Enter your annual miles, MPG, and the per-gallon discount your fuel card actually gives you in-network. You'll get your net annual savings (after card fees), your savings per mile, and how it stacks up against typical 2026 fuel-card discounts. Fuel is the biggest variable cost in trucking — a few cents a gallon is real money at your mileage.
Savings scale with the gallons you burn, not the dollars you spend — so a worse MPG and more miles both raise your fuel-card savings. The "up to $X/gallon" you see advertised is a best case at specific stops; enter the average discount you really get on your lanes. Not sure of your MPG's fuel cost? See diesel cost per mile by state.
The honest answer is a single line of math: annual gallons × your average per-gallon discount, minus any card fees. Your annual gallons are just your miles divided by your MPG. At 120,000 miles and 6.5 MPG you burn about 18,460 gallons a year — so every 1¢/gallon of real discount is worth roughly $185 a year. A modest 10¢/gallon is about $1,850; a strong in-network 25¢/gallon is about $4,600. That is why fuel cards are a top owner-operator lever: the discount is small per gallon but you buy a lot of gallons.
Fuel-card marketing leads with "save up to $X per gallon." That number is the best case at the network's best stops. Your realized discount is the average across all the fuel you actually buy — including the times you fuel out-of-network because the discounted stop wasn't on your lane. The fix isn't to chase the biggest headline; it's to pick the card whose network covers the lanes you already run, then enter that realistic average above. A 12¢/gallon discount you get every fill beats a 40¢ one you can only use twice a month.
Original TruckMargin estimates. Cells = (miles ÷ 6.5) × discount, assuming no card fee. Re-run your own numbers in the tool above.
| Discount | 80,000 mi | 100,000 mi | 120,000 mi | 140,000 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10¢/gal | $1,231 | $1,538 | $1,846 | $2,154 |
| 15¢/gal | $1,846 | $2,308 | $2,769 | $3,231 |
| 25¢/gal | $3,077 | $3,846 | $4,615 | $5,385 |
| 40¢/gal | $4,923 | $6,154 | $7,385 | $8,615 |
Per-gallon discounts vary widely by card, location, and monthly volume — commonly ~5¢ to 50¢+/gallon. A representative snapshot of advertised 2026 ranges:
| Card / network | Advertised per-gallon discount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AtoB | ~$0.45–$2.00 at select in-network stops | High end is best-case; realized average is lower |
| TCS Fuel | ~$0.53 avg at participating stops | Large discount network |
| EFS | ~$0.05–$0.15 | Broad acceptance |
| Comdata | ~$0.08–$0.12 at network stops | Widely accepted |
| Truckers Advantage | ~$0.10 at Pilot / Flying J | Single-network simplicity |
| ExxonMobil Business Pro | up to ~$0.06 rebate (volume-based) | Rebate, not pump discount |
Advertised figures from provider sites and 2026 fuel-card comparison guides; your realized discount depends on network coverage on your lanes and your monthly volume. Ranges, not guarantees — verify current terms with the provider.
Annual gallons (miles ÷ MPG) × your in-network discount. At 120,000 mi and 6.5 MPG (~18,460 gal), 10¢/gal ≈ $1,850/yr and 25¢/gal ≈ $4,600/yr. Real 2026 discounts commonly run ~5¢ to 50¢+/gal depending on the card and where you fuel.
Usually, as long as net savings beat fees. Many owner-operator cards are free, so even a small in-network discount nets positive. The deciding factor is whether the card's discount network covers the lanes you already run.
Some charge a monthly or per-transaction fee; many owner-operator cards are free. Fees come straight off the discount, so this tool subtracts your monthly fee (×12) to show the true net — not the advertised headline.
Because the discount is per gallon. A truck getting 5.5 MPG burns more gallons over the same miles than one getting 7.5 MPG, so the same per-gallon discount returns more dollars. Improving MPG lowers your fuel bill but shrinks fuel-card savings — both are good, just different levers.
Savings = (annual miles ÷ MPG) × per-gallon discount, less monthly fee × 12. The default 6.5 MPG matches TruckMargin's diesel cost-per-mile page; the $5.35/gal context price is the EIA national on-highway average (week of June 1, 2026, per the fuel surcharge tool). Diesel price affects only the "% of fuel bill" line, not the savings dollars. Discount benchmarks are advertised 2026 ranges from provider and comparison sources and vary by network, lane, and volume. Last updated June 2026. Estimates for planning only — verify current terms before signing up. Built by TruckMargin.