Not only are toll violation notices inconvenient, but they can lead to a lot of headaches for your fleet: fines, late fees, and so much administrative paperwork that you have to deal with. Too often, fleet managers don’t understand the real impact that repeated toll violations can have on their overall success and profitability. These violations can disrupt your operations and routes, plus they can increase your expenses overall and even impact the registration of your vehicles.
The best thing that you can do is have an effective system in place to stay ahead of fleet toll compliance. Investing in the right fleet toll management tools will save you both time and money, while also reducing your legal risks going forward.
What are the Most Common Causes of Toll Violations in Fleet Operations?
There are a variety of reasons why you might be receiving toll violations. Here are some of the most common culprits that we see:
- Your transponders are unregistered or outdated.
- The information associated with the transponder needs to be updated.
- The toll agency has incorrect license plate or vehicle data in its records.
- Payments are missed because of glitches or errors in the system.
- Your team is using a manual process for handling toll payments and violations, resulting in human errors that overlook notices or deadlines.
The Right Fleet Toll Management Tools and Habits for Avoiding Toll Violations
Taking a proactive approach with your fleet systems is the best thing that you can do to ensure you are staying ahead of fleet toll compliance (and avoiding toll violation notices). Instead of trying to keep up with the toll violations that are coming through, it’s a better strategy to get ahead of the issues and prevent the violations from coming through in the future.
To start, make sure that you are using electronic toll payment solutions for fleets. We live in a digital world and there is no reason that your drivers should be paying with cash as they are moving through the tolling checkpoints. Examples of systems that you can use that allow you to streamline these payments include FasTrack, SunPass, and E-ZPass.
Next, audit all of your toll account records to make sure that everything is up to date. If needed, adjust and update your vehicle details to ensure that all of the transponders align with the vehicles they are in. Mark your calendar to audit these details regularly.
Look for any missed payments or system errors. If you see just one violation come through, then it’s your signal to evaluate the whole system and find the root cause. This proactive approach will help you avoid repeated toll violation notices in the future. Make sure that you are in full fleet toll compliance so that you don’t continue repeating the same errors and issues going forward.
Next Step: How to Dispute a Toll Violation
These toll violation notices should be handled promptly to avoid additional fees and violations. You need to make sure that you are proactive about following the tolling authorities’ requirements for submitting a formal toll violation dispute.
Make sure that you collect and provide all relevant documentation relating to the transaction in question. Paperwork that can be helpful includes trip logs, payment records, and also transponder logs.
Don’t forget to set yourself a reminder to follow up and track the outcomes for each of these toll violation disputes. You need to follow through in case there are any unresolved charges that could be affecting your account.
Fleet Toll Management Best Practices to Stay Ahead
Here are a few best practices that we recommend to help you stay ahead of the issues so that you can reduce the risk of receiving toll violation notices:
Implement a centralized system or platform where you can manage all tolls and payments in one place. This strategy helps to simplify everything, especially because you will be able to track and check everything in a single location.
Choose a fleet toll management software that offers everything you need, including data, reports, and violation alerts. Consider working with a toll management team that provides these tools (such as Innovative Toll Solutions), especially if your fleet is moving across state lines or you have ongoing tolling transactions coming through.
Finally, it’s essential to ensure that your drivers are well-trained on everything they need to know related to toll passings, routes, payments, and more. Well-trained drivers will follow the proper procedures, which reduces the risk of toll violation notices.
FAQs
What are the most common reasons fleets receive toll violation notices?
Some of the most common issues that result in toll violation notices include malfunctioning or expired transponders, outdated vehicle information, or invoices that are missed for toll-by-plate payments.
How can fleet managers avoid toll violations?
Make sure that you have an automated system to keep up with toll payments. Also, audit your toll payment systems regularly to ensure that all vehicle records are up to date. Check all of the transactions that are coming through to address any recurring issues.
How do toll-by-plate systems work for commercial fleets?
If you are using a toll-by-plate system, then it means that the tolling authority uses digital cameras to capture your vehicle’s license plate information. If there is not a working transponder in the vehicle, then you will receive an invoice that needs to be paid manually (or some automated systems can take care of these types of payments).
Our Fleet Toll Management Experts are Here to Help
At Innovative Toll Solutions, we offer the solutions that you need to streamline your fleet toll management solutions and avoid toll violation notices. If you are looking for ways to upgrade your system and reduce the cost of fees and violations, then reach out to us to learn more about your options. Contact us today. We are always here to answer your questions and help you create the ideal system for your unique needs.