Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/989498
A number of factors can impact how much your fleet spends per month on tolls and related costs. As the largest provider of weigh station bypass and toll payment services in the United States, PrePass has a vast amount of experience processing tolls on behalf of customers. We've identified the most common ways carriers overpay for tolls, and actions you can take to avoid spending more than necessary. Keep an Eye on Toll Violations Of course, no one enjoys paying violation fines and fees. But sometimes, the fees add up to a much higher number than necessary. That's why it's crucial to look closely at violations when you receive them – you may be wasting money on something that's not correct. For instance, one of the biggest issues PrePass sees with inflated toll costs relates to improper toll charges made by the agencies and charged to carriers. Be sure to look closely at each notice, as there could be duplicate charges or violations that your trucks are not actually responsible for. You don't want to pay for an error. An error that could result in improper charges occurs when a transponder is not read correctly at a toll plaza. The tolling agency usually uses a picture of the front or back of the truck or trailer, along with the tag number to identify the owner. In some cases, that identifying information may not be correct in the system, resulting in an incorrect toll charge. Perhaps one of the most common ways fleets pay unnecessary fees is by not contesting certain fees. However, many of those violations can be eliminated or reduced if you address them. It's simply a matter of contacting the agency, finding out its process for contesting a charge, and going through the proper routine. Also: If you work with them, most agencies will waive penalty fees or service charges as long as you pay the actual toll you were correctly charged. Bringing on a third-party to handle violation management is one way to address the time-consuming nature of these tasks. For PrePass Plus customers in 2017, PrePass had an 87% success rate, meaning that PrePass was able to get the administrative fees and any additional cost removed so the motor carrier simply paid the toll incurred. The advice here is to become familiar with what the violations look like and to respond as soon as possible, and tap into the help of a third-party if needed. Be Careful About Vehicle Misclassifications In all states outside of the E-ZPass network, the primary information needed to set up your account with many agencies is the number of axles. However, it's not uncommon to see a truck accidentally classified for seven axles when it has only five — and when this happens, you may be paying the more expensive seven-axle rate. This can also happen if a transponder is moved from one truck to another and the transponder's registration isn't changed. For instance, you might take a transponder from one of your over-the-road tandem-drive-axle configurations and put it into a single-drive-axle city cab. This is fine, but be certain that someone goes in and updates that registration with the tolling agency to reflect the reduced number of axles. One PrePass customer went for two years with a misclassified transponder, racking up more than $15,000 of overcharges in tolls — and they never saw it. It was only uncovered when PrePass did a cost analysis for the customer and discovered one transponder that was classified differently than the other trucks. It turned out the problem was due to an error by the tolling agency — but the trucking company was still out the money it already paid. Monitor your toll charges to make sure that doesn't happen to you. On your monthly bill, whether it's from a program like PrePass Plus or from a tolling agency, the class and axles are listed for each transponder on the itemized bill. Make sure they are correct. P A R T N E R S O L U T I O N S / P R E P A S S 5 Easy Steps to Reducing Toll Costs 1 2 ere's John's Hruska's story: "I am a planner and a very organized guy. With a 30+ truck fleet to manage, there's not much room for error. When I started looking for the right ELD, I spent a great deal of time thoroughly researching the market. I looked at 15 companies and carefully reviewed everything – costs, simplicity, setup, use, reliability, durability, driver impact, tech support, and long-term compliance. In the end, I liked RoadLog the most. Many of the other ELDs worked with a tablet or phone, but I wanted a dedicated unit that did not rely on a Bluetooth connection. RoadLog looked like it was durable enough for a truck and could handle a typical 600-mile day. I liked that it did not have monthly fees. I also liked the fact that it's wired directly into the truck's ECM, so after install, all you had to do is use the fleet USB key to distribute fleet information to each vehicle. You couldn't ask for a better way to get your truck into compliance. I bought my first RoadLog in late August of 2017 and started with a pilot test using two of my veteran drivers. We ran the RoadLog alongside of paper logs to test the ELD. The RoadLog printouts and portal information mirrored exactly what the drivers had put in their paper logs. I truly believe that the RoadLog people did their homework and made a good system. I continued to add RoadLogs to my fleet and by the December 18th deadline, we were 100% in compliance. The neat thing about RoadLog is that you do not have to be computer savvy. I thought adding ELDs to a company of my size would be a huge challenge, but it went pretty smooth. We're a small fleet, so we don't have any IT people. It's just our office staff, my partner, and myself. RoadLog wasn't too technical for our older drivers and it was very easy for them to adapt to the technology. We also have had no problem at inspections. In fact, the DOT people are pretty positive about RoadLog and its print feature. They also like the hard mount and the easy to read screen. Looking back at my overall experience and talking with many of my fellow truckers about their trials and tribulations, I have to blow the horn for VDO tech support, which was second to none. They did a great job in helping me get my ELDs running and operational." A tale of two truckers. Searching for a simple and reliable ELD took two truckers down totally separate routes. But they both reached the same destination. H R O A D L O G All trucks in John Hruska's 30+ truck fleet use RoadLog ELDs