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Relay Payments, an Atlanta-based fintech, is rolling out its digital diesel-payment platform at more than 800 Pilot Travel Centers LLC locations. Pilot, which is owned by investment firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Pilot Corp., operates a chain of truck stops across the United States and Canada. In addition to its flagship brand, Pilot operates travel centers under the Flying J and One9 Fuel Network brands.
The rollout of Relay’s payment platform across all Pilot locations will enable fleet operators to address the nagging issue of fraud and disputed transactions at the pump. Fleets operating as many as 100 trucks experience about $20,000 a month in fraud and disputed transactions, according to Relay. The fraud is typically the result of card skimming, says Ryan Droege, co-founder and chief executive of Relay Payments.
Despite the card industry’s years-long push to get gas stations, travel centers, and convenience stores that sell fuel to install EMV card readers at the pump to guard against fraud, several fuel-related companies still lag behind when it comes to compliance, Droege says. The chief culprit for non-compliance is cost, according to payments experts.
Relay’s solution eliminates the need for installing new card readers at the pump by using a mobile app to communicate with the pump. The app authenticates the user in real-time and provides fleets will all the reporting they require, including which pump the driver used to refuel his vehicle. Fleet operators will also be able to continue leveraging their existing savings and direct-billing arrangements with Pilot on the Relay platform. “We eliminate the need to use a card at the pump. Without a card, there is nothing for criminals to skim,” Droege says.
Relay says another advantage of using its app for fueling is that drivers do not need to worry about having their card shut down if they become a victim of fraud. It can take up to 40 days for a fleet operator to reissue a card shut down due to suspected fraud, according to Droege. “For drivers that are on the road, that can be a problem, because fuel is one their biggest expenses,” he adds.
Relay, which introduced its digital-payment solution in 2019 to eliminate long delays that forced drivers to wait hours for payment approvals and authorizations, works with more than 300,000 fleet operators and drivers, including J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. and Old Dominion Freight Line. The company has also installed its digital payments platform at several regional travel centers, such as Sapp Brothers and Road Ranger LLC.
