The Hidden Cost of Price Drift

Many fleet managers are paying more for fuel than they realise, and not because prices are rising at the pump.

The real issue is something subtler: price drift.

It starts when a supplier quotes a low weekly rate to win your business. Then, slowly and quietly, your costs begin to climb without explanation, and often without any clear record of what changed.

Fleetnetix offers direct contracts with Shell UK. We see this happen regularly when customers come to us asking for a second opinion. Here’s what we have learned, and what to look for.

What Is Price Drift and Why Does It Happen

Price drift is what happens when your fuel price rises gradually over time, outside your control and often without your knowledge.

Here’s how it works:

1. You are quoted a low weekly rate to win your business
2. Once onboarded, the rate slowly increases week by week
3. You notice the bill creeping up, but cannot trace why

Unlike fixed pump discounts, which are rare, most suppliers work from flexible weekly pricing. They don’t explain their methodology or margin. And because fuel pricing is volatile and not publicly benchmarked, there’s no easy way to track whether you're still getting a good deal.

Common Signs of Price Drift

If your supplier is adjusting your rate unfairly, the clues are in your invoice. Warning signs include:

• Pricing initially was significantly under pump price, yet the gap is getting less and less
• New line items that weren’t there before, such as network uplift or admin fee
• Different prices at different locations, especially partner and motorway sites
• Charges added to non-fuel items like AdBlue, screen wash or tolls
• No access to reporting without paying extra
• No explanation of how your weekly price is set.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Most fleet managers only spot the issue when they manually compare invoices over time or switch suppliers and see a sudden drop in spend.

The Problem with Most Fuel Cards

The fuel card market is full of resellers whose business model is based on opacity. Some cold-call fleets offering 10 pence per litre savings, then claw it back through price creep, hidden fees and network charges.

Common issues include:

• Unrealistically low introductory rates
• Weekly margin increases via algorithms
• Uncommunicated surcharges on partner sites
• Admin and reporting fees
• Complicated to obtain Fee Tariffs.

Because there is no published “base rate” for wholesale diesel, even experienced operators struggle to know what is fair.

What Makes Shell and Fleetnetix Different

Fleetnetix provides Shell fuel card accounts with clear, consistent pricing and access to Shell Fleet Hub, one of the best reporting tools on the market.

• Contracted pricing you can rely on
• One simple margin per product type
• Full access to live transaction reporting
• No partner network uplifts
• No per-card reporting fees
• Invoices that match what you were told.

Case Study: £5,000 in Savings

A 40-vehicle facilities company switched to Fleetnetix after suspecting they were being overcharged.

Their supplier had quoted a 10 pence per litre saving, but we reviewed their invoices and found:

• Network fees of 4 pence per litre on 65 percent of fill-ups
• Uplifts on AdBlue and tolls of 20 percent
• Extra fees for portal access

By switching to a Shell fuel card account through Fleetnetix, they saved over £5,000 a year.

How to Check If You’re Affected

• Review a recent invoice
• Look for vague fees or unexplained price changes
• Ask your supplier how your rate is set
• Or send us an invoice and we’ll check it for you

Bottom Line

If you haven’t checked your pricing in a while, now is the time.
Fleetnetix can help you understand what you are paying and how Shell compares.

Request a free invoice review