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Free fuel management policy template (PDF-ready). Set fuel-card rules, purchasing controls, efficiency targets, fraud controls and fleet reporting.

Jarrod Milford

Jarrod Milford

Commercial Director

Updated 22 June 2026

Key takeaways

  • A fuel management policy sets the rules behind every fill, where a fuel log only records the fill itself.
  • Fuel is a large controllable cost that leaks through small, repeated losses unless it is actively reconciled.
  • Reconciling card statements against logged fills and odometer movement is the control that exposes most fraud.
  • Name a single owner of fuel cost and an exception process, or the spend becomes nobody's problem.
  • Consistent odometer and receipt records also support FBT and ATO substantiation where private use exists.

Updated 22 June 2026

How to use: download the PDF, print or complete digitally on any device.

  • PDF format, ready to print or fill on screen
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FreePDFUpdated June 2026

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What is a fuel management policy template?

A fuel management policy is the document that sets out how an organisation buys, controls, monitors and reports on the fuel its fleet consumes. It is distinct from a fuel log, which simply records each fill: the policy defines the rules behind those fills. It covers who is authorised to purchase fuel and on what, the approved fuel types and suppliers, spend and volume limits, the records every driver must keep, the efficiency targets the fleet is held to, and the controls that detect and deter fuel theft and misuse. It also names the person accountable for fuel cost and sets out how performance is reviewed.

Fuel is one of the largest controllable running costs in any fleet, and it is also one of the easiest to leak through small, repeated losses that never show up as a single obvious event. A clear policy turns fuel from an untracked expense into a managed one: it gives drivers unambiguous rules, gives managers a basis to question outliers, and creates the reconciliation discipline that exposes filling a personal vehicle, buying non-fuel items, or odometer entries that do not add up. Tying the policy to whole-of-life cost thinking under ISO 55001, and to the fringe benefits and record-keeping expectations of the ATO where private use is involved, keeps both the spend and the tax position defensible.

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Benefits of using this fuel management policy template

  • Lower fuel spend: clear purchasing rules and efficiency targets give managers a basis to question outliers and pull the fleet back toward benchmark consumption.
  • Fraud deterrence: defined controls and routine reconciliation make filling a personal vehicle or buying non-fuel items far harder to hide and easier to catch.
  • Consistent records: every driver follows the same rules for receipts, odometer readings and card use, so the data is complete enough to actually analyse.
  • Clear accountability: naming who owns fuel cost and who approves exceptions stops the spend being everyone's problem and therefore no one's.
  • Tax and audit readiness: documented private-use and record-keeping rules support fringe benefits reporting and stand up to an ATO or internal review.
  • Better decisions: reliable consumption data per vehicle feeds replacement, rightsizing and route decisions instead of guesswork at budget time.

Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack

When you move your policys from paper to MapTrack, you get:

  • Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
  • Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
  • Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
  • Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
  • Ability to share forms digitally.
  • Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
  • Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
  • Electronic signatures.
  • Edit forms later without reprinting.
  • Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
  • Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
  • Monitor odometer and service-interval triggers across your entire fleet.
  • Capture fuel receipts and trip logs alongside vehicle inspection data.
  • Compare vehicle downtime and repair costs to inform replacement decisions.

Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles policys.

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Supagas

Matthew Anderson

Maintenance Planning Supervisor, Supagas

What to include in a fuel management policy template

This fuel management policy template covers 9 key areas:

  • Purpose and scope: which vehicles, drivers, plant and fuel types the policy covers
  • Roles and responsibilities: who owns fuel cost, who approves exceptions, and driver obligations
  • Approved purchasing: authorised fuel types, suppliers or networks, and what may not be bought
  • Fuel cards and accounts: how cards are issued, used and secured (cross-reference the fuel-card policy)
  • Spend and volume limits: per-transaction, per-day and per-vehicle limits with an exception process
  • Record-keeping: required odometer readings, receipts, and reconciliation to fuel logs
  • Efficiency targets: expected consumption benchmarks and how underperformance is managed
  • Fraud controls: reconciliation, exception reporting, and consequences for misuse
  • Reporting and review: which fuel reports are produced, how often, and who reviews them

How to use this fuel management policy template

  1. Set the scope and accountability: Define which vehicles, plant and drivers the policy covers and name the person accountable for fuel cost. Without a single owner, fuel spend drifts because questioning an outlier is nobody's clear job and exceptions get approved by default.
  2. Define purchasing rules and limits: Specify the approved fuel types, suppliers or card networks, and what may not be purchased on a fuel account. Set sensible per-transaction, per-day and per-vehicle limits, and document a fast exception path so the rules do not strand legitimate trips.
  3. Establish records and efficiency targets: Require an odometer reading and a receipt against every fill, and set the consumption benchmark each vehicle class is expected to meet. Consistent records are what let you compare actual litres per hundred kilometres against target and spot the outliers.
  4. Build the fraud and reconciliation controls: Reconcile card and fuel statements against logged fills and odometer movement, and define the exception reports that flag double fills, after-hours purchases or volumes that exceed tank capacity. State the consequences for misuse so the deterrent is real.
  5. Communicate, report and review: Issue the policy to every driver, have them acknowledge it, and produce a regular fuel report that compares spend and efficiency by vehicle. Review the policy at least annually and after any fraud finding so the controls keep pace with how the fleet operates.

In MapTrack, you can track your fleet with gps and digital pre-starts. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.

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How often should you complete this policy?

Treat the policy as a living control, not a one-off document. Review it at least annually, and immediately after any fuel fraud finding, a major fuel price shift, or a change in the fleet profile such as moving to hybrids or electric vehicles. Reconcile fuel data far more often than that, monthly at a minimum, because controls that are written but never checked deter no one.

Produce the fuel efficiency and exception reports on a regular cycle and put them in front of the accountable owner. The policy only saves money if the consumption it sets targets against is actually reviewed and the outliers are followed up.

Frequently asked questions

Where vehicles are available for private use, fuel can form part of a car or residual fringe benefit, and the Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 and ATO guidance expect supporting records such as odometer readings and logbooks. A fuel management policy is not tax advice, but by mandating consistent odometer and receipt capture and clear private-use rules, it produces the evidence your accountant needs to calculate and substantiate any benefit correctly. Confirm the specific treatment with a registered tax adviser.

A fuel log is a record: it captures the date, vehicle, litres, cost and odometer for each fill. A fuel management policy is the set of rules that govern those fills, including who can buy fuel, on what, up to what limit, how it is reconciled, and what happens when something does not add up. The log is the data; the policy is the control that makes the data trustworthy and turns it into lower cost and less leakage.

The controls that work are the ones that compare independent sources. Reconciling fuel-card statements against logged fills and odometer movement exposes fills that never reached the tank. Per-transaction and per-vehicle limits cap the size of any single loss. Exception reports that flag double fills, after-hours purchases, or volumes larger than the tank highlight the patterns worth investigating. Pairing those with PIN-secured cards and a clear consequence for misuse removes most of the easy opportunities.

Reconcile at least monthly, aligned to the fuel-card billing cycle, so an anomaly is caught within weeks rather than discovered a year later at audit. High-spend or higher-risk fleets benefit from a weekly exception review on top of the monthly reconciliation. The frequency matters because the deterrent effect comes from drivers knowing the data is genuinely checked, not from the policy simply existing on a shared drive.

Yes, it is completely free. Open it in your browser, then use Print and choose Save as PDF to adapt it for your fleet. You do not need a MapTrack account. If you want to move beyond paper, MapTrack records fuel, odometer and cost data against each vehicle, surfaces consumption and exception reports, and keeps the fleet history in one place so reconciliation is a report rather than a spreadsheet exercise. Start free or book a demo to see how.

Applicable regulatory standards

This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (safe refuelling and handling of fuels)
  • Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 and ATO guidance (fuel and vehicle benefits)
  • ISO 55001:2024 Asset management (whole-of-life vehicle running costs)
  • Australian Consumer Law (fair dealing in fuel purchasing arrangements)

Embed this free template on your website

Run an industry blog, trade association site, or training resource? Drop a preview of this free fuel management policy template straight into your page. The snippet is self-contained, needs no scripts, and links readers back to the full free template.

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  <p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#0E7490;margin:0;">Free template</p>
  <p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Fuel management policy template</p>
  <ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Purpose and scope: which vehicles, drivers, plant and fuel types the policy covers</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Roles and responsibilities: who owns fuel cost, who approves exceptions, and driver obligations</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Approved purchasing: authorised fuel types, suppliers or networks, and what may not be bought</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Fuel cards and accounts: how cards are issued, used and secured (cross-reference the fuel-card policy)</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Spend and volume limits: per-transaction, per-day and per-vehicle limits with an exception process</li>
    <li style="margin:4px 0;">Record-keeping: required odometer readings, receipts, and reconciliation to fuel logs</li>
  </ul>
  <p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/fuel-management-policy-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Fuel management policy template</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>

Please keep the “by MapTrack” attribution link in the snippet.

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