Digital payment technologies such as Relay’s give fleets enhanced anti-fraud protection, according to one Pilot executive. (Pilot Co.)

Relay Payments’ digitized diesel payment platform is set to be available at Pilot Co.’s more than 800 truck stops, the companies said June 14.

Fraud and card skimming caused major headaches for Holland, Mich.-based carrier TransWay until it began using Relay’s app, Amanda Corlew, the company’s human resources and safety manager, told Transport Topics.

Drivers do not have to carry a fuel card, and the possibility that they could be refused service is much less stressful, Corlew said, adding that downtime and delivery delays as a result of fraud were no longer an issue for the carrier. Corlew said driver feedback was that Relay’s payment tool was easy to use.

Previously, executives at TransWay were having to drive out to employees with new cards, with the cost amounting to $1,500 or more a time when all factors were taken into account, which was on a regular basis, she said.

Relay said the possibility of fraud for its system was minimal. Using digital data points and configurable carrier policies, Relay verifies driver identities and authenticates fuel transactions in real time.

To further prevent fraud, Relay employs geofencing technology and real-time transaction data analysis.

Pilot sees positives too. “We take fraud protection seriously and are always looking for innovative solutions to support the needs of our fleet customers,” said David Hughes, Pilot’s senior vice president of sales. “Digital payment technologies like Relay provide fleets with enhanced anti-fraud capabilities and improve the ease of commercial diesel transactions.”

Relay first introduced its digital payment solution in 2019.