Fuel card provider launches free fuel discount app for owner-operators

Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Oct. 4, 2024:

New no-cost fuel discount app for owner-ops, small fleets

Fuel card provider WEX announced Friday, on National Truckers Appreciation Day (Oct. 4), that its new app, 10-4 by WEX, offers nationwide diesel discounts to independent truckers, including owner-operators and small fleets.

The free mobile app was developed by WEX to offer fuel discounts typically reserved for larger trucking enterprises to independent truckers and small trucking companies in the U.S.

10-4 by WEX appWEX launched on Friday its 10-4 by WEX app, offering fuel discounts to owner-operators and small fleets.Discounts are available at a large and growing discount network of U.S.-based truck stops, which includes AMBEST, Road Ranger, Sapp Bros., Love’s Travel Stops, and the 7FLEET Diesel Network (Speedway, Stripes, and 7-Eleven), with additional merchants and related discounts expected in the coming months.

Truckers simply download the 10-4 by WEX app and begin using it for immediate discounts -- the app is free and there are no applications, no credit checks, and no transaction fees. Drivers just enter their basic information, upload their preferred payment method (either debit or credit), and start saving. Savings are tracked through a dashboard in the app, and users get points for every gallon transaction to unlock bonus discounts.

“It’s no coincidence that the launch of 10-4 by WEX comes during National Truckers Appreciation Day. The new app is part and parcel with WEX’s continued commitment to the trucking community and the mobility industry as a whole,” said Timothy Hampton, SVP and General Manager of OTR at WEX. “10-4 by WEX offers diesel discounts at Love’s and other leading truck stops, providing instant savings at the pump to independent owner-operators and other small trucking operations that have, historically, been left out of the mix.”

The app is available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Arizona plans I-17 overnight lane restrictions

Work improving the I-17 pavement surface in north Phoenix will occur overnight this weekend, with southbound I-17 reduced to one lane on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Southbound I-17 will be narrowed to one lane overnight only between State Route 74/Carefree Highway and Dixileta Drive from 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday; 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday; and 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation is continuing a project along I-17 between Happy Valley Road and State Route 74, Arizona DOT said. An older and rough top layer of asphalt pavement has been removed and specialized equipment is now diamond-grinding the base concrete pavement, creating a smoother, safer and longer lasting riding surface along 6 miles of I-17. 

Drivers using I-17 southbound during these restrictions should budget extra time. Despite what a travel app may recommend, ADOT noted, avoid attempting to detour on neighborhood streets that aren’t designed for freeway traffic. 

Future weekend restrictions for this project are currently scheduled as follows:

  • Beginning Friday night, Oct. 11: SB I-17 narrowed to one lane starting at SR 74/Carefree Highway and closed at Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive, with traffic using off- and on-ramps
  • Beginning Friday night, Oct. 18: SB I-17 closed at Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive, with traffic using off- and on-ramps, and then narrowed to one lane between Loop 303 and Happy Valley Road

[Related: I-26 in Tennessee likely to be closed at least through October]

CVSA transitions to new leadership

As of Oct. 1, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has transitioned to new leadership for 2024-2025.

Capt. John Hahn, of Colorado State Patrol, is the new president of the Alliance. Maj. Erick McGuire, with Florida Highway Patrol, is CVSA’s vice president, and Col. Russ Christoferson, with Montana Department of Transportation, has moved into the past president role.

On Sept. 12, at the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Big Sky, Montana, CVSA Class I Members and Class II Local Members elected Sgt. William “Bill” Alarcon, with New Jersey State Police, to the position of CVSA secretary.

Alarcon will serve one year as secretary of the Alliance, while concurrently serving as chair of the CVSA Election Committee. Then, he’ll serve one year as vice president of the Alliance and chair of the CVSA Finance Committee. The year after that, he will become CVSA’s president. After one year as president, Alarcon will then serve three years as past president -- making the entire obligation a six-year commitment.

CVSA also made leadership changes in its regional, membership, committee and program divisions. All current CVSA leadership can be seen here.