# Fuel control: how to stop leakage in your fleet

> Where a Mexican fleet's fuel leaks — ghost fill-ups, third-party tanks, station collusion — and the per-transaction control system that catches them early.

**Author:** Rodrigo Vázquez — Mexican Tax Specialist (SAT, CFDI)  
**Reviewed by:** Marina Costa — Brazilian Tax & Compliance Specialist  
**Published:** 2026-07-20  
**Updated:** 2026-07-20  
**Last reviewed:** 2026-07-20  
**URL:** https://quilometragem.com/blog/fuel-control-how-to-stop-leakage-in-your-fleet

**TL;DR:** Three-layer fuel control: a payment instrument that records everything, per-card rules and exception analytics against the four leaks.

- Fuel leaks disguise themselves as consumption, never as loss.
- Fill-ups above tank capacity are the clearest data signature.
- Per-card limits make most diversion physically impossible.
- Review exceptions monthly: under 3% of all transactions.

## Summary

The four classic fuel leaks in a Mexican fleet — ghost fill-ups, third-party tanks, station collusion and inflated logbooks — leave signatures in the data: fills above tank capacity, falling efficiency, station concentration. The three-layer control system: a payment instrument that records everything (wallet with automatic CFDI), preventive per-card rules and monthly exception analytics.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much fuel is typically lost to internal fraud?

Industry studies place leakage in an illustrative 1% to 5% range of spend; the data signature shows up in monthly reconciliation.

### Does per-transaction control require fleet telematics?

Not as a starting point: a payment instrument with per-fill records and per-card limits catches most leaks without extra hardware.

## Sources

- [Ley del Impuesto sobre la Renta — Art. 27, fracción III](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LISR.pdf) — Cámara de Diputados (2026-07-08)
- [SAT — Comprobantes fiscales digitales por internet (CFDI)](https://www.sat.gob.mx/consultas/91447/conoce-los-comprobantes-fiscales-digitales-por-internet-(cfdi)) — Servicio de Administración Tributaria (2026-07-08)