which depends on the amount of volume
a customer purchases.
Pilot’s proprietary fleet program
originated in 1985 at the company’s con-
venience stores as a way of clinching
business from a niche that needed to be
filled, much as URC did. The card was
a success and was quickly worked into
the company’s travel plazas, where it is
now used by more than 4,000 customers
that make up about 5% of the company’s
volume.
“What led our company to developing
a fleet program was a request from our
customers who were looking for a solu-
tion like this for their businesses,” said Jay
Stinnett, regional sales manager for Pilot’s
fleet card program. “We wanted to pro-
vide local business customers with a clear
opportunity to use our products.”
Though much of the fleet sales come
from accepting outside fleet card services
intended for large trucking fleets, the pro-
prietary cards work to build local loyalty
to the Pilot brand, as well as provide the
chain with an opportunity to upsell to
its customers.