Fuel Spend, Fraud and More: How Large Fleets Turn Insights into Measurable Savings
Fleets are an essential part of many businesses. They help deliver services, respond to customers quickly and generate revenue across wide geographic areas. But large fleets, and the fuel required to power them, can also be costly and difficult to track across every operational touchpoint — especially as they grow.
Managing this efficiently requires visibility into fuel spending, fraud risks, non-fuel purchases and broader operational trends. And while many organizations feel equipped because of access they already have to extensive fleet data, turning that into operational insight often requires context and human support they lack. Without guidance from an outside expert who can help interpret trends and uncover actionable opportunities, the deeper analysis about spending, savings and planning can easily be missed.
This is why Shell Fleet Solutions, as a fuel card provider, combines fuel card platform capabilities with dedicated account support — a combination that can make a measurable difference for fleets. We get to know our customers and work closely with them to achieve results. Through our data gathering and assessment, regular reporting and ongoing 1:1 check-ins with customers, our service is designed to help fleets reduce costs and operate more efficiently over time.
One company that knows this firsthand is Ontivity, a critical communications and data infrastructure services business operating across the United States with a large fleet of 370 vehicles. James Petersen, the Chief Financial Officer who also oversees the fleet, has worked closely with Shell Fleet Solutions Account Manager Okan Kilicyaldir to better understand how detailed fleet data can improve operational visibility and support business planning.
Through ongoing account reviews, transaction analysis and industry context, Kilicyaldir has helped Petersen identify unnecessary premium fuel spending purchases, respond quickly to fraud incidents and strengthen security controls. Shell data has also helped Ontivity track fuel spend tied to specific customer jobs, which has helped the company better understand operational costs and inform pricing decisions.
Transaction-level fuel data is valuable, but only if it drives action. If it isn’t reviewed and applied, it becomes wasted information. That’s why Shell Fleet Solutions delivers detailed, customized data paired with expert Account Managers to help interpret it.
Here’s a deeper look into some of the ways that Petersen and his team have worked with Shell to help drive Ontivity’s business forward, and how other organizations could, too.
Catching and Mitigating Fraud
Large fleets process hundreds or even thousands of fuel transactions across multiple locations daily, making fraud detection and response speed increasingly important operational priorities.
“We’ve got so much exposure that it’s only a matter of time before a card’s information will get stolen,” Petersen said. “So, having the right controls and the cards in place to make sure that the fraud is caught quickly, or can’t happen in the first place, is critical.”
When Shell’s fraud monitoring systems identified suspicious activity that turned out to be a fleet card skimming attempt, the card was immediately suspended and Ontivity was alerted before any additional fraudulent activity could occur.
“Our program is very effective at identifying fraudulent activity,” Kilicyaldir said. In this case, our system detected a skimming incident, during which several fraudulent transactions were attempted on the card.”
The rapid response helped limit disruption and reinforced controls designed to help reduce future fraud risk.
Okan Kilicyaldir, Shell Fleet Solutions Account Manager“Our program is very effective at identifying fraudulent activity. In this case, our system detected a skimming incident, during which several fraudulent transactions were attempted on the card.”
Flagging Excess Premium Fuel Spend
Some savings opportunities only become visible through ongoing transaction analysis. During one account review, Kilicyaldir identified a fuel purchasing pattern that Ontivity hadn’t spotted. “There were a couple items he brought to the fore that I hadn’t realized,” Petersen said. “One was our premium fuel spend. He flagged that customers our size usually spend a little less on premium fuel than we do.”
Some employees were purchasing premium fuel with good intentions, even when it was unnecessary. Identifying the trend helped address it and improve communication to drivers around fuel purchasing behavior and expectations.
James Petersen, Ontivity’s Chief Financial Officer“There were a couple of items he brought to the fore that I hadn’t realized ... customers our size usually spend a little less on premium fuel than we do.”
Tracking Fuel Spend Per Job
The highly detailed transaction-level fuel card data that Shell provides can help organizations better understand how operational costs connect to business performance and revenue. Such “Level 3” data include dozens of data points that range from product descriptions and quantities to driver names and odometer readings on vehicles.
Using Shell Fleet Solutions reporting capabilities, Ontivity was able to retroactively see which fuel purchases were tied to specific jobs, then proactively track that pairing moving forward. This helps improve planning and pricing decisions, Petersen explained. “If you don’t have your costs correct you won’t capture the right amount of revenue.”
Learn more about Level 3 data here.
James Petersen, Ontivity’s Chief Financial Officer“If you don’t have your costs correct you won’t capture the right amount of revenue.”
Answering Complex Questions in Real Time
Today’s geopolitical and economic environment is placing additional cost-control pressure on fleet managers and others in purchasing and finance roles across an organization. At Shell Fleet Solutions, we’re seeing many organization leaders urge fleet managers to better understand and manage fuel-related spending.
Fuel price volatility continues to create uncertainty, and executives and investors expect immediate answers about how changing fuel markets are affecting operational costs. Shell Fleet Solutions’ reporting capabilities have helped Petersen quickly access the information he needs to answer questions.
“In the current macro environment with fuel prices experiencing an unusual level of volatility due to certain geopolitical events, it is valuable information about what this is costing,” Petersen said. “We’re private equity-backed. We get asked, “what does this environment mean for costs?’ I can provide that information easily.”
James Petersen, Ontivity’s Chief Financial Officer“In the current macro environment with fuel prices experiencing an unusual level of volatility due to certain geopolitical events, it is valuable information about what this is costing.”
Turning Data into Action
The organizations that can connect transaction reporting with informed decision-making are often better positioned to improve efficiency, control costs and respond more proactively to operational risks. Dedicated human support combined with powerful platform capabilities provide the clearest visibility.
For Ontivity, collaborating with Shell Fleet Solutions has helped support fraud mitigation, spending visibility, operational planning and business forecasting.
If you’re looking for more effective ways to manage your fleet costs and operational complexity over time, reach out to our expert team at Shell Fleet Solutions and experience how dedicated Account Manager support and deep data can make the difference.
