Running a truck cost $2.336 per mile in 2025, the highest in the history of ATRI's operational cost report. Fuel was about 48 cents of that and repair and maintenance about 22 cents, and tolls rose 13.2% in a year. Most fleets see these costs in separate places: a fuel card portal, a stack of shop invoices, a toll statement. Fleet spend management software brings them together and tells you where money is leaking.
The category splits into two very different kinds of tool, and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake. Here is how they differ, and how the main options compare in 2026.
Two kinds of fleet spend management
Card programs (Motive, Coast, AtoB, WEX) give you a payment card with controls built in: spending limits, category restrictions, and fraud checks. They work well, but they only see the spend that goes through their card.
Spend platforms (Fleevo, and Fleetio for maintenance) sit on top of the cards, shops, and systems you already use. They do not move money. They audit and analyze spend from every source, whichever card or vendor it came through.
Many fleets use both: a card for controls at the pump, and a platform to audit everything, including the spend that never touches the card.
What makes good fleet spend management software?
- Covers every spend source. Fuel cards, onsite tanks, maintenance invoices, tolls, and EV charging. A tool that sees half your spend can only protect half of it.
- Checks against vehicle data. Telematics shows where the vehicle was and how much fuel it took on. That is what turns a transaction list into fraud detection.
- Works with your existing cards. Switching card programs means new cards for every driver, new contracts, and new rebate terms. Check whether the tool requires it.
- Flags, not just reports. Anomalies surfaced as they happen, not found in a month-end spreadsheet.
- Shows cost per vehicle. Fuel, maintenance, and fines added up per vehicle is the number that drives replace, reassign, or retrain decisions.
The leading fleet spend management tools
1. Fleevo
Fleevo is an AI fleet spend control platform that audits spend from the cards and vendors you already use. It has 100+ integrations across fuel cards (including WEX, Voyager, EFS, and Corpay), onsite tank systems, EV chargers, and telematics, and is an official partner of Samsara, Geotab, and Verizon Connect. Every fuel transaction is checked against the vehicle's location, fuel level, and fuel type. Maintenance invoices are checked line by line against your own repair history and vehicle usage. AdBlue/DEF, idle cost per vehicle, and (for UK fleets) PCNs and fines sit in the same view. You can add your own checks in plain English, such as "flag a second fill within an hour." Best for fleets with more than one card, onsite tanks, or outsourced maintenance that want one audited view without switching card programs. Learn more about fleet spend control.
2. Motive
Motive combines its fleet management platform with the Motive Card, a Mastercard accepted for fuel, maintenance, lodging, and other business expenses, with category controls set by admins. GPS-matched fraud detection, backed by a fraud guarantee of up to $250,000 a year (terms apply), relies on Motive telematics. Best for fleets already running Motive ELDs and telematics that want card, controls, and fraud checks from one vendor.
3. Coast
Coast is a Visa card for fuel, field, and office expenses, with fuel rebates at 30,000+ stations and virtual cards for software and supplies. It is built around trades and field service fleets: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, and construction. Best for field service businesses that want fuel and job-site spend on one card with expense management.
4. AtoB
AtoB offers a fleet card for fuel plus maintenance, tolls, tires, and other vehicle expenses, accepted at 99% of gas stations and truck stops. It is built for trucking: local, over-the-road, and owner-operators. Best for trucking fleets and owner-operators that want fuel discounts and simple card controls.
5. WEX
WEX is one of the largest US fleet card issuers, accepted at 95% of US fuel stations and 45,000+ service locations. Controls cover product type, dollar amount, and time of day, with driver ID on every transaction and exception reports. Best for small and growing fleets that want a widely accepted card with standard controls. WEX cards also feed into spend platforms like Fleevo.
6. Fleetio
Fleetio is fleet maintenance software that also imports fuel card transactions from WEX, Comdata, EFS, and Corpay, calculating MPG and cost per mile per transaction. It works with any card and is maintenance-led: work orders, schedules, and parts. Available in the US and Canada. Best for fleets that want maintenance management first, with fuel spend analysis alongside.
Comparison at a glance
| Tool | Type | Must switch fuel card? | Fuel | Maintenance | Onsite tanks | Fines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleevo | Spend platform | No | Audited vs telematics | Invoice audit | Yes | UK only |
| Motive | Card + telematics | Yes | Card controls, GPS match | Card spend only | No | No |
| Coast | Card program | Yes | Card controls | Card spend only | No | No |
| AtoB | Card program | Yes | Card controls | Card spend only | No | No |
| WEX | Card program | Yes | Card controls | Card spend only | No | No |
| Fleetio | Maintenance software | No | Imported, MPG | Work orders | Not stated | No |
How to choose
- List your spend sources first. If all your fuel goes through one card and maintenance is minimal, a card program may be enough. If you run several cards, onsite tanks, or outsourced maintenance, you need a platform that sees across them.
- Decide whether you want to switch cards. A new card program can bring better rebates, but it means reissuing cards and renegotiating. A spend platform keeps your existing cards.
- Check your telematics. GPS-based fraud checks need telematics data. Some tools require their own hardware; others connect to what you already have.
- Look at the spend nobody checks. Maintenance invoices and onsite tank fills are where most fleets have no controls at all. That is often where the biggest savings sit.
For more, read fuel card vs fleet spend platform, fleet spend management for mid-size fleets, and our guide to the best fuel card fraud detection software.
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How Fleevo manages fleet spend
Fleevo connects your fuel cards, onsite tanks, telematics, EV chargers, and maintenance invoices, and checks every transaction against what the vehicle actually did. Anything that does not add up is flagged with full detail for your team to review. Fleevo offers a free 3-month fuel audit and a free 6-month maintenance audit: connect your data or share an export, and you get the number back within 48 hours.
Book a demo or browse our integrations.
Fleet spend management FAQs
What is fleet spend management software?
Software that brings fleet costs such as fuel, maintenance, tolls, and fines into one place, and controls or audits them. Some tools are card programs that control spend at the point of purchase; others are platforms that audit spend from every source.
How much does it cost to run a truck per mile?
ATRI's 2026 report puts the average at $2.336 per mile in 2025 for for-hire Class 8 tractor-trailers, including about 48 cents for fuel and 22 cents for repair and maintenance. Vocational and light-duty fleets will differ.
Do I need to switch fuel cards to manage fleet spend?
Not always. Card programs like Motive, Coast, AtoB, and WEX require their own card. Spend platforms like Fleevo work with the cards you already have, including several at once.
What is the difference between a fuel card and a fleet spend platform?
A fuel card controls what a driver can buy at the pump. A spend platform audits what was bought, against telematics, across every card, tank, and vendor, including spend that never went through a card.
Which fleet costs are hardest to control?
Usually maintenance invoices and onsite tank fuel, because they bypass card controls. Repair and maintenance was one of the fastest-rising trucking costs in 2025, up 8.6%.
Sources
- ATRI, An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking: 2026 Update: truckingresearch.org
- FleetOwner, cost per mile by expense category: fleetowner.com
- Transport Topics, ATRI truck costs 2025: ttnews.com
- Motive spend management: gomotive.com
- Coast: coastpay.com
- AtoB: atob.com
- WEX Fleet Card: wexinc.com
- Fleetio supported fuel cards: help.fleetio.com
