Truck Fuel Card Glossary
Short definitions for fuel card fees, discount types, IFTA records, card controls, fuel advances and trucking payment terms.
A
B
Base fuel price
A contract baseline diesel price used in many fuel surcharge formulas.
Base jurisdiction
The IFTA member jurisdiction where a carrier is licensed and files its IFTA return.
Billing cycle
The recurring period covered by a fuel card statement or invoice.
Bulk fuel
Fuel purchased or stored in larger quantities outside normal retail pump transactions, often for yard or fleet operations.
C
Card prompt
Information requested at the pump or app before authorization, such as PIN, driver ID, unit number or odometer.
Cardholder
The person assigned or allowed to use a fuel card under the account rules.
Cardlock
A fueling site or system that authorizes commercial fuel purchases using cards, PINs or account credentials.
Cash price
A fuel price offered for cash or cash-equivalent payment, often lower than credit price at some truck stops.
Charge card
A card where the balance is typically due in full on a statement schedule instead of revolving.
Comcheck
A trucking payment instrument or authorization commonly used for driver, lumper, repair or emergency disbursements.
Cost-plus discount
A pricing model where the customer pays a base rack or wholesale-related price plus a markup.
Credit line
A provider-approved spending limit used for card purchases before payment is due.
Credit price
A fuel price charged when paying by credit card or other non-cash method.
D
DEF
Diesel exhaust fluid, a separate product often purchased alongside diesel but tracked separately in reports.
Diesel discount
A reduction from a posted, cash, credit or network price for diesel fuel.
Diesel tax
Fuel tax applied to diesel purchases, usually included in pump pricing and relevant to IFTA records.
Discount cap
A limit on how much discount can be earned per gallon, per period or per eligible purchase.
DOT number
A U.S. Department of Transportation identifier used for motor carrier registration and safety monitoring.
Driver ID
A prompt, PIN or identifier used to connect a fuel purchase to a specific driver.
E
F
Factoring
A financing arrangement where a carrier sells freight invoices or receives payment advances before the customer pays.
Factoring fuel advance
A fuel advance connected to freight factoring, where fuel money is made available against expected freight payment.
Fixed discount
A discount stated as a set cents-per-gallon amount off a reference price.
Fleet card
A business payment card used to manage fuel, maintenance or vehicle expenses across one or more vehicles.
Fleet manager
A person responsible for vehicles, drivers, fuel spend, maintenance records or fleet account controls.
Fraud monitoring
Alerts, rules or reviews intended to detect abnormal or unauthorized card activity.
Fuel advance
Money advanced to a carrier or driver for fuel purchases, usually tied to a load, factoring arrangement or dispatch workflow.
Fuel card
A payment card or account used to buy fuel and track vehicle-level or driver-level fuel purchases.
Fuel card integration
A connection between fuel card data and accounting, dispatch, telematics, IFTA or fleet management systems.
Fuel controls
Rules that limit when, where, how much or what type of purchase a fuel card can authorize.
Fuel finder
An app or web tool used to locate accepted fuel stops and compare prices or discounts.
Fuel log
A record of fuel purchases, gallons, dates, fuel type, locations and vehicle or driver identifiers.
Fuel purchase report
A transaction report listing dates, gallons, products, locations, vehicles, drivers and costs.
Fuel receipt
A record of a fuel purchase that may include date, seller, gallons, fuel type and vehicle or driver details.
Fuel surcharge
A charge intended to adjust freight revenue when diesel prices move above a contract baseline.
Fuel tax
Taxes included in or applied to motor fuel purchases and later reconciled under IFTA for interstate carriers.
G
I
IFTA decals
Decals issued under IFTA and displayed on qualified motor vehicles with an active IFTA license.
IFTA quarter
One of the quarterly reporting periods used for International Fuel Tax Agreement filings.
IFTA reporting
Fuel and mileage records used to prepare International Fuel Tax Agreement returns.
In-network
A location included in a fuel card’s preferred acceptance or discount network.
In-network location
A truck stop, cardlock or station where a card program provides preferred pricing or lower fees.
L
M
MC number
An operating authority identifier associated with for-hire interstate motor carriers that need FMCSA authority.
Mileage log
A record of miles traveled by vehicle and jurisdiction, used with fuel records for IFTA and cost review.
Miles per gallon
Fuel economy measure used to estimate gallons consumed over a route.
Minimum gallon requirement
A fuel volume threshold required to qualify for a discount, rebate or account tier.
Mobile fueling app
A phone app used to find fuel prices, authorize purchases, manage cards or capture receipts.
Mobile fueling authorization
A workflow that starts or authorizes a fuel transaction from a phone app.
Monthly fee
A recurring account, card or program fee charged each month.
N
Net savings
Fuel savings after subtracting known fees and recurring card costs from gross savings.
Network discount
A discount available only at stations or merchants in a card program network.
New authority
A carrier operating under recently obtained FMCSA operating authority, often still building credit and vendor history.
O
Odometer prompt
A pump or app prompt asking the driver to enter vehicle mileage during a transaction.
Out-of-network
A location outside a card’s preferred network, where discounts may be lower or fees may apply.
Out-of-network fee
A fee or loss of discount that may apply when a card is used outside its preferred network.
Out-of-network location
A station outside the preferred card network, where discounts may not apply and fees may be different.
Owner-operator
A truck driver or business owner who owns or controls equipment and may operate under their own or another carrier’s authority.
P
Payment terms
The timing and rules for paying a fuel card balance, including due dates, funding method and late fees.
Physical fuel card
A plastic or chip card assigned to a driver, vehicle or account for fuel purchases.
Prepaid fuel card
A fuel card funded before purchases are made, often through ACH, debit or account transfer.
Pump price
The price posted or shown at the pump before any applicable card discount or fee.
R
S
Self-funded card
A card where the user loads funds or maintains a prefunded balance before spending.
Small fleet
A trucking business with a limited number of trucks, often needing controls without enterprise-level complexity.
Spending limit
A dollar, gallon or transaction limit that controls how much a card can authorize.
Statement
A billing document or account export that lists charges, payments, fees and fuel transactions.
Statement cycle
The period covered by a card invoice or billing statement.