WEX vs Comdata vs EFS: Fuel Card Network Comparison for Trucking

Search for a trucking fuel card and three names come up again and again: WEX, Comdata and EFS. But the comparison is not quite what it looks like. EFS has been owned by WEX since 2016, and Comdata has belonged to FleetCor, now Corpay, since 2014. So for a trucking fleet the real choice is between two companies, each with several cards. This article compares them head-to-head on network, how the pump price is set, fees, fraud controls, driver cash, credit and reporting, using the figures the providers and independent reviewers have published. Pricing changes often and much of it is set by contract, so a question list for your quote is included too. To see how card data feeds your maintenance records, schedule a short demo with our team.

Two companies, not three: why ownership changes the comparison

WEX announced its purchase of Electronic Funds Source in October 2015 for $1.1 billion plus 4 million shares, and completed it on 1 July 2016. FleetCor bought Comdata for about $3.45 billion in a deal announced in August 2014 and later rebranded itself as Corpay. That history matters in three ways when you shop.

Seven rounds, card by card

Each round compares the WEX Fleet Card, EFS and Comdata on one decision. The edge goes only where the published facts support it; where they don’t, the answer depends on your lanes and contract.

Cash price, contract discounts or rebates: three ways the pump price is built

Discount headlines are hard to compare because the three cards don’t start from the same price. Before comparing cents per gallon, ask what the discount is taken from.

Fees you can see before you sign, and fees you can’t

Comdata’s published fees make it easier to estimate cost before talking to sales. That is not the same as being cheaper: an EFS contract with a better discount at the stops you actually use can outweigh a monthly card fee. Work out the cost per gallon fuelled, with fees included, at your real volume.

Fraud controls: matching technology on both sides

Card skimming and fuel theft are the main reasons trucking fleets move to truck-specific cards. Both EFS and Comdata check whether the truck is actually at the pump, and both offer a phone-based step for the driver.

Comchek or MoneyCodes: the broker often decides for you

Express codes are one-time, dollar-limited codes that a carrier or broker issues for cash advances, lumper payments, fuel or roadside repairs. Comdata’s Comchek and EFS MoneyCodes do the same job, and the cash a driver receives is the same. The differences are in fees and acceptance. Trucking guides list code fees in the range of a few dollars to around $15 depending on the amount, and truck stops may add a cashing fee. Because brokers choose which system they issue, a carrier often ends up handling both. If most of your loads come from brokers that pay in Comchek, a Comdata account keeps advances and fuel on one statement. If you run your own advances, compare what each code costs at your usual amounts.

The full comparison on one page

Which card fits which trucking operation

Compare on your own fuel history, not on headline discounts

The fairest test uses data you already have. Pull the last three months of fuel purchases and list every location, chain and gallon count. Send that list to both providers and ask each to price it: what you would have paid at each stop, after discounts and including every fee. The result is a like-for-like cost per gallon on your real lanes, which no published average can give you. If one provider can’t or won’t price your history, that tells you something too. Repeat the exercise each year, because chain agreements and discounts change, and a card that was cheapest when you signed may not stay that way.

Ten questions to put to each provider before you sign

Tick each question off as you get a written answer. Ask both companies the same questions so the quotes can be compared line by line.

Fuel data is most useful alongside the rest of the truck’s history. Pair it with a digital DVIR and DOT inspection routine and FleetRabbit’s preventive maintenance scheduling, so a fall in fuel economy leads to a work order instead of a guess.

WEX, Comdata and EFS questions