Major United States oil companies and fleet operators recently met in a rare joint conference to discuss the industry's future, including the need for quality fuel purchasing data. Wright Express, a fleet card and fleet management services provider, sponsored the meeting so that representatives of two key industries could interact. "This is the only formal meeting in the United States where the major commercial fleet buyers of retail fuel and the major sellers of retail fuel can discuss common issues, such as how evolving federal regulations impact fuel supply and availability in the retail fuel market," said Fred Madeira, vice president & general manager, Strategic Accounts. "This meeting allowed these important groups to establish common ground around the evolving and changing retail fuel marketplace." Issues discussed also included the importance of quality data and reporting for fuel purchasing, the impact of new, non-traditional fuel retailers on the industry, as well as conversations around the impact of alternative fuels on both market segments. South Portland-based Wright Express is a provider of fleet charge cards to the fleet maintenance and fueling industry with its cards accepted at more than 160,000 locations. Wright Express also provides information management, payment processing, and financial services to fleets through card partnerships with oil companies and fleet management companies. Through its own universal fleet card program, its partners' card programs and its MasterCard program, Wright Express has nearly four million commercial cards in its markets. Wright Express LLC, a subsidiary of Cendant Corp., employs more than 640 people at its headquarters in South Portland, Maine and its subsidiary in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, visit www.wrightexpress.com.