Company fuel theft is a common reason for dismissal among employees working in large companies with a fleet in our country and worldwide. Trust is a major factor in employer-employee relationships. It is a guarantee for both parties that the first will pay the agreed remuneration and the second will perform in good faith the tasks for which he was hired.

And since “Verification is the highest form of trust,” it may not be up to everyone. When the temptation to pour company fuel into the personal car is there, with no means of control, there are always risks.

Where controls are lax, company fuel theft becomes a pattern and a constant, invisible drain on fleet costs. From time to time, these fuel abuse schemes come to light, even sometimes under the media spotlight, and it turns out that similar practices have been in place for years in large state-owned companies and administrations. This is far from an isolated phenomenon and a trademark only for the public sector, it also happens in many private companies with cars without control.

What are the ways for company fuel theft and what is the prevention against them?

1. Company Fuel Theft is when, with a company fuel card, fuel is poured into a personal car;

2. Company Fuel Theft is when a company fuel card is used to fill a tube or other container;

We rely on gas stations to inform us of such abuses in these two cases. All major gas station chains such as OMV, Petrol, Shell, Lukoil, Eco, and Rompetrol, etc. check that the car’s registration number corresponds to the one on the charge carat. In addition, they notify companies if their drivers are charging in tubes. Yes, but the counter is not always at the level that can be seen in several examples from our reality.

3. Company fuel theft is when a higher fuel consumption is simulated and the driver pockets the difference between the actual and simulated consumption.

For example, simulating continuous operation instead of running the engine, when in fact the car is only in contact and the defacto has no fuel consumption. “Unspent fuel” is assigned. Here is an example from the native reality.

4. Company fuel theft is when fuel is drained from the tank of a company vehicle.

How to protect yourself from this type of fraud?

  • Choose a gas station chain that will notify you in case the driver fills a tank with fuel or a car whose registration number does not match the one on the fuel card.
  • Install GPS tracking devices that monitor the fuel level in the tank. This way you will have information about the fuel level in the tank, fillings, and drains. Of course, all this is accompanied by information about the exact location of the car.
  • Compare fills confirmed by the gas station with those recorded by the GPS. In this way, you will catch the cases in which the charge invoiced to the company did not enter the vehicle’s tank. Also, you will immediately see if there is a difference between the amount of fuel reported by GPS and that from the invoice.
  • Use an automated GPS that notifies you if the vehicle whose fuel card is being used is not at the relevant gas station.
  • Monitor for fuel leaks from the tank via the GPS tracking system.
  • Use the option of GPS devices to monitor whether the vehicle is running instead of the engine running or on ignition only.
  • Ask about VEM Technology’s solution for fuel control and assisted fuel control.

Undoubtedly, fuel control requires human resources, it is not free, and it is not an easy task. But if you want to get in order and save around 20% on fuel, it’s worth it! Even if you trust your employees, a certain amount of control is healthy for good relationships. This is where our solution comes in – VEM fuel control. For more information, contact us using the contact form below or call us on 0700 1 49 49.