How a Leading Foodservice Supplier Saved $300,000 with Fleet Fuel Management Optimization

A fast-growing wholesale distributor of facilities maintenance supplies and foodservice packaging was struggling to manage a complex fueling strategy across multiple vendors and locations, resulting in inefficiencies, high costs, and a significant administrative burden. By partnering with Breakthrough, the company implemented a data-driven fleet fuel management program that consolidated invoicing and optimized fuel purchasing. This strategic approach not only delivered over $300,000 in annual savings, but also provided the control and visibility needed to support the company’s ambitious growth plans.

Building a Scalable Fleet Fuel Management Strategy

As one of the nation’s leading wholesale distributors of facilities maintenance supplies and foodservice packaging, the company set an ambitious goal to triple its size in five years. With a fleet of 2,300 power units operating out of more than 120 warehouses, the company needed a scalable, data-driven approach to fleet fuel management to support its ambitious growth strategy.

However, its existing fueling system relied on a fragmented network of fuel cards and mobile fueling vendors, creating inefficiencies and escalating costs. The company faced two major challenges:

1. Inefficient Fuel Card Programs: Managing two separate fuel card programs offered minimal discounts and lacked controls to prevent inefficiencies or theft.

2. Overwhelming Administrative Burden: Processing nearly 500 invoices monthly from multiple mobile fueling vendors created significant bottlenecks for the sourcing department.

These challenges not only drove up costs but also hindered the company’s ability to scale efficiently.

Streamlining Fueling Operations with Data-Driven Solutions

To address these challenges, the company partnered with Breakthrough to implement a tailored, two-part fuel management solution for their fleet.

1. Optimizing Fuel Card Programs: Breakthrough leveraged its proprietary analytics platform to analyze data from the company’s existing fuel card providers and mobile fueling vendors. This data-driven approach identified the most cost-effective fueling locations along driver routes and enabled Breakthrough to negotiate an improved fuel card program with key benefits, including:

• Larger discounts and monthly rebates at retail locations.

• A broad network of smaller discounts across various outlets.

• Enhanced security measures, such as PIN requirements and odometer entries, to prevent theft.

• Controls to limit daily fuel stops, fuel quantities, and usage times.

2. Consolidating Invoicing Processes: Breakthrough also streamlined the company’s mobile fueling billing process by consolidating nearly 500 monthly invoices into just a few. Each transaction was centrally coded by location, and vendors were paid directly through the system according to negotiated terms. This reduced the time spent approving invoices from hours each week to just minutes per month.

By combining data analytics with streamlined processes, Breakthrough provided the company with the tools and visibility needed to scale efficiently while maintaining control over costs.

Achieving $300,000 in Annual Savings

The results of Breakthrough’s fleet fuel management program were immediate and impactful, delivering over $300,000 in annual savings. Key outcomes included:

• Fuel Card Savings: Over $5,000 per month from enhanced retail discounts and rebates.

• Mobile Fueling Savings: More than $12,000 per month through optimized procurement.

• Labor Cost Reduction: An additional $8,000 per month saved by eliminating manual invoice processing.

Beyond the financial benefits, the streamlined processes freed up internal resources, enabling the company to focus on its ambitious growth strategy. With improved control, visibility, and efficiency, the supplier is now well-positioned to scale its operations while maintaining profitability and delivering exceptional service to its customers.

A Smarter Path to Growth

This partnership demonstrates the power of a strategic approach to fleet fuel management. By transforming a complex and costly operation into a source of efficiency, Breakthrough helped the company build a more resilient and profitable foundation for the future.