You can get blank EFS checks for free at most major truck stops, including Love’s Travel Stops, TA and Petro Stopping Centers, and most Pilot Flying J locations. Check stock is usually kept behind the fuel desk or at the driver services counter, and the cashing process runs 24 hours at most participating stops. To turn a blank into cash, bring a money code from your dispatcher, a government-issued ID, and the exact dollar amount the code was issued for.
Truck Stops That Stock Blank EFS Checks
The national chains along the interstates are the most reliable source. Love’s officially lists EFS checks as an accepted payment type across its locations.1Love’s Travel Stops. Accepted Payment Types TA and Petro Stopping Centers accept EFS as a commercial fleet payment method and typically keep blank checks at their driver services desks. Pilot Flying J locations generally carry them too, though any individual store’s stock depends on what’s on hand that day.
Blank check stock costs nothing. If you don’t see checks in a public display, ask at the fuel desk, since attendants often keep extras behind the counter. Many experienced drivers grab a few blanks whenever they stop for fuel and keep them in the cab, so they’re not hunting for check stock at 2 a.m. when a repair bill lands.
Independent Stops and Repair Shops
Smaller fuel stops and repair facilities along secondary routes often participate in the EFS network to attract professional drivers. Inventory is less predictable than at the big chains. Heavy-duty towing companies, tire shops, and mobile mechanics also accept EFS checks directly for on-site work, so if you’re paying a service provider who already handles EFS, you may not need a truck stop at all.
Call ahead before driving out of your way. Ask whether they have blank check stock and whether their point-of-sale system can authorize EFS transactions. Some smaller stops take EFS fuel cards but don’t process paper checks.
What You Need Before You Walk Up to the Counter
A blank check by itself is worthless. What makes it cash is the money code, an electronically generated number tied to a specific dollar amount, issued by your fleet manager or dispatcher through the EFS system. It’s a one-time authorization linking your carrier’s account to the payout you’re about to collect. Codes are usually sent by text or email, so make sure dispatch has your current number.
Money codes default to a 180-day expiration window from the date they’re issued, but a carrier can shorten that to as little as seven days.2WEX Inc. Fuel Card FAQs – Answers for Fleet Managers If a code sits unused past its expiration, it voids and the funds return to the fleet account. Ask your dispatcher how long your company’s codes stay live.
At the counter, have these ready:
- Government-issued ID or CDL. The attendant verifies your identity before anything else.
- The money code from your dispatcher.
- The exact dollar amount the code was issued for. Requesting more than that triggers an automatic decline.
Filling Out and Cashing the Check
Fill the blank out completely: date, payee, dollar amount, and money code in the fields provided. Every field matters. A blank line or a single transposed digit will cause a decline.
Hand the completed check and your ID to the fuel desk attendant. They enter the details into a point-of-sale terminal connected to the EFS verification network, which contacts your fleet’s account to confirm the code is valid and the funds are available. At some locations the attendant runs the whole authorization through their POS without needing the physical check, entering the details directly and generating the authorization on their end.
Once approved, you get your cash. Most truck stops charge a cashing fee, usually a few dollars per transaction, that varies by chain and location. The fee comes out of your pocket, not the money code amount, so factor it in when you ask dispatch for a code.
Cashing an EFS Check at a Bank
Banks are the other option. Many financial institutions will process EFS checks, and if you’re already near a branch, it’s worth asking to avoid the truck stop cashing fee. Not every branch does this. Tellers unfamiliar with commercial fleet payment instruments may turn you away, but banks in areas with heavy trucking traffic are more likely to handle them.
The catch is hours. Banks close; truck stop counters don’t. For overnight and weekend runs, the truck stop is the more reliable stop.
Why an EFS Check Transaction Gets Declined
Declines are almost always fixable once you know the cause. The usual reasons:
- Wrong money code. One transposed digit kills it. Compare the code to the text or email before handing it over.
- Amount mismatch. Ask for $500 on a $400 code and the system rejects the whole transaction. It won’t partially approve.
- Expired money code. If your carrier set a short window and it lapsed, the code is dead and dispatch needs to issue a new one.2WEX Inc. Fuel Card FAQs – Answers for Fleet Managers
- Account spending limits. Fleet managers set daily or per-transaction caps, and hitting one blocks the transaction even when the code itself is valid.
- Voided code. If a fleet manager already voided the code through the CarrierControl app, it won’t process.
Call dispatch first when a check gets declined. They can look at the fleet portal, see exactly why the system rejected it, and either reissue the code or adjust the account limits. Retrying a declined transaction over and over wastes time and can trigger additional security flags on the account.
Lost or Stolen EFS Checks
Act right away. A filled-out check with a valid money code on it is effectively cash waiting to be claimed. Call EFS Customer Service at 888-824-7378, which runs 24 hours.3Electronic Funds Source LLC. EFS and Fleet One – Contact Customer Service Your fleet manager can also void the money code through the CarrierControl app in real time, which stops anyone from cashing it.
EFS provides a Check Action Request Form for void and returned check situations.3Electronic Funds Source LLC. EFS and Fleet One – Contact Customer Service The fastest path is usually calling customer service while your fleet manager voids the code from their end. Once it’s voided, a new code can be issued for the same amount so you aren’t stuck.
Blank checks that haven’t been filled out aren’t a security problem on their own. Without a valid money code attached, a blank can’t be authorized or cashed. The risk lives in completed checks that haven’t been processed yet.