A commissioned agent runs a fuel station they do not own. The jobber owns the site and the fuel, and the agent operates it for a commission on every gallon sold. It is one of the most common ways a fuel jobber puts stations on the ground without selling the fuel outright.
Who owns what
The defining feature is ownership. At a commissioned-agent station, the jobber owns the fuel the entire time. It is consigned to the station and sold on the jobber's behalf, so the sales money belongs to the jobber. The agent never takes title to the fuel.
In exchange for running the store and the pumps, the agent earns a commission per gallon, and usually keeps the inside convenience store income too.
Commissioned agent vs dealer
People mix these up, but they are different deals:
| Commissioned agent | Dealer | |
|---|---|---|
| Owns the fuel | No, the jobber does | Yes, buys it from the jobber |
| Earns | A commission per gallon | The fuel margin |
| Price risk | The jobber's | The dealer's |
| Cash flow | Settled daily to the jobber | Pays the jobber for fuel bought |
How daily settlement works
Because the jobber owns the fuel, the money has to flow back to the jobber every day. That is the settlement, and it bundles several things into one number:
- Fuel sales for the day
- Minus credit-card receipts the processor already took
- Plus daily rent the agent owes
- Minus the agent's commission
The result is the net the agent owes the jobber, or the jobber owes the agent, settled by bank draft. Do this by hand across several stations and it is a nightly headache. Software made for it runs the settlement automatically and posts a balanced entry to the books.
Why it needs the right software
A commissioned-agent operation runs on accurate daily settlement and clean records. The fuel side is handled by the jobber's platform, which pulls the gallons and runs the close. For the store side, the agent often wants a simple way to track operations without a heavy system. That is exactly the gap TurboTurtle, our C-store Lite, fills, while the full settlement runs in FastDragon Fuel Jobber.
Quick answers
What is a commissioned agent in fuel?
A commissioned agent is a station operator paid by the gallon rather than by the margin. The jobber holds title to the site and the product, and the agent staffs the store and the pumps in exchange for a set amount on every gallon sold, often keeping the inside store income on top of it.
How does a commissioned agent get paid?
A commissioned agent earns a commission per gallon sold, set in their agreement with the jobber. They often also keep some or all of the inside convenience store profit. The fuel sales money flows back to the jobber through daily settlement, and the agent is paid their commission out of that.
Who owns the fuel at a commissioned-agent station?
The jobber, from the rack to the nozzle. The fuel sits at the station on consignment, the proceeds belong to the jobber, and title never passes to the agent. That single fact separates the agent model from a dealer arrangement, where the operator buys the fuel outright and lives with the price risk.
What is the difference between a commissioned agent and a dealer?
A dealer buys fuel from the jobber and resells it, taking title and the price risk. A commissioned agent never owns the fuel. They run the jobber’s station and the jobber’s fuel for a commission. The dealer keeps the fuel margin; the agent earns a commission.
How fast does a commissioned-agent settlement clear?
Most jobbers draft the agent's bank account by ACH within a business day or two of the close, so cash from yesterday's gallons lands quickly. The agent agreement also spells out the edges: who absorbs card-processing fees, how cash shortages are charged back, and what happens when a drive-off hits the day's numbers.