The customised solution, delivered to 128 European haulage customers of Contis' client, Transport Consulting Services (TCS), provides long distance truck drivers and haulage workers with a secure and convenient cash replacement prepaid payment method. Until June 2012, when the solution was first made available, drivers commonly retained large stores of cash in their vehicles in order to fund routine expenses such as fuel, spot fines, motorway toll charges and accommodation over the course of their journeys.

Foremost amongst a host of benefits delivered by the credEcardplus solution is a reduction in the number of personal attacks suffered by the drivers, as thieves have discovered that a secure card solution has replaced the cash reserves they were targeting.

Operational processes have also been streamlined for both drivers and back office staff, since neither is required to continue administering a cumbersome paper based expenses system. Instead, the solution provides an online software platform where staff can manage transactions, upload funds to individual and multiple cards and analyse driver spend.

Operational costs have also been reduced, since drivers that previously relied on expensive cash delivery services to replenish their reserves, can now make a simple call to their finance department and receive additional funds loaded instantly onto their card.

"The Contis credEcardplus prepaid solution enables us to offer our customers a low-cost means of managing their drivers' expenses. Since our customers have started to issue cards to their drivers, some companies have already witnessed significant reductions of up to 70% in time management, administration and ad-hoc costs incurred by the use of cash advance services. As one of only a few consultancy companies to offer such a solution in the European market, credEcardplus helps to differentiate us from our competitors," comments Martina Zocche, Director, TCS.

Since the solution was launched in June 2012, 2,156 credEcardplus cards have been issued to independent drivers and haulage firms and are now in use across a variety of European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Slovakia. Despite remaining in the early stages of deployment, Contis Group has already processed in excess of €100,000 via the product.

"The rate at which our credEcardplus solution has gained traction across Europe is testament to its strength and suitability for this market," comments Mike Fromant, Managing Director, Contis Group. "It is rare for a card provider to be able to improve the safety of a user's working conditions, as well as making their operations more efficient and convenient. We're delighted with the take up and continued demand for the solution and are already in talks with TCS about expanding the card's parameters to encompass a wider range of services for the card users and their employers."

The credEcardplus solution is available in three individual currencies: sterling, US dollars and euros.