.

• Station network: 50,000+ locations
• Discounts: Up to 8 cents per gallon at in-network stations
• Controls: Purchase category restrictions, driver ID requirements, real-time alerts
• Reporting: Fuelman Online portal with custom reports by driver, vehicle, or department
• Best for: Small to mid-size fleets that want broad acceptance without a big commitment

Shell Fleet Navigator

If your crews tend to stick to the same corridors and there are Shell stations along the way, a branded card like Shell Fleet Navigator can offer better per-gallon savings than a universal card.

• Station network: Shell and participating stations only
• Discounts: Up to 6 cents per gallon at Shell
• Controls: Standard spending limits and fuel-type restrictions
• Reporting: Shell Fleet Hub with downloadable reports
• Best for: Fleets with predictable routes near Shell stations

EFS (formerly Comdata)

EFS cards are common in heavy construction and long-haul trucking. They work at truck stops and fuel islands that other cards may not cover.

• Station network: Truck stops, travel centers, and retail stations
• Discounts: Negotiated pricing at truck stops, volume-based rebates
• Controls: Advanced driver verification, fuel-type and gallon limits
• Reporting: EFS online platform with IFTA-ready reports
• Best for: Heavy civil and highway contractors running Class 7/8 trucks

Voyager Fleet Card

Voyager (from US Bank) is another universal card with a large network. It is commonly bundled with other US Bank fleet products.

• Station network: 320,000+ locations
• Discounts: Volume-based rebates
• Controls: Driver and vehicle-level restrictions, maintenance purchase options
• Reporting: US Bank Voyager portal
• Best for: Contractors who already bank with US Bank or want to bundle fleet services

The bottom line: If your crews fuel all over town at different brands, WEX or Fuelman gives you the widest net. If you can funnel most fill-ups to one brand, a branded card like Shell will save more per gallon. If you run heavy equipment and use truck stops, EFS is purpose-built for that.

Tracking Fuel Expenses by Job

Getting fuel cards is the easy part. The real payoff comes when you connect fuel spending to specific projects so you can see what each job actually costs to run. This is where most contractors drop the ball, and it is also where you start making better bids on future work.

Here is how to set up job-level fuel tracking:

1. Assign cards or driver profiles to jobs. Most fuel card platforms let you add a custom reference field to each card. Use your job number or cost code. When a driver fills up, the transaction automatically tags to that job.

2. Use vehicle assignments as a proxy. If a truck is dedicated to one project for a few weeks, assign that vehicle ID to the job in your fuel card portal. Every fill-up on that truck gets allocated to the project without any extra steps from the driver.

3. Require job codes at the pump. Some fuel card systems prompt the driver to enter a job number or department code before the pump activates. This adds a few seconds to each fill-up but gives you clean data without relying on drivers to remember to write it down later.

4. Reconcile weekly, not monthly. Do not wait until the end of the month to match fuel charges to jobs. A weekly review takes 15 minutes and catches errors while the details are still fresh. Waiting 30 days means you are guessing.

5. Export and merge with your job cost reports. Most fuel card portals let you export transaction data as a CSV. Pull that into your cost tracking system so fuel shows up alongside labor, materials, and equipment costs on the same report.

When fuel is tracked at the job level, you stop guessing and start seeing patterns. You will notice that your excavation jobs burn through 30% more diesel than your framing jobs, or that one crew consistently uses more fuel than another for similar distances. That information feeds directly into better estimates on your next bid.

Preventing Fuel Card Misuse and Fraud

Let’s be honest: fuel card abuse is not rare. Industry data suggests that between 5% and 15% of fleet fuel spending is wasted through unauthorized purchases, personal use, or outright fraud. On a company spending $100,000 a year on fuel, that is $5,000 to $15,000 walking out the door.

Here are the controls that actually work:

Lock down purchase categories

Every fuel card program lets you restrict what types of purchases the card will approve. At minimum, set each card to fuel-only. If you want to allow oil or wiper fluid, add those categories specifically. But keep the convenience store register turned off.

Set dollar and gallon limits

If a work truck has a 36-gallon tank, there is no reason a single transaction should ever hit 60 gallons. Set a per-transaction gallon limit that matches the vehicle’s tank size plus a small buffer. Do the same with dollar amounts based on current fuel prices in your area.

Restrict fueling hours

Your crews work 6 AM to 5 PM? Set the cards to only authorize transactions during those hours plus a 30-minute buffer on each end. A fill-up at 10 PM on a Saturday is a red flag, and with hour restrictions, the card simply will not work.

Require odometer readings

Most fuel card systems can prompt the driver to enter the vehicle’s current mileage at the pump. This gives you a built-in check: if a truck logged 200 miles this week but burned through 80 gallons of diesel, something does not add up.

Review exception reports

Fuel card portals generate exception reports that flag transactions outside normal patterns. Maybe a card was used twice in one day, or the cost per gallon was way above the area average (which can indicate a fuel-type mismatch or a problem at the pump). Review these weekly.

Have a clear policy and enforce it

Write down the rules. Every driver should sign a fuel card policy that spells out what the card is for, what happens if it is misused, and that transactions are monitored. People are far less likely to test the limits when they know someone is watching.

Not sure if Projul is the right fit? Hear from contractors who use it every day.

Combining these controls with regular auditing will not catch every penny, but it closes the biggest gaps. And the discipline of monitoring fuel spend has a side benefit: it forces you to pay attention to your overhead costs in a way that trickles into other areas of your business.

Integrating Fuel Cards with Your Job Costing System

Fuel tracking is only useful if the data actually makes it into the reports you use to run your business. A fuel card portal sitting in its own silo does not help you understand true project profitability. The goal is to get fuel data flowing into the same place where you track labor, materials, and equipment costs.

Here is how to make that connection:

Map fuel card codes to your cost code structure

Before you start exporting data, make sure your fuel card job codes match the cost codes in your accounting or job costing software. If your fuel card portal uses “JOB-2247” but your accounting system uses “22-47,” you are going to spend hours cleaning up data. Standardize once and save yourself the headache.

Automate the data transfer

Some fuel card providers offer direct integrations with accounting platforms like QuickBooks, Sage, or Foundation. If your provider supports it, set up the integration so transactions flow automatically. If not, a weekly CSV export and import works fine for most contractors under 50 vehicles.

Separate fuel into its own cost category

Do not lump fuel in with “vehicle expenses” or “miscellaneous.” Give it its own line item in your budget tracking structure. When fuel has its own cost code, you can compare fuel spend across projects, identify trends over time, and adjust bids accordingly.

Compare actual fuel costs against your estimates

This is the whole point. If you bid a job estimating $3,200 in fuel and the project actually burned through $4,800, you need to know that before you price the next similar job. Pull fuel actuals from your job cost reports at project close-out and update your estimating templates.

Use fuel data in your fleet decisions

Fuel card data tells you more than just what each job costs. It also reveals which vehicles are guzzling fuel and might be due for replacement, which routes are inefficient, and whether your fleet management strategy is working. A truck averaging 8 MPG when it should be getting 12 is costing you thousands over a year, and the fuel card data will show it.

When fuel is fully integrated into your job costing, you can answer questions like: “What did fuel actually cost us per square foot on that last commercial build?” That is the kind of data that separates contractors who guess at their margins from contractors who know them.

Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Rollout Plan

Rolling out a fuel card program does not need to be complicated. Here is a practical timeline for getting it done without disrupting your day-to-day operations.

Week 1: Choose your provider and apply

Based on the comparison above, pick the program that matches your fleet size and fueling patterns. Most applications are approved within a few business days. Order cards for every vehicle and piece of fuel-burning equipment in your fleet.

Week 2: Configure controls and codes

Before you hand out a single card, set up your purchase restrictions, spending limits, and fueling hour windows. Create job codes or cost codes in the fuel card portal that match your existing job costing structure. Assign each card to a specific vehicle or driver.

Week 3: Train your crew

Sit down with your drivers and field supervisors for 15 minutes. Walk them through how the card works, what the rules are, and why you are making the switch. Hand out the written fuel card policy and have everyone sign it. Keep it simple: fill up with the card, enter the job number and odometer when prompted, keep the receipt as backup.

Week 4: Go live and monitor

Start using the cards. For the first month, review transactions twice a week instead of once. You will catch setup errors, missing job codes, and the occasional confused driver who entered the wrong number. Fix issues as they come up and refine your process.

Ongoing: Weekly reconciliation

After the first month, settle into a weekly review cadence. Export fuel data into your cost tracking system, review exception reports, and compare fuel spend against your project budgets. This becomes a 15 to 20 minute weekly task that pays for itself many times over.

The key is not to overthink it. Contractors who wait for the “perfect” setup never start. Get the cards in your crews’ hands, lock down the basics, and refine from there.

Fuel cards are not flashy. They do not come up in conversations about the latest construction technology or the newest piece of equipment. But for contractors who are serious about knowing their true job costs and controlling the small expenses that add up to big numbers, a well-run fuel card program is one of the highest-return moves you can make.

Curious how this looks in practice? Schedule a demo and we will show you.

Start with the right card, set up your controls, track by job, and feed the data into your cost reports. You will wonder how you ever ran a fleet without it.