Fuel Finder App Development
How a Fuel Card Provider Built a Route-Based Fuel Finder App for Truck Drivers
Owner-operators were checking station after station to guess where to fuel. We built A&I a fuel finder that reads a driver’s whole route and recommends the best-priced partner stations along it, on iOS, Android, and the web.
- Partner fuel stations compared
- 1,500+
- States covered
- 48
- Less time planning fuel stops
- 50%
Client Overview
Client Story
A&I Transport and A&I Express supply fleet fuel cards from Watsonville, California, to 500+ trucking companies across 48 states. Their cards unlock discounted fuel at 1,500+ partner stations on networks such as AMBEST, SAPP, Love’s, and TA. Daryn Duff is the CTO.
The discount only helps if a driver stops at the right station. Before a long haul, owner-operators phoned stations, checked price lists, and guessed where along the route the cheapest diesel would be, without knowing how far each one sat off the highway or whether it had truck parking. Plans changed mid-trip, detours ate the savings, and drivers called A&I to ask about prices. The pieces that existed did not share data in real time, card and invoice details were not on the driver’s phone, and dispatchers had no view of where their trucks would fuel.
Background
Project Background
Daryn wanted drivers to see the best place to fuel on any route, with live prices, before they set off. The brief:
- Best Stops for Any Route
- The whole route analyzed, not one station at a time.
- Prices That Are Current
- Live pricing and station data across 48 states.
- Know Before You Turn Off
- Distance from route, parking, and amenities up front.
- Fuel Account on the Phone
- Cards and invoices in the driver’s app.
Our owner-operators are stuck manually checking fuel prices and guessing the best stop. The system we have is fragmented, slow, and doesn’t give real-time route pricing. It’s costing us time and money every day.
Discovery
Research & Ideation
The cheapest station is not always the best stop. The right answer weighs price against how far a truck has to leave the route.
Start From the Route
Drivers enter where they are going, and the app works out the stops.
Price Plus Distance
Every station is ranked by price and by how far it sits off the route.
One Data Source Everywhere
The phone app and web app read the same live data through one sync API.
Design
Designing a Fuel Finder That Plans Around the Route
A driver enters a trip, and the app returns the best-priced partner stations along it.
- Driver’s RouteOrigin and destination entered
- Google MapsRoute and distances calculated
- Stations on RoutePartner stations within reach
- Live PricesEFS and network price data
- Best StopsRanked by price and detour
Every Stop Shows the Trade-Off
Each recommended station shows its price, how far it is from the route, and whether it has truck parking and the services a driver needs, so the choice takes seconds.
- Station A, on route Best price, recommended
- Station B, near exit Truck parking, showers
- Station C, off route Longer detour
- Station D, off network No card discount
Challenges
Project Challenges
Manual Price Comparison
Drivers checked stations one by one, with inconsistent savings.
No Route-Based Recommendations
Nothing analyzed a full route to suggest the best-priced stops.
Little Station Detail
Distance from route, parking, and services were hard to see.
Disconnected Components
Slow updates and inconsistent real-time data between parts.
Heavy Route Processing
Complex routes across 48 states strained the platform.
No Mobile Fuel Account
Cards and invoices were not on the driver’s phone.
Unplanned Detours
Weak route planning led to poor refueling decisions.
No Way to Reach Drivers
No admin alerts or announcements for live updates.
Dispatchers Out of the Loop
Managers lacked timely visibility into fuel decisions.
Approach
Our Solutions
We delivered React Native apps for iOS and Android and a progressive web app, backed by PHP and MySQL on AWS and kept in step by a custom sync API.
Route-Based Fuel Engine
Finds the best-priced partner stations along any route.
Live Pricing and EFS Data
Current prices and station details for accurate recommendations.
Google Maps and Places
Routing, distance calculation, and station mapping.
iOS and Android Apps
React Native apps with fuel card and invoice tracking.
Station Amenities
Distance from route, truck parking, and available services.
Progressive Web App
The same fuel finder for drivers and partners on any device.
Admin Alerts and Announcements
Operational updates pushed to drivers from one panel.
Automated Data Sync
Mobile and web stay current without manual updates.
What the Fuel Finder Includes
-
Route Engine 4 features
- Full-route analysis
- Best-priced stops
- Distance from route
- Dynamic rerouting
-
Pricing Data 6 features
- Live fuel prices
- EFS station data
- AMBEST
- SAPP
- Love’s
- TA
-
Station Details 4 features
- Location map
- Truck parking
- Amenities
- Services
-
Mobile App 4 features
- iOS
- Android
- Fuel card tracking
- Invoices
-
Web App 4 features
- Progressive web app
- Driver access
- Partner access
- Any device
-
Admin and Sync 4 features
- Alerts
- Announcements
- App and web sync API
- AWS hosting
Delivery Areas
- Route Engine and Google Maps
- Live Pricing and Station Data
- iOS and Android Apps
- Web App and Sync API
- Admin Alerts and Scaling
Delivered by dedicated developers who have worked with A&I since 2018.
Custom Features
Custom Functionalities
Built for drivers who decide where to fuel from the cab.
Detour-Aware Ranking
Stations are scored on price and distance from the route together.
Partner Network Pricing
AMBEST, SAPP, Love’s, and TA stations compared in one list.
One Sync API
A custom API keeps the mobile apps and web app on the same data.
Fuel Account in the App
Drivers check cards and invoices without calling the office.
Truck-Ready Station Details
Parking and services shown before a driver commits to a stop.
Nationwide Route Processing
Long routes across 48 states processed on AWS without slowdowns.
Support
On Going Support
A&I has worked with our dedicated developers since 2018, and the fuel finder keeps gaining features as the network grows.
Relied On by Drivers
The app is part of how A&I’s carriers plan every trip.
Features as the Network Grows
New stations, data, and tools are added by the same team.
One Team Across the Platform
We also built A&I’s carrier portal, admin portal, and leads system. All five systems form one fleet fuel platform.
Mohsin Baloch and the iCommuneTech team understood our challenges from day one. They built a platform our drivers actually rely on, and they’re still adding features as we grow. We’re glad to have them on board for what’s next.
Impact
Project Outcome
- Less time planning fuel stops
- 50%
- Fewer route errors and unplanned detours
- 35%
- Shorter data sync delays
- 60%
- Fewer pricing and route support calls
- 30%
Figures reported by A&I Transport.
Before: guessing the stop
- Prices checked station by station
- No view of distance or parking
- Detours that ate the savings
- Fuel account only at the office
After: the route picks the stop
- Best-priced stops for the whole route
- Distance, parking, and services shown
- Stops ranked by price and detour
- Cards and invoices on the phone
Drivers now plan fuel stops in half the time, choosing from 1,500+ partner stations ranked along their route by live price and detour.
Fewer surprise detours, faster data updates, and fewer calls to A&I about prices mean the card discount turns into real savings on the road.
How iCommuneTech Works
Understand first. Build exactly what’s needed. Stay for the long run.
We deliver the exact solution to a business problem with the least investment and time, then stay to keep it working.
We understand before we quote
We start by understanding how the work actually gets done, before we propose anything.
The exact solution, not the biggest one
We recommend the smallest solution that fully solves the problem, and use what already works.
A team that stays
Every launch includes a 90-day warranty, then an optional long-term delivery plan with the same team.
Problem Slowing Business Growth? Let’s Find the Exact Fix.
Tell us how the work gets done today. We’ll map it before we propose anything.
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