Motor Market Primer

The use of a debit card may make it seem easier to manage your fleet of vehicles, but in fact it is not. It could be costing you too much, too. On the other hand, try diesel cards, which are a type of fleet fuel card that your business can use to do far more than you can do with a traditional debit card or even cash. The problem with these tools is that they lack the ability to provide you with management tools. They do not give you the ability to manage your drivers or your vehicles.

Consider the limitations that debit cards have on the way you manage your fleet of vehicles. A debit card will provide you with a fast way to pay for services, but your ability to do so may not be as universal as you expect. Rather, you may find that you have to pay higher fees for this service, since many companies will charge you more for using a debit card than a traditional credit card or using cash. However, the limitations go further. A debit card may not be accepted everywhere. Moreover, there may be higher fees associated with using it for anything more. In other words, this is a type of card that can work for basic payment of fees your driver’s will pay, by keeping track of expenses, but that is all it can offer to you.

On the other hand, diesel cards can do more. They give you the ability to track more than just your average expenses, though they do this, too. For example, with fleet fuel cards, you know when your drivers are filling up, how much they are putting in and how efficient the vehicle is running. This information is available to you with just a few clicks of the mouse. It is updated regularly so that you always know what is happening with your vehicles. You can even use this documentation for tax purposes.

Keep in mind that you can use these cards to track expenses by driver or by car, which means you have a clear indication of what is actually happening. Is your driver driving poorly, resulting in a loss of fuel efficiency? Is the vehicle not hitting its goals in fuel efficiency? If so, this may mean you need to improve the efficiency through an upgrade or just some maintenance. In all cases, it gives you options and information that a traditional debit card cannot offer to you. You have more power to see improvements in the way your business functions because you can see more information.

There are even more reasons to turn to diesel cards than just these. For example, these cards will help you to manage the costs associated with maintenance and upkeep on your cars. You can even qualify for discounts on the maintenance you need, if you use in-network providers for those services. Most providers accept the cards, as they are traditional credit cards. They are low costing to you, but they have the tools to help you to spend less to manage your fleet of vehicles. While debit cards offer basic payment abilities, they do not provide you with the information you need to know how well your drivers or your cars are performing; and that limitation could mean thousands of extra dollars spent each year that you did not need to spend.

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In order to be able to include vehicle expenses in your tax return, you will need to have a way to track the money you are spending for the purpose of write-offs. This is where fuel cards come in handy. You can use these cards for more than gas and if your drivers use the cards to cover expenses, the tracking process will be easier.

By using fuel cards for all expenses related to business vehicles, you will be able to better track tax deductible items. By putting all expenses into one account and onto one card, you will be able to track and file expenses accordingly. Even if you do not get receipts, you can view purchases on the monthly statement. This will allow you to be able to better sort and organize the bills you have and allow you to save money when taxes are due.

Being able to track expenses on fuel cards will help you to know not only where the money is going, but also better determine which expenses are in fact tax deductible. All service to the car, including car washes and repairs, is tax deductible. This is especially true if you are running your own business and providing vehicles for your employees. Being able to track how your money is being spent, as well as what can be used in the form of tax returns, will allow you to be better prepared in the event of an audit.

If you are facing questions from the IRS after you have filed your taxes, you will easily be able to show records of vehicle expenses. Knowing where the money is going and having a file of the expenses show that you are not trying to cheat the system.

Having a system in place to track your expenses will also let you know which cars in your fleet will need to be replaced. As you notice more expenses for repairs and more frequent trips to the gas station, you will want to consider replacing that vehicle. You can monitor this by reviewing fuel card bills to see what types of service needs to be done and how often it is required to maintain the vehicles.

Tracking expenses on fuel cards allows you to know, not only what you will be able to claim in regards to tax discounts, but also where your money is going. Consider it as a way to make sure that employees who are using your cars are doing the right thing and that you are getting the most out of the money you are spending to maintain the vehicle. This tool works in many ways to aid and assist you in running your business.

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Trends, or those predictable changes in the economy, business or in expenses, are fairly easy to track over time provided you have a constant and consistent measurement standard. Gas cards provide an easy way to keep information on how much fuel your company, drivers and vehicles are using over any length of time. The longer that you study, record and compare this information the more accurate the picture of your company or fleet’s fuel consumption will be developed. You can then use this information in comparison to overall fuel use trends over a several year period to determine how you can save money and stay in step with current changes.

One of the biggest changes in fuel trends in the last five years has been the switch to more fuel efficient vehicles. Many of the major car manufacturers offer compact to luxury car models, perfect for fleet use, that average over 40 miles per gallon. National as well as international attention to hybrids, cars with alternative fuel sources as well as the very specialized Smart Car has really created a trend, perhaps more of a consumer demand, for highly fuel efficient vehicles. While fuel consumption certainly can be tracked by gas cards, remember you will also want to keep track of mileage between fueling for a more accurate picture. Fuel cards, instead of gas cards, can provide all that type of detailed reporting without the need for manual records and data entry.

Another trend in fuel use over the last five years has been an increase in the demand for diesel engines, specifically clean diesel vehicles. This trend will increase in the next few years as more and more clean diesel cars and trucks become available. Diesel vehicles have always been the workhorses of the fleet, but much more stylish cars offering these clean burning fuel engines are also a trend to watch for. Diesel engines are typically easier to maintain, longer lasting and are more fuel efficient. Cards from brands that offer clean diesel, as well as the grades of gasoline you need, can be an excellent option for tracking how your fuel usage has changed with different makes and models of vehicles in the fleet. You may find that your employees prefer driving either the gas or diesel engines, which is often reflective of the research found in the automotive industry as a whole.

The use of cards within a company itself is also a trend in managing fleets. More and more companies are moving from traditional gas cards to fuel cards that allow the employee to use the card for specific allowable maintenance work on the vehicle. Using these types of cards helps to also track and monitor trends in repairs and maintenance costs, which need to be considered in conjunction with fuel consumption and fuel prices. This overall big picture will clearly show how your transportation costs are changing over time and in what areas you are saving money or going over your anticipated budget.

The use of gas cards is a great way to keep your records all in one place, especially when it comes to tracking fuel purchases. With the different hybrids and alternative fuel options this tracking or monitoring of trends can really add up to a huge saving over time. Having all the data from cards available at your fingertips on monthly reports makes data entry and record keeping much more efficient.

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Tips for reducing fuel usage and costs for your business when gas prices go up.

Fuel prices fluctuate all of the time. If you have a business with more than one vehicle then your bottom line can be greatly affected when gas prices go up. However, there are many preventative measures one can take to reduce fuel usage and, in turn, costs for your business when gas prices rise. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Look for the lowest gas prices. Use fleet card networks, online gas price comparison tools and mobile fuel price searches to find the lowest gas prices in the areas where you business vehicles travel. Print out a list of the lowest price options each day or week and encourage (or require) that your employees gas up at those stations.
• Ask for discounts from local gas companies. They may be willing to work with you if they know that you’re a loyal customer purchasing a lot of gas each month.
• Monitor fuel use in the company carefully. You should do this at all times but it’s especially important when gas prices are high. Make sure that employees are accurately reporting their fuel use and the amount of money that they spend on gas. Enroll in a fleet fuel management program so that you can get detailed real time reporting about actual fuel usage in your company. Hold employees accountable for inaccurate or fraudulent reporting.
• Give employee incentives for reducing individual fuel usage in the business. You should never just rely on the so-called stick but should also always dangle the carrot. In other words, don’t just punish employees who waste gas but also reward employees who save gas. Hold weekly, monthly or quarterly competitions to see who has spent the least on gas per mile or reduced their gas usage most since the last check-in. Rewards can be as small as recognition in the company newsletter or letting the winner go home early for the day.
• Get together with employees to brainstorm ways to reduce gas use. Getting employees involved in the discussion about how to save money will encourage them to reduce gas waste in the company. They will feel more loyalty to the company because of their involvement in the discussion. They will also understand that costs are threatening employee perks.
• Tighten up security on who can fill up the company’s cars. This reduces problems of waste as well as problems with fraudulent gas charges. If you’re part of a fleet service network then you should be able to easily change the permissions on gas cards so that fewer employees can use them.
• Look into fleet cards, also known as business fuel cards. They offer significant savings on gas. A good fleet card will help you get the lowest available gas prices at any given time. A cash back rewards card will provide you with money back each month for what your business spends on gas. These savings add up especially when fuel costs are on the rise.
• Go green. Consider looking into alternative fuel options for your company. Switching your fleet to electric or hybrid vehicles can reduce your reliance on the gas industry.

When gas prices rise, you should go on the defensive. Lower your company gas usage and protect yourself from profit losses.

Technorati Tags: business fuel, fleet cards, fuel on the rise

Today’s communications allow fueling networks to offer business owners layers of efficiency in all matters related to fueling and maintaining their vehicles.

Prior to the advent of the information super highway, it was the paved highways that did most of the hard work transporting products to and from in this county. In those days, a fueling network was actually a physical chain of branded gas and diesel stations that provided credit accounts to its member users. Those credit accounts allowed drivers to purchase the fuel they required to complete their missions. The member companies were sent reports, usually on a monthly basis and performed their accounting reconciliations at that time.

Today’s fueling network is similar in many extents, but modern and different as well. Instead of requiring the driver to stop at a specific brand of filling station, fleet services providers issue a fuel credit card that enables refueling at the vast majority of stations. With a few minor occurrences, if a gas station takes credit cards the fleet card is going to work just fine.

Now when the company’s driver needs to buy fuel, oil, or other approved items for their vehicle, they are able to do so and have that purchase info sent electronically back to the fueling network’s database and routed into the appropriate company’s records.

These fleet services allow for efficiencies to be passed on to your company in both time and monetary savings. Instead of waiting until the end of the month to know what your drivers spent, you can be updated continuously. Gone are the days when you’d wait 30 to 45 days to get the surprise that a rogue driver spent hundreds of unauthorized dollars on items not required to perform their work duties.

Today, if you’re using a quality fueling network, you can set up alerts which notify the appropriate folks at your company when spending limits are met or surpassed. Even attempts to make purchases for item types a driver should not buy can be brought to your attention. All of this can happen in near real time and you now have the opportunity to address the situation while it’s happening not weeks later.

The amount of time and effort a fueling network will save your company are astounding. Most networks will provide you with a single report of all your fleet card activities saving your office personnel from chasing paper and receipts from your drivers and other authorized employees. Since all activity is neatly listed out by date/time, driver and/or vehicle, it becomes quick and easy to immediately assess your expenditure situation at any time.

The time you’ll save both on a monthly basis as well as end-of-year accounting should easily see your labor costs reduced by 10 to 15% or more. Anything that is making it easier to have a clearer financial picture would be worth its weight in gold. Or in this case, fuel!

Another aspect of quality fueling networks includes the ability to manage billing and payment of your fueling costs. Some of the finer networks provide your business with the ability to set up payment options which might coincide with better options to make payment for fuel and other maintenance costs. If you’re on net 30, 60 or 90 day terms, cash flow can often be a challenge. If the money is not coming in for services you’ve already rendered, it can be a real challenge to flow money out to pay for your bills.

Today’s modern fueling network takes advantage of technology to provide your business with the tools, safeguards and payment options you need to best enhance your bottom line.

Technorati Tags: fleet vehicles, fuel management, fueling network

After my little Chevette finally kicked the bucket, I found myself without wheels.  I thought that I could handle it and take advantage of the public transit system (city buses where I live), but after a week of having to get up early and missing the bus a couple of times, I had enough – I needed to have a car.

But I didn’t have a lot of savings, so I was going to have to find a used car.  Unfortunately the most that I could spend was $3000 which meant that I was going to be looking at a lot of lemons, so I was going to need some expert help to make my decision.

Thankfully, a good friend of mine, Bruce, was a mechanic and he offered to help me out.  I wanted to make sure that I bought a mechanically sound vehicle, spot any potential problems, and get something reliable.  At the price that I could afford, I knew that it was possible, but it was also going to be a challenge.

I have lined up a couple of cars to look at today, and Bruce and I are just going to head out to look at them.  If we don’t find something reliable, it means that I am going to have to ride the bus for another week – so wish me luck!

Technorati Tags: buying a used car, getting help

When I was younger, I thought it would be truly cool to live on a boat. Nothing massive, but something comfortable. At one point, I actually did own a 28.5 foot boat parked at a marina in San Diego. Unfortunately for me, I never made the leap to living on it full time.

Now that I’m a bit older, have family responsibilities (and soon to be a grandparent!) I’m clearly falling into that category of individual that might own a recreational vehicle. Perhaps the biggest reason for this is that in some ways owning an RV reminds me of the concept of living on a boat.

It’s no mistake that many RV’s are referred to as land barges! While I don’t want some old clunker, I also have no desire to make a mortgage payment on a $300,000 dollar vehicle. If that were the case, I would surely have to sell my brick and mortar home in order to be able to afford the RV.

The best thing I imagine regarding RV ownership is the fact that I’ll be able to travel and see the entire country. Add that my hotel will be paid for with my RV payments, and my only real costs will be fuel, and the food that I am able to cook right inside my vehicle (or out on a BBQ if I set up that option!)

Technorati Tags: grandparent, recreational vehicle, San Diego marina

If you are considering shopping for new trucks in  Weatherford, chances are right now you can get a pretty good deal, as many people are still gun shy about buying trucks after what gas prices were at a year or so ago.

Of course, there is a bit of risk involved in buying a truck, so you need to make your decision carefully.  Here are a few tips for buying a new truck.

• Compare gas mileage.  Truck in general lag behind passenger cars in terms of gas mileage.  However, that doesn’t mean you need to settle for the worst gas mileage out there.  Compare the ratings of different trucks when making your decision on what make and model to buy.
• Buy the minimum you need.  Typically, the bigger and tougher the truck, the worse the gas mileage will be.  Consider what you really need in a truck.  If you need towing capacity, sure, you will need to get a bigger truck with a towing package.  But if you just need a pickup for hauling stuff occasionally in the bed, say for a small gardening business, perhaps a half-ton two-wheel-drive truck will be enough for your purposes.
• Think about daily miles driven and whether you have (or need) a daily driver.  It’s a lot easier to stomach getting a big, beefy, gas-guzzling truck when you don’t drive very far to work most days, or when you have another car to use as a daily driver.  If you do have far to go or if you don’t have (or plan on getting) a daily driver, you might want to tone down your truck goals a little to make the fuel more affordable.

Trucks may be gas-guzzling fiends in many cases, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t want to drive them — or can’t find a way to make it work!

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I love art. I love cars. So it makes a lot of sense that I love art that’s related to cars. What I really love is that there are so many different types of car art to be found.

The most common type of auto art is, of course, drawings or paintings of cars. People who are interested in the design of cars will often come up with really amazing drawings of concept cars. They may also do great renderings of existing vehicles.

I do like that art but I tend to like art that’s a bit edgier. For example, I once saw a guy who took a bunch of Toyota Camry parts and Toyota Tundra parts and used them to make a really wild sculpture. I’ve also seen small car parts used to create robots. I think that’s really cool!

Of course, there are also people who turn their own cars into art. Sometimes I’ll be driving down the street and I’ll see a car that has little dolls all over it or I’ll see a car that’s been painted in a truly unique way. That’s art right there on the road for us to enjoy. I may not always find it pretty but I think it’s cool that people are putting it out there.

Technorati Tags: toyota camry parts, toyota tundra parts

First cars always leave lasting memories.  I had my first car in 1989 when I turned 18.  My father gave me a 1968 VW Beetle.

Considering that it was quite old, the car was in perfect running condition. I always took my friends to road trips to the next towns.  Being a nature lover, my VW Beetle was also always with me to nature trips.  But constant use of the Beetle on rough roads had caused it to rapidly deteriorate. 

When I already had a regular job and could already afford more expensive cars, I could not let go my beloved Beetle.  I had its engine overhauled and body stripped.  I initially considered using exe wheels for rough nature trips but it was quite expensive so I had resolved to using VW wheels instead.   My friend recommended me to a great wheels store nearby which also offered installation of custom rims.  I also installed a great sound system with woofer.

My VW Beetle, now with its silver-painted body, hits the road every weekend like a bullet.  In my nature trips, it stands out in contrast with the environmental surroundings. I don’t intend to dispose my VW Beetle in the near future.  Our memories together cannot be valued monetarily.

Technorati Tags: custom rims, exe wheels, VW, VW wheels