Love's Travel Stops (Love's) is completing the addition of a radio frequency ID, or RFID, enabled payment system at its travel stop locations. Love's is the first travel stop company to give trucking fleet customers the ability to process payment at the diesel bay through radio frequency technology.
The radio frequency system operates through a secure, low cost RFID tag placed on a truck's windshield that is detected by an antenna installed in diesel lanes at Love's locations. The electronic signal turns the fuel pump on and off and completes a payment transaction with little driver interaction. RFID technology provides a valuable benefit to trucking fleets because it's easy for drivers to use, it is a major fuel theft deterrent, and it provides more accurate payment tracking information. These benefits can have a direct impact on a fleet's bottom line.
"A gallon of diesel fuel costs roughly $4. If RFID technology can eliminate just 1 percent of fuel theft or other unauthorized fuel purchases, the trucking company has saved four cents per gallon," said Jon Archard, director of fuel marketing for Love's. "There aren't many ways for a fleet to see this sort of financial impact with such a minimal cost to do so."
Love's is seeing more trucking companies switching to its RFID-enabled payment system to capitalize on the benefits. Stagecoach Cartage and Distribution based in El Paso, Texas, has more than 100 trucks on the road using the radio frequency payment system at Love's.
"It's a huge benefit to us by saving time at the pump and ultimately, money," said Scott McLaughlin, president of Stagecoach Cartage and Distribution. "The entire transaction is quicker and because the process is automated, we are assured that every gallon of fuel we purchase for our trucks is going into our tanks."
