TCI Partners With Wright Express to Introduce Fuel Card

DUNCAN, S.C., June 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TCI Tire Centers Commercial Division and Wright Express Corporation announced jointly today the introduction of a new branded fleet fuel card for TCI customers requiring a one-card fueling solution.

Wright Express, a leading provider of fleet management services, has developed the branded fleet card that TCI Tire Centers Commercial Division now offers to local-billed customer fleets. The new card, which also contains the Wright Express logo, allows TCI to offer the benefits and features of a Wright Express fleet card program at a reduced cost with limited administration.

"The new fuel card will simplify the administrative work for our heavy truck fleet customers who use multiple fueling cards," said Randy Gaetz, vice president of sales and marketing, TCI Tire Centers Commercial Division. "These customers currently manage multiple invoices and reports each month. The new TCI card will consolidate fuel purchases, minimize reporting and enable our local-billed truck fleet customers to establish and enforce fueling policies. These customers will also have access to the Daily Best Fuel Price Web Site, which allows fleets to immediately identify the lowest diesel fuel price of the day in their markets."

The Wright Express Affinity Card program allows service marketers to offer a branded fleet fueling card to increase sales, build brand awareness and establish customer loyalty. "The power of the Wright Express Affinity Program and the TCI brand offer opportunities for growth," said Gary Robbins, vice president, general manager, partner acquisition, Wright Express.

The fuel card is accepted at more than 180,000 fuel and service locations. Customers receive detailed statements and reporting options.

Headquartered in Duncan, S.C., TCI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michelin North America, Inc., specializing in commercial truck tire sales and service solutions, as well as wholesale distribution of passenger and light truck tires. TCI supports its truck and earthmover customers from its 113 commercial locations with a fleet of 700 equipped service vehicles. The company also operates 13 state-of-the-art Michelin Retread Technologies(R) (MRT) plants in 11 states. TCI employs more than 2,300 in 39 states. Visit TCI online at http://www.tirecenters.com/.

Wright Express is a leading provider of payment processing and information management services to the U.S. commercial and government vehicle fleet industry. Wright Express provides these services for more than 285,000 commercial and government fleets containing approximately 3.9 million vehicles. Wright Express markets these services directly as well as through more than 85 strategic relationships and offers a MasterCard-branded corporate card. The company employs more than 640 people and maintains its headquarters in South Portland, Maine. For more information about Wright Express, visit http://www.wrightexpress.com/.