Connected fleets to combat fuel fraud

As the challenges facing the logistics sector demand ever-more precise management of costs and time, fleet managers can no longer rely solely on tracking their vehicles’ location via an onboard GPS device. Indeed, with rising fuel prices, drivers may be tempted to misuse their fuel cards for personal gain by diverting some of the diesel intended for their vehicles. This type of fraud appears to be increasingly widespread, prompting fleet managers to adopt solutions that allow them to monitor numerous vehicle parameters in real time, such as those offered by Echoes.

We interviewed a transport company based in southern Paris that specializes in refrigerated and medical transport throughout Europe. Its clients include major players in the logistics outsourcing sector, as well as French companies specializing in luxury goods. Its 180 employees consist of 90 light-duty vehicle drivers, 80 heavy-duty truck drivers, and about ten administrative staff members.

Location and deadline constraints

Unlike logistics companies specializing in "last-mile" delivery, this company transports goods only from hub to hub. Deliveries are made throughout Europe, Monday through Friday, using 180 light and heavy-duty vehicles, the majority of which are refrigerated trucks and/or trucks specialized in medical transport. In France, shipments are primarily north-south bound, along the A6/A7 highways, with a typical delivery time of next-day. Trucks are generally assigned to a single driver, so there is little to no scheduling to manage. However, given its logistics operations’ strong focus on the medical and luxury sectors, the company faces several specific challenges:

The market value of certain shipments, sometimes accompanied by the customer’s requirement to track their location in real time
Tight delivery deadlines, along with the need to track shipment progress in real time and provide proof of delivery in the event of a dispute. This can help avoid having to pay late fees.

“That’s why we needed a system for geolocation and real-time vehicle tracking,” explains the company’s fleet manager. “A few years ago, we signed up for a GPS tracking system, which worked well.”

12,000 liters of fuel are diverted each year

Unfortunately, in recent years, a new scourge has emerged: fuel theft by unscrupulous drivers. “We’ve already experienced several instances of fuel theft, for example one involving 3,000 liters and another involving 6,000 liters,” laments our interviewee. The method is simple: the fuel card provided by the company is used to fill a container other than the truck’s tank, without anyone noticing. A simple jerry can used at every fill-up can thus allow for the recovery of hundreds of liters per month. He estimates the amount of fraud for his company at “10,000 to 12,000 liters per year.” That amounts to a net loss of nearly €20,000 (including tax) for the company.

Hence the need to supplement geolocation with real-time fuel data tracking, “something our previous app did not offer.” By collecting, in real time, the data that vehicles natively transmit to the manufacturer via an onboard 4G/5G chip, Echoes is able to track numerous parameters within its CarFleet app, including:

Location and trip history
Total mileage and distance traveled on each leg
The level of the tank or battery
A detailed history of fueling and charging for electric vehicles
Fuel consumption

CarFleet, the anti-fraud solution for fleet managers

With this data, it’s easy for the fleet manager to reconcile the refueling records available in CarFleet with those provided by the refiner: “All we have to do is compare the records from our AS24 refiner with the Echoes data to quickly spot any discrepancies and take action,” explains the fleet manager.

Since CarFleet was implemented, no fraud has been detected within the company. Undoubtedly, internal communication regarding the use of the CarFleet tool acts as a deterrent for employees who might otherwise have been tempted to commit fraud. With compatibility across 20 brands, CarFleet is now the most comprehensive anti-fraud solution on the market, requiring no device installation, no modifications to the vehicle, and no commitment from the customer.