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AITA Fuel Discount Program
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Is David Brady now the scapegoat for the discount card
system that all the credit cards offer to any of their account holders? Sam’s
Club offers 5% discount on fuel for up to $60000 a year. Is that bad for this membership? Chase Bank
(Chase Freedom Visa) offers 5% discount on fuel every other quarter. I do agree
that the NAPA and the current fuel discount program at PC are also good, but each of
us have to make the choice for which discount they want. -
I have the Sam’s Club Mastercard I got in August and on my last visit to Sam’s Club I collected right at $200. I have a Flying j RV card that gives a 6 cent discount but I find the interstate truck stops to be 20-30 cents higher than other fuel sellers. I will not venture into just any filling station, but I’m not allergic at all to using a fuel source as long as I see a comfortable looking entrance and exit. I also use the Iphone app: GASBUDDY. When you’re buying as much as we do, it’s a great resource. I usually plan ahead for a fuel stop, know where i’m gonna stop and, if it’s not a truck stop, take a look at it with Google satellite to be certain I can get in and out. Just the way I do it…maybe not for everyone…ty
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Hish, I am not sure where you are coming from. I certainly do not think David is in the background stirring the pot and I don’t see where he has been accused. This thread is about AITA which is an independent trucker’s association.
But regardless of who is asking our members to consider fuel discount programs, we like to hear about them because like you, Tom and I are Prevost owners and we buy fuel. We also want to get the best deal for fuel we can. What we object to are fuel discount program providers who misrepresent the program such as I encountered about 10 days ago. We looked into it and I was being told what the representative thought I wanted to hear, but when I got into the details it was a credit card and nothing more, with discounts off the credit price and no money advantage over our current program. And the program (which I will not name) lacked the convenience factor our members now expect.
I have now been contacted with AITA and they are discussing the program between PC and AITA internally. That is not the first time I have heard that because we do not fit the model most programs have. I am not optimistic, but until we have had an opportunity to go over what they offer in detail they have become a player.
Just so everyone is aware the largest stumbling blocks to a fuel discount program that seems to universally impact the programs in the market are simple. Not all allow us to swipe, pump and go while paying cash price. That alone is the greatest benefit based on all the feedback we have gotten.
Another problem with existing discount programs is they are tailored for truckers, often with multiple trucks. We are all individually owned and for any program to run XXX credit checks, send bills or collect from XXX owners, the fuel program providers see that as adding significantly to their administrative burden.
And one big stumbling block is we just do not buy a lot of fuel. The average truck runs 10 times as many miles as we do and uses no less than 10 time the amount of fuel. That is one of the reasons we are opposed to just throwing out a variety of options and encouraging members to pick and choose. Our current relationship with Profit Tools is a good one, it provides all of us that participate a great deal of convenience plus a decent discount if we are willing to do some pre-planning. Our obligation is to get as many gallons of diesel flowing through the program because the more gallons, the better it is for all of us. That does not mean we cannot do better, But keep in mind the benchmark is our existing program and so far no offers or proposals have come close to the overall benefits.
None of this has anything to do with David, nor do I think anyone is saying it does.
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Jon
Check out post number 14 as Geo edited and deleted the first
post few days ago. -
Geo thought maybe it was David again trying to sabatoge our fuel program, but then posted later is wasn’t David.
We know it came from AITA through the Napa program, so case closed, it didn’t apply to us anyway.
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