Photo: Marnie172, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped and used for illustrative purposes only)

Trucker ordered to pay €36,000 after using employer’s card for private fuel purchases

A lorry driver who drove for Hoofddorp-based haulier Bos Logistics has been ordered to pay his former employer over €36,000. The driver was found to have used his employer's company fuel card to purchase 12,312 litres of fuel for private use during Spring 2022.

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When the haulier learned of the theft, unsurprisingly, the truck driver was fired on the spot.

According to Dutch road transport website Transport Online, Bos’ trucks are all equipped with a unique fuel card the drivers use to fill up the company’s vehicles.

The lorries are also equipped with an on-board computer that continuously records data such as the fuel level and mileage.

As a result of this data, Bos started to suspect its former driver of misusing fuel cards. The company then called in a private detective to confirm its suspicions. The driver was later observed not only refuelling his truck, but also 3 other passenger cars.

After dismissing the lorry driver, Bos took him to court to demand compensation.

During the court hearing, the driver denied that he had used the fuel cards unlawfully. He also claimed that the cards may be used by all Bos employees and thus it is not certain who topped up what and when, and by how much.

However, the data presented to the court by Bos showed that during the driver’s shifts, there were several instances when the fuel card was used but the lorry’s fuel level did not increase.

In total, it was found that the driver had used Bos’ card to purchase 12,312 litres of fuel for private use.

The court thus ordered the lorry driver to pay compensation of €31,345 plus interest and legal costs. In total, the driver must now pay over €36,000 to his former employer.


Photo: Marnie172, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped and used for illustrative purposes only)