On-Site Fuel Delivery
vs Fuel Cards
Which fueling setup fits your operation? We break down driver time, card fees, controls and the trade-offs, so you can run your own numbers and make the right call for your fleet or job site.
What's the difference?
on-site fuel delivery means a tanker truck comes directly to your location — job site, yard, or facility — and fills your equipment, generators, or storage tanks on your schedule. You never send a driver to a pump. Fuel cards (like WEX, Comdata, or Fuelman) are payment cards your drivers use at retail fuel stations, giving you centralized billing and some controls on purchases.
Both solve the same problem — keeping your equipment fueled — but they do it in completely different ways, with different cost structures and very different levels of operational control. The right choice depends heavily on your volume, location, and the type of equipment you're fueling.
Head-to-head: every factor that matters
Here's how on-site fuel delivery and fuel cards compare across every dimension a fleet manager or site operator should consider before making a decision.
True cost comparison calculator
Enter your fleet's numbers below to compare the monthly cost of fuel cards with on-site delivery. The difference depends on your inputs, so use your own pump price, quote and card statement.
Fuel cost comparison calculator
Adjust values to match your operation — results update instantly
Want a real delivered price?
Get a quote for your volume and site. No contract required.
Which solution is right for your operation?
The right choice isn't always cut and dry — here's a simple breakdown of which scenarios favor each option.
On-Site Fuel Delivery is your best bet
Fuel Cards have their place
The smartest commercial operators often use both — on-site delivery for job site equipment and generators, and fuel cards only for long-haul road vehicles. This hybrid approach puts delivery where it saves the most driver time and control, while keeping flexibility for drivers who genuinely need the pump.
Hidden costs of fuel cards most operators miss
Fuel card providers are good at advertising the headline discount. Here's what often doesn't appear in the brochure — and what it's costing your business.
Driver time at the pump
A Geotab study of 14 million fleet trips found each station stop adds about 20 minutes (8 off route, 12 at the pump) and drivers refuel about seven times a month. That's roughly 2.3 hours per driver per month. Multiply by your loaded wage in the calculator. It never appears on your fuel card statement.
Card fraud and misuse
Fraud, unauthorized purchases and driver misuse are hard to see on a card statement, and small leaks add up. With delivery there's no card to share: gallons are recorded per asset by barcode scan, tied to the meter. Put your own shrinkage estimate into the calculator above.
Per-card and transaction fees
Card programs can charge monthly per-card fees, per-transaction fees and out-of-network surcharges, and they differ by provider and contract. Read them off your statement, not the brochure, and multiply by the number of cards you carry.
Pump price vs. delivered price
A card discount comes off the posted pump price. A delivered price is built differently: by your volume, the fuel index it's priced off and how often we deliver. Compare the two on your own numbers in the fleet fueling cost calculator, not on a rule of thumb.
Tax savings you're missing
Off-road equipment used for a nontaxable purpose can run dyed (red) diesel, which is sold free of the federal diesel excise tax (apart from a small LUST tax) that's built into clear diesel at the pump (IRS Pub. 510). State rules vary; see diesel taxes by state. A fuel card at the pump won't put dyed diesel into equipment parked on a job site.
How on-site fuel delivery works with FuelGo
Switching to on-site delivery is simpler than most operators expect. With FuelGo, there's no contract required and no minimum order. You call or submit a quote request online, a dispatcher replies within the hour with a delivered price per gallon based on your location and volume, and we schedule your first delivery.
For job sites and construction operations, we can set up recurring scheduled deliveries tied to your project timeline — daily, weekly, or on-demand. Our trucks carry clear on-road diesel and dyed off-road diesel and can fuel everything from skid steers and excavators to tower cranes and generator banks without any of your equipment or operators leaving the site.
For fleet yards and equipment depots, we offer overnight and early-morning deliveries so your fleet leaves full every morning without a station stop. Gallons are recorded per asset by barcode scan, tied to the meter, so you get the fuel controls of a card program without carrying cards.
For critical operations — data centers, hospitals, telecom towers, emergency response — we maintain 24/7 emergency delivery capability. Dispatch is staffed 24/7/365 at 800-720-4546, and critical facilities like data centers are prioritized in emergency dispatch.