Trucking is your area of expertise, but reporting is often an area that trucking businesses struggle to keep up with and even lack the knowledge needed to create an effective reporting system. However, lack of continuous and organized trucking reporting can expose you to risk and even costly fines. Technology tools such as Telematics, with the help of the pros at Wiers Fleet Partners, can alleviate this pain point for you. Be sure to identify and learn from some of the types of reporting needed and the most common trucking reporting mistakes.
IFTA – The International Fuel Tax Agreement (or IFTA) was created through an agreement between the lower 48 states of the United States and the Canadian provinces, to simplify the reporting of fuel use by motor carriers that operate in more than one jurisdiction. With this agreement comes a need for reporting.
DOT – To avoid all Department of Transportation penalties and fines, compliance that can be demonstrated through your trucking reporting system is critical.
Safety Ratings – A conditional or unsatisfactory safety rating can have a negative effect on your business. Once this has occurred, you will need a trucking reporting system to submit a formal request to the FMCSA, in order to get your safety rating increased to satisfactory.
Don’t make these common mistakes with your trucking reporting:
- Waiting until the last minute – Procrastination is rarely a good idea, but this is especially bad when related to trucking reporting efforts. Waiting until the last minute leaves room for error and can expose your business to many kinds of risk.
- Not creating a culture of record-keeping – It’s important to have the buy-in of your drivers and key staff members, that record-keeping is not optional. These are often the most challenging hurdles but by making it easy with training and technology tools, a solid trucking reporting system is achievable.
- Not taking advantage of technology – Telematics is the go-to software to assist trucking companies of all sizes develop and maintain a reporting system that protects them in the case of audits, accidents as well as when other unexpected events occur.
Wiers Fleet Partners has over five decades of know-how to help you run a successful and profitable trucking business. Helping trucking fleets get up to speed with Telematics and how it can create a powerful trucking reporting resource, is our specialty.
Explore a partnership with Wiers today!
