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How CUI Telecommunications uncovered $22k in monthly savings with fleet tracking and a fuel card integration

Dedicated to delivering unmatched cable construction, engineering, and last mile services, CUI Telecommunications is a leading solutions provider for Multiple Systems Operators (MSOs). Whether they're designing a fiber optic grid, installing cable infrastructure, or upgrading a last mile network, the CUI team goes above and beyond project expectations to build enduring customer relationships.

At the heart of their success is a group of key values called the CUI CORE4—Honesty, Integrity, Teamwork, and Quality—which make them the business partner of choice for MSOs. But maintaining this level of excellence requires more than just good intentions. It demands cooperation from the entire CUI team—and full operational transparency to ensure the highest employee accountability.

That's why CUI teamed up with industry-leading fleet tracking platform One Step GPS and fuel card provider Coast . Learn how they uphold their company values, improve visibility, and cut operational costs with fleet tracking and fuel card integration—and how the partnership unlocked an immediate savings of $22,000.

Company

CUI Telecommunications

Location

Birmingham, Alabama

Industry

Infrastructure

Fleet type

Pickups, Vans, Cable placers, Bucket trucks, Heavy machinery

Fleet size

200+

One Step GPS devices used

Plug-in Trackers,Hardwired Trackers,Battery Trackers

One Step GPS platform tools used

Real-time GPS tracking,Live Alerts,Fuel card integration

Maximum accountability and savings: Fleet tracking lays the foundation, fuel card integration seals the gaps

Long-time One Step GPS customers, CUI Telecommunications already enjoyed the benefits of quality fleet tracking for employee accountability and cost savings, including:

Increased driver safety: CUI uses One Step GPS safety tools to promote safer driving, cut accident risk, and reduce wear and tear on vehicles. They've seen a marked improvement in driver behavior since using the service to track speeding, excessive cornering, rapid acceleration, and more.
"That has changed behaviors dramatically," CUI Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics Ed Keeley said. "Early on in the process, the alerts were almost unbearable." Now, he remarks, they have come down to "a very manageable level," reflecting a lasting improvement in driver safety.
Optimized accident investigations: For the CUI team, One Step GPS devices are essential for accident investigations. "If the unit detects the impact, it actually draws out what happened … the minute or so before that incident occurred," explained Keeley.
Access to information like vehicle speed, exact location, incident time and duration, and driver behavior leading up to the crash can help determine fault, prevent false claims, and exonerate innocent drivers. Our AI-powered dashcams add another layer of visibility by providing optional dual-facing HD footage of incidents as they occur.
Reducing insurance costs: Shortly after teaming up with One Step GPS, CUI experienced an immediate reduction in insurance costs simply for using our powerful suite of safety tools! Keeley recalled, "[Our agents] were so impressed with it that they were actually able to work some rates with our insurance company providers that saved us some money on our insurance renewals based on One Step GPS and the added … safety enhancements."
One Step GPS' advanced geofence feature helps CUI prove that uninsured vehicles remain off the road, allowing their insurers to continuously offer reduced rates. "Our insurance company loved that as a way to track and monitor that we did not have uninsured vehicles being driven," said Keeley.

Despite seeing massive improvements through fleet tracking, fuel misuse was still a challenge for CUI management. Statistics around fuel theft can be hard to calculate, but there's little doubt it's a costly problem. In fact, experts estimate fuel theft can make up as much as 12% of a fleet's total fuel budget. For large fleets like CUI's, those expenses can add up in a big way.

Though the company had already partnered with a fuel card vendor (which afforded some benefits like fuel rebates), management remained frustrated with a lack of controls that hindered their ability to limit fuel card misuse and theft. They knew they needed a better option to enforce their company-wide commitment to honesty and protect CUI's bottom line.

Ed Keeley was immediately intrigued when he learned of One Step GPS' partnership with top-rated fuel card provider Coast, recognizing the integration as the missing piece for the full accountability and oversight the company needed. Following an onboarding process they described as smooth and easy, the CUI team began experiencing the full benefits of fleet tracking and fuel card integration.

"We found that we saved in the neighborhood of $22,000 from our previous month's invoice from our other provider," Keeley recalled after making the switch. "As we were looking at the analysis and comparing [Coast and our previous vendor], what we found is that it really wasn't any one thing that was the majority of the savings, but rather we found it was quite a few things."

Read on to discover some of the ways CUI's partnership with One Step GPS and Coast helps the company put an end to fuel theft, increases employee responsibility, maximizes fuel rebates, and more.

1. Eliminating fuel theft and fuel card misuse

Combining the precision of One Step GPS fleet tracking with Coast's dependable fuel card services gives CUI Telecommunications complete control over fuel spending. "The biggest control that we found that helps us is the integration with One Step GPS," said Keeley. "We get those notifications if the vehicle is not actually at the gas station at the time it's being fueled. This was huge for us."

The groundbreaking integration—the only one of its kind on the market—ensures the fleet vehicle is at the pump during the fuel card's attempted use. If the vehicle's GPS location is too far from the pump, fleet managers receive an instant alert about the suspicious transaction. From there, they can choose to freeze the card or make a one-time approval of the purchase. Drivers can also send override requests for management's review.

One Step GPS' location data is accurate to within ~6 feet and updates every 1-30 seconds, helping CUI's managers keep a close eye on fuel spending at all times. Coast also allows managers to require that users log into the fuel card before each transaction so a lost card can never be misused. "There was a lot of potential for [fuel card] abuse out there that became virtually impossible with Coast," Keeley stated.

2. Building employee accountability

Shortly after implementing the One Step GPS x Coast integration, CUI began seeing huge improvements in employee accountability. Keeley recalls that "Early on, we would get a lot of attempted use where it says a vehicle is too far from the merchant."

But those attempts soon lessened when drivers learned that fuel card usage was being monitored. "Our fleet drivers understood that we had more visibility into things going on with fuel usage and fuel expenditures," he stated.

Fleet tracking and fuel card integration helped bolster CUI's commitment to honesty and integrity, ensuring the responsible use of company resources. The partnership saved CUI tens of thousands of dollars in the first month alone—and it continues to promote a culture of transparency that reduces fuel expenses and reinforces employee responsibility.

3. Smart fuel spending with maximum rebates

"The rebates from Coast were definitely superior to the rebates we were receiving from our previous vendor," Keeley stated. Simply by using Coast fuel cards, CUI's fleet enjoys:

Impressive fuel rebates of up to 10 cents per gallon: Receive 4 to 10 cents per gallon at more than 30,000 partner gas stations across the nation, including Exxon, Mobil, 7-Eleven, Circle-K, Casey's, and many more.
Cashback on non-fuel purchases: Unlock 1% cashback on every purchase outside a gas station.
Discounts on other fleet expenses: Receive discounted maintenance, supplies, fleet software, roadside assistance, and accounting services from Coast partners.
No hidden fees: The perfect complement to One Step GPS' commitment to transparent pricing, Coast never charges hidden fees—including fees for per-gallon administration, electronic payments, reporting, portal access, inactive cards, phone payments, or per transaction within the US.

4. Effortless fuel management backed by expert support

Thanks to their partnership with One Step GPS and Coast, managing fuel expenditures is no longer an uphill battle for CUI. "What it takes to administer our fuel process was so much easier with Coast than it was with our previous vendor. Now that everything is set and working, we can monitor it," Keeley exclaimed.

In addition to substantial fuel cost savings, the integration also helps CUI cut down on administrative tasks. "We have a weekly meeting on previous fuel spend that lasts all of 15 minutes because everything is just so readily available and so straightforward that we save a lot of unnecessary administrative time as well."

One of the biggest factors in CUI's game-changing fuel spend management success? Keeley credits exceptional customer service. One Step GPS and Coast both maintain a 4.9-star rating on Capterra—with hundreds of reviews commending the companies' unmatched customer support.

"One of the most important things to us with the switch to One Step GPS and ultimately to Coast was the customer service that we received from both companies. The onboarding process was smooth; it was easy," said Keeley. "We got white glove treatment—[they] literally held our hands every step of the way with polite, professional, outstanding people. And it made the transition from one product to the next very, very easy—and just an incredibly amazing experience."

“One of the most important things to us with the switch to One Step GPS and ultimately to Coast was the customer service that we received from both companies. The onboarding process was smooth; it was easy,” said Keeley. “We got white glove treatment—[they] literally held our hands every step of the way with polite, professional, outstanding people. And it made the transition from one product to the next very, very easy—and just an incredibly amazing experience.”

— Ed Keeley, Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics, CUI Telecommunications

With One Step GPS' and Coast's one-of-a-kind integration, fleets can finally stop fuel card misuse at the pump—preventing costly fuel theft before it occurs.Ready to discover how our exclusive fleet tracking and fuel card integration can help your fleet uncover tangible savings? Speak with a US-based specialist today.