ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings is urging all fuel card companies to reduce or suspend their fuel card transaction fees in the wake of a national crisis and record-high fuel prices brought on by Hurricane Katrina.
NATSO is the national trade association representing truckstops and travel plazas.
Last week, Mullings sent a letter to Commercial Fueling Network, Comdata, EFS Transportation Services, Fleet One LLC, T-Chek Systems, and TCH, LLC on behalf of NATSO's 900 member locations throughout the United [image-nocss] States.
She said, The Gulf Coast tragedy and recent rising fuel costs have greatly increased the cost of fuel in this country. Truckstops and travel plazas are working to supply product and to control prices so that they can keep America's truckers on the road and protect our economy. As an important partner to the nation's truckstops, we urge the fuel card companies to help them keep America moving by reducing card fees for the entire industry.
She added that given the rising costs of fuel, transaction fees hit independent operators particularly hard because they are paying fuel card companies a percentage of the fuel transaction amount. As fuel costs increase, a location's costs increase as well, which they have to pass on to the consumer. Reducing or suspending transaction fees as the nation responds to Katrina will benefit fleets, consumers and hurricane victims.
Timely delivery of freight is crucial to improving the situation in the storm-ravaged states, Mullings said. The nation's truckstops and travel plazas are committed to keeping truckers on the road so they can bring desperately-needed supplies and other goods to those areas that need it the most, she added.
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