How to spot fuel theft in a truck fleet

Fuel is one of a fleet’s biggest expenses and one of the hardest to control. Here is how to go about it.

Signs that should worry you

Consumption that varies for no reason from one truck to another on the same route, refills more frequent than expected, unusual stops at night or outside working hours, receipts that do not match the volume that actually went into the tank.

Why manual checks fail

A logbook is filled in afterwards, a dashboard gauge is imprecise, and a spot check only sees what happens that day. Without continuous measurement, everyone is suspected and nothing is proven.

What to measure

The real tank level over time, linked to position and vehicle state. A drop while the vehicle is parked does not mean the same as a drop while driving, and a refill must be recognised as a refill.

What to do with an alert

Check the place and time, identify the assigned driver, keep the alert as evidence, then discuss it with the person concerned. Measure before you accuse: loss figures vary widely from one fleet to another.