New Fuel Purchasing Alliance gives small fleets free access to Fortune 500‑level fuel pricing, market intelligence, and actively managed procurement.
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Free membership joint venture between Logistics and Route Group GPO and SourceIntersect gives small and mid-sized fleets the same fuel buying power as Fortune 500 operators
Logistics and Route Group GPO (LRG GPO), a group purchasing organization built for logistics, route, trucking, and delivery fleets, and SourceIntersect LLC, today announced the Fuel Purchasing Alliance — the first actively managed fuel procurement platform built specifically for small and mid-sized commercial fleets using gasoline or diesel. Membership is free and open to fleets of any size at www.LRGGPO.com and www.FuelPurchasingAlliance.com.
The launch comes amid the most volatile fuel market in decades. Diesel prices surged 55% above the EIA’s opening 2026 forecast, hitting $5.37 per gallon in March following a disruption in the Strait of Hormuz — the largest single-week price spike in 32 years of EIA benchmark tracking. FreightWaves recently summarized the structural disadvantage this creates: larger fleets often secure near-wholesale “rack” pricing through established supplier relationships, while small fleets typically lack the leverage needed to access meaningful discounts off retail. The result is a persistent competitive disadvantage for smaller operators every time prices move.
That gap is exactly what the Fuel Purchasing Alliance is built to close.
“My dad ran a small hardware store, and I watched him work twice as hard every day to compete with big-box retailers who could buy at prices he’d never get on his own,” said Steve Cross, Co-Founder of LRG GPO. “Small and mid-sized fleets are in that same fight today with fuel. They already have the grit and the operational discipline to compete with much larger organizations — what they haven’t had is the buying power. The Fuel Purchasing Alliance is one more arrow in their quiver to help them do that.” Cross brings 12 years of group purchasing experience and 10 years in logistics to LRG GPO.
LRG GPO is procurement-first by design. The organization does not issue fuel cards, sell fuel, or operate a retail fuel network. Members access pricing through a negotiated fuel card program issued by LRG GPO’s nationwide partner. LRG GPO aggregates volume, leads supplier negotiation, monitors fuel markets, and actively manages accounts — the same discipline that has driven double-digit savings in healthcare and other GPO-managed categories for decades.
That discipline is led by Co-Founder Brian Townsend, who helped build one of the most successful group purchasing organizations in the healthcare sector before spending the last five years at Corpay/Comdata, one of the largest issuers of commercial fuel cards and fuel programs to Fortune 500 fleets. “I’ve seen this game from both the supplier side and the GPO side,” said Townsend. “Fortune 500 fleets get rigorous sourcing, active market monitoring, and negotiated terms because they have a team built to do it. Small and mid-sized fleets deserve that same infrastructure — they’ve just never had access to it. That’s what we’re building.”
Industry data backs the urgency. According to CCJ, citing Magnus Technologies’ Diesel Fuel Index, retail diesel hit $5.60 per gallon by mid-May 2026 — up 58.3% year over year — and a 55-truck fleet operating on a standard monthly surcharge reset failed to recover an estimated $168,000 in fuel costs during the volatility window; fleets on quarterly resets lost more than $400,000. DAT principal analyst Dean Croke told CCJ that fuel price swings have “a disproportionate effect on small fleets and owner-operators in the spot market.” And in Trucking Info, small-fleet owner Jamie Hagen offered a sobering reframe for operators hoping for relief: Hagen believes fleets should be planning for months — or even years — of elevated fuel costs and volatility rather than hoping for a quick return to normal.
Alliance Structure: Two Focus Areas Under One Platform
Diesel and gasoline serve different buyers with different supply chains and volatility drivers. The Fuel Purchasing Alliance addresses both through two coordinated programs.
The Diesel Purchasing Alliance is built for OTR, regional, hotshot, and construction fleets whose needs center on bulk, fast-flow diesel, DEF, uptime-critical service, and amenities like parking and loyalty programs. These fleets are best served by rack-minus and cost-plus pricing with real-time diesel market intelligence.
The Gasoline Purchasing Alliance is built for last-mile, ISP, service, and SMB fleets prioritizing everyday retail fuel access, convenience-driven fueling, and regional price optimization — best served by retail-minus pricing and intelligence tailored to gasoline and retail diesel volatility.
Both programs operate under one membership, one procurement desk, and one consolidated volume engine.
The Fuel Purchasing Alliance is only the starting point. LRG GPO and SourceIntersect maintain access to more than 23 pre-negotiated spend categories, leveraging more than $14 billion in aggregate purchasing power. “Fuel is the category fleets feel first, but it’s far from the only one,” said Cross. “Our goal is to give small and mid-sized fleets the same sourcing expertise and procurement discipline that Fortune 500 organizations take for granted across every major spend category.”
Membership is free. Enroll at www.LRGGPO.com or www.FuelPurchasingAlliance.com.
About LRG GPO
Logistics and Route Group GPO is a group purchasing organization built for logistics, route operators, trucking, and delivery fleets, delivering Fortune 500-level procurement discipline, sourcing expertise, and buying power to small and mid-sized fleets across the country. The Fuel Purchasing Alliance — encompassing the Diesel Purchasing Alliance and Gasoline Purchasing Alliance — is a joint venture between LRG GPO and SourceIntersect. Membership is free at www.LRGGPO.com or www.FuelPurchasingAlliance.com.
About SourceIntersect
SourceIntersect LLC is a group purchasing organization serving construction, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, waste hauling, and oilfield services fleets, providing pre-negotiated vendor agreements and aggregated purchasing power across the categories these trades rely on most. Through its joint venture with LRG GPO, SourceIntersect extends its procurement model into fuel via the Fuel Purchasing Alliance.
Steven Cross
LRG GPO
+1 615-988-6393
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