The finalisation of Viva Energy’s purchase of the OTR Group in March has added more than 180 OTR petrol station sites to the Shell Card network.
This means the Shell Card is now accepted at 1500 sites across Australia including Shell, Reddy Express, Coles Express, Liberty, Westside and OTR.
The OTR sites, heavily centred around South Australia and Victoria, are known for their strong convenience offerings and partnered fast food restaurants such as Subway, Wokinabox, Guzman Y Gomez, Krispy Kreme, Hungry Jacks and Oporto.
The changeover means BP Plus cards will no longer be accepted at OTR sites and will be phased out over the coming months.
For South Australian transport operator Justin Jaensch of J & E Jaensch Transport, otherwise known as Jet Trucking, the expanded footprint for Shell Card in his state and along key freight routes is great news.
With eight prime movers in the Jet Trucking fleet moving a wide variety of freight interstate on a daily basis, fuel is a major expense.
Justin says his team operates a mix of road train and B-double tippers, tautliners, and open trailers, with the majority of their regular routes taking them to and from Adelaide, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
He says with the OTR sites moving across to Shell Card it made sense to have a look at what was on offer and he was quickly sold with coming on board.
Having the vast majority of his business’ fuel cost recorded on one card was also of great appeal on the administrative side.
“When you’re buying a little bit here, there and everywhere, it doesn’t seem to be as cost effective,” Justin said. “It also helps at the end of the month with our BAS and our accounting side. To have the majority of the usage for all of the trucks on one card, it makes life a lot easier.”
For drivers, Justin says OTR sites are popular as most of them have toilets, showers and driver amenities – and they’re located on main freight routes out of Adelaide.
“Generally, they’re aligned with a Subway, Hungry Jack’s or an Oporto or some sort of fast-food option, as well as the convenience store side of it. It definitely helps if you need to restock a few supplies.”
Justin has found the Shell Card online portal very easy to navigate and was impressed by the data available for each of his trucks.
“You just log into that, and it has everything in real time that’s going on with our account. You can lock cards instantly if one is lost, check your monthly spend, it’s a really good system. It’s good when you get on to a system like that, it just works.”
The Shell Card is available for anyone who has an ABN and one or more vehicles identified as being for business use. It seamlessly connects with accounting software Xero and MYOB, making end of month reporting and tax time easier when it comes to fuel expenses – offering the benefits of no more lost receipts or manual calculations.
Other highlights of the Shell Card package include competitive fuel discounts, built-in fraud protection, an Australian-based customer service team and access to over 120 years of expertise in supplying high quality fuels.
To assist with the transition to Shell Card at OTR sites, Shell Card has some great offers available.
Visit shell.com.au/otr for more information or email shellcardsales@vivaenergy.com.au.