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Importing Fuel Cards

Formbird FLEET can import fuel transaction data from CSV files exported by your fuel card provider. Importing fuel data records costs against assets, captures up-to-date primary meter readings, and provides the data needed to calculate fuel economy.

The import process uses a Fuel Import Mapping document to tell the importer how your CSV file is structured — which columns contain which data, and what date and time formats are used. Because mapping documents are reusable, you only need to set one up once per file format.

For information on reviewing and correcting errors after an import, see Fuel Card Errors.

Before You Start

Each asset must have a primary meter reading greater than zero before fuel imports will update its meter. Set an initial reading on any newly created assets before running your first import.

The importer matches each transaction row to an asset using one of the following, in priority order:

  1. Asset ID — the unique asset identifier in Formbird FLEET
  2. Registration — must match the registration recorded on the asset exactly
  3. Fuel Card Number — must match the fuel card number recorded on the asset exactly

Ensure at least one of these fields is present in your CSV file and mapped correctly.

Setting Up a Fuel Import Mapping Document

A mapping document is required before you can run an import. You only need to create one per file format — if your fuel card provider always exports in the same column arrangement, you can reuse the same mapping document for every import.

  1. From the System Administrator Menu, navigate to Fuel Management [VERIFY: confirm exact menu path].
  2. Select or create a mapping document in the Fuel Mapping Document field. To open an existing mapping document for editing, select its link text.
  3. Enter a Name that identifies the data source (e.g. Ampol Fuel Card).
  4. Select a Date Format that matches your CSV file. Common formats are listed below — if your date and time appear in the same column, use the date format field for the combined string and leave the time fields blank.
  5. Select a Time Format that matches your CSV file.
  6. If your time data sometimes drops a leading zero (e.g. 84700 instead of 084700), tick Add leading '0' to file hour data.
  7. For each data field below, enter the column number in your CSV where that data appears. Column 1 is the first column. Leave a field blank if your file does not contain that data — do not enter a column number for an empty column.
Field Description
Asset ID Unique asset identifier — must match the Asset ID in Formbird FLEET.
Registration Vehicle registration number — must match exactly.
Fuel Card No Fuel card number — must match exactly.
Fuel Purchase Date Date of the fuel transaction.
Fuel Purchase Time Time of the transaction (leave blank if time is included in the date column).
Meter Odometer or hour meter reading at the time of the transaction — should align with the asset's Primary Meter Measure.
Fuel Quantity Litres dispensed. Use the Divisor field if the raw value needs scaling (e.g. enter 100 if 1000 represents 10.00 L).
Fuel Cost Cost of the transaction in dollars. Use the Divisor field if needed.
Supplier Name/Id Name of the fuel outlet.
Asset Category Any relevant categorisation field from the file.
Location Name Address or location where the fuel was purchased.
Product Type of fuel (e.g. ULP, Diesel).
Transaction No/Id Transaction identifier.
  1. Set Error On Empty Cell for fields where a missing value should be treated as an error rather than defaulting to zero.
  2. Save the mapping document.

Date Formats

Format Days Months Year Example
D/MM/YY No leading zero Leading zero 2-digit 12/04/20
D/MM/YYYY No leading zero Leading zero 4-digit 12/04/2020
DD/MM/YY Leading zero Leading zero 2-digit 01/04/20
DD/MM/YYYY Leading zero Leading zero 4-digit 01/04/2020
YY/MM/DD Leading zero Leading zero 2-digit 20/04/12

Time Formats

Format Hours Example
HH:mm 24-hour 14:09
HH:mm:ss 24-hour with seconds 14:09:23
hh:mm a 12-hour 02:09
hh:mm:ss a 12-hour with seconds 02:09:23
Hmm 24-hour, no leading zero, no separator 209
hhmm a 12-hour, no separator 0209
hhmmss a 12-hour, no separator, with seconds 020923

Running a Fuel Import

  1. From the System Administrator Menu, navigate to Fuel Management [VERIFY: confirm exact menu path].
  2. Select the appropriate Fuel Mapping Document for your file.
  3. If your file has a header row, tick Ignore header line.

    Note: This removes only the first row. If the first row is valid transaction data, do not tick this.

  4. Drag your CSV file onto the CSV Import control, or use the control to browse for it. Files must not exceed 1,000 rows or 30 columns.
  5. Select Validate Fuel Data. The importer checks each row against the mapping document and runs the following checks per transaction:
  6. Date format matches the mapping
  7. Fuel Cost and Fuel Quantity are valid numbers
  8. Distance travelled is greater than zero
  9. All meter values are greater than the highest previous import
  10. Distance travelled is within the asset's expected range
  11. Litres dispensed is within the asset's tank capacity
  12. Review the Validation Result table. Any rows with errors are listed — see Fuel Card Errors for how to handle them.
  13. Select Import Fuel Data to complete the import. A Fuel Receipt record is created for each row in the file.

After the Import

After a successful import, a Fuel Receipt record exists for each row in the file. A nightly background process then checks these records and uses the one with the highest primary meter reading to update the asset's Primary Meter field — provided no more recent reading exists from a Daily Driver Check Sheet or telematics integration. Fuel Receipts flagged with errors are excluded from this process and will not update the asset's meter until their errors are cleared.

Published: May 2026 · Formbird FLEET 4.2.8