Esso is launching a major push to capture more business from road hauliers by launching an HGV fuel card and stating that almost a fifth of the 175 MFG and Asda sites that switched to its brand last year are truck-friendly.
It comes as the oil giant reveals that most of the sites which adopted the Esso canopy in 2025 are owned by MFG and previously supplied by Shell. The other are Asda outlets.
A total of 135 MFG locations transferred to Esso last year, alongside 40 run by Asda. Other major names that made the transition included Top 50 Indie Joseph Richardson.
Some 30 of the MFG and Asda forecourts now sporting Esso colours have been described by the company as HGV-friendly, because they have features such as 4m high canopies, fast pumps, truck lanes and a big enough egress for all HGVs.
While it says that its new Esso Card Truck can be used at all of its 1,468 branded sites, it has updated its fuel station finder map on its website to enable hauliers to find locations with dedicated HGV facilities.
The new card, from payment specialist WEX, requires that users pull a minimum volume of diesel per transaction, rather than stipulating an annual commitment. The amount will be dependent on the arrangement card resellers agree with each individual business.
Hauliers will be given a fixed weekly price, which WEX says is important with the current spike in global oil prices. And hauliers will be charged a single price across the Esso network, regardless of whether they fill up at a company-owned or dealer site.
Esso Petroleum Company commercial development advisor Ben Richards says that while forecourt operators receive lower margins on fuel cards they are an important part of their offer, with transport operators using the cards to avoid fraud and to control expenditure by their drivers.
“Taking the card will be essential to win haulier business,” he asserts. “It’s the first time Esso have launched a true HGV focused card in the UK and could possibly even be the first card in the UK market that has aimed to differentiate HGVs from other vehicles by fuel lifting patterns – which is more difficult than you’d imagine!
“We’ve learned a lot about the HGV industry, about refuelling habits, driver preferences, retail pump cut offs, canopy heights and more. As always, the devil is in the detail.”
