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Ext. PublicationMotor Fuels Tax Minute, Episode 104: The Benefits of Networking in the Industry
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In this episode of Motor Fuels Tax Minute, Leanne Sobel and Kelly Grace revisit motor fuel tax fundamentals and explain why strong industry networking is essential when navigating complex, state‑specific questions. They share how connections across industry, state agencies and federal representatives help professionals — especially those new to the field — find accurate answers and avoid costly missteps. Whether you’re building your fuel tax understanding or strengthening your professional network, this episode offers practical guidance to support your work.
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Detailed Description of Weaver’s Motor Fuels Tax Minute, Episode 104
00:00:00
Kelly: Welcome to this week’s Motor Fuels Tax Minute, where we talk all things motor fuel. Now, it’s been a little while, but I think we’re going to go back to basics again.
00:00:09
Leanne: Isn’t it this? It’s this, Kelly.
00:00:13
Kelly: Moving on. Because we always think of our newbies, our people in the industry who just kind of got thrown into this role, who are still trying to figure out what the rack is, what’s below, what’s above, all that great stuff.
00:00:23
Kelly: And I think our last topic really reminded me and Leanne of the importance of networking and how we were really able to feel great about that answer.
I’m going to kick it over to Leanne. She’s going to give you some tips on that.
00:00:34
Leanne: Yeah, that’s right, Kelly. Thanks to the contacts that we’ve made over the years, both in the industry and with the states, we were able to feel really confident that the answer we arrived at with Washington was the correct answer.
00:00:46
Leanne: So, networking: so important. And there’s not a ton of conferences in the motor fuel tax space, but if you can go to the ones that are out there, you should. Try to make the time. And when you’re there, it is a great opportunity to talk to people.
They’re filled with people from the industry, from the states and sometimes even from the federal government, who are just there to meet other people, share their knowledge and learn.
And everybody is very approachable and willing to talk. And once you’re there and you’ve made that connection — or even if you don’t actually make that connection on the day — you get that contact list.
00:01:20
Leanne: And then you can reach out and you can say, “Hey, I was at this conference. You were there too. I have this question.” And people are always willing to talk when there’s that little bit of a connection there.
Some of these conferences also offer training opportunities, which can be a great way to learn as well.
00:01:37
Leanne: One thing I do want to caution: it is so much better to network in person if you can, or via email or phone directly. Be really careful with AI.
00:01:47
Leanne: It’s so easy to Google. It’s so easy to throw the question to ChatGPT. They are not always right.
So, by all means, use it as a research tool, but I would definitely recommend following up with a real person.
00:01:58
Leanne: And if you don’t have a direct connection in a state, reach out to somebody you know who might have a direct connection in that state.
Or maybe it’s somebody that you know does a lot of business there and can help you to figure out, is that AI answer — is that Google answer — accurate?
00:02:12
Kelly: Absolutely. What we have seen, what we’ve learned, we keep seeing — and I love it — is the motor fuel tax community, they just want to help everyone.
Everyone loves giving advice. They love weighing in on things. They love learning new things. And it benefits everyone.
00:02:26
Kelly: Like in the transaction we were talking about before, that can involve multiple companies.
The state doesn’t want everyone doing it wrong. These companies don’t want to do a bunch of credit and rebills. So, everyone tries to work together.
00:02:36
Kelly: Definitely reach out, make those connections. You will not regret it.
And of course, Weaver hosts karaoke, so you’ll have a little bit of fun while you’re there at FTA.
00:02:45
Leanne: Yeah, come for the karaoke if for no other reason.
00:02:49
Kelly: Well, that is this week’s Motor Fuels Tax Minute. We really enjoyed talking about this topic. We know there are some complexities and maybe still some confusion.
If there is, feel free to reach out to us. Thanks again.
