Although most people use plastic these days for the majority of their daily transactions, from their morning coffee to dinner out, there are still those who hold out in favor of cold hard cash. But, cash can actually be an inconvenience at times.

Here are several reasons why cards are better than cash — and why running your fleet on a cash system can actually be a hindrance to your drivers when compared with the advantages of fleet credit cards. From ease of use, to potential for fraudulent activity, we examine the reasons why cards are ultimately, better than cash.

Most gas stations now require customers to prepay or pay at the pump. If your drivers aren’t swiping a credit card at the pump, they will have to park the truck, lock the truck, go into the store, and prepay for their gas before they can lift the nozzle and start fueling. Plus, having to prepay makes it difficult for drivers to fill the tank, unless they want to have to go back in for their change — which doubles the potential for wasted time at every stop.

Carrying cash leaves the company vulnerable to theft. Drivers who carry cash, especially on nighttime runs or routes in certain areas, are more likely to get robbed.  It’s better to have drivers use a card (which can be cancelled in the event of a robbery), and put bumper stickers or signs on your vehicles stating that drivers do not carry cash.

Cash makes fraud easy. Let’s say you give your driver a hundred dollars for fueling.  When they come back at the end of the day and give you the receipts and the change, they are 80 or 90 cents short.  Maybe it’s just some change that got lost in the seat, but maybe your driver bought themselves a candy bar on the company’s dime.  When you give drivers cash, it’s easy to steal a little here and there. Protecting yourself from fraud is extremely important.

Cash is easy to lose track of. A lot of people aren’t careful about cash.  They stuff coins and bills in their pockets or the center console of their truck.  Cash can also easily get mixed up with the driver’s own money.  How are you to be sure at the end of the day that the cash you’ve given your drivers has been managed carefully?

All of these issues are resolved when drivers are assigned business fuel cards instead of carrying cash.  They save company time because they are able to swipe their card, fill the tank, and get back on the road more quickly; plus their cards can be easily monitored, controlled, and even cancelled if need be.  Cash is a liability, and these are just four of the reasons why.

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