As a fleet manager or owner-operator, various duties take up your time as you try to efficiently manage your fleet vehicles, drivers and customer service. While your business and fleet grow, you may notice that managing tolls and violations will become challenging. The more vehicles you have on the road, the more likely you'll miss a toll fee in the mail and end up with an inconvenient fine.
Eventually, you can end up spending more time handling toll disputes and paying fees than focusing on your essential business processes. Instead of dealing with these frustrations, consider how a toll management solution can help take the burden of tolls off of your shoulders and allow you to do more for your core operations.
Below, we'll discuss some common issues with tolls and how you can dispute and avoid violations.
A toll violation is a notice given to drivers who use the wrong toll lanes or don't comply with the rules governing the use of toll facilities. Drivers or fleet owners who don't pay the proper toll fee on time or at all will receive a violation notice for failing to pay the fees.
Many drivers and fleet managers unexpectedly receive toll violations through the mail because they don't realize they passed through a toll incorrectly or there was an issue with their transponder. Additionally, toll violations can get lost in the mail or be put aside where they go unnoticed, leading to costly consequences.
The vehicle owner and operator of the vehicle are jointly responsible for the toll violation if it's not paid. As a fleet manager, the violation notice will likely be sent to you if your name is on the vehicle registration. This notice will require payment for the toll due and an administrative fee. It'll also note the period of time in which you can submit or dispute the violation.
If you fail to pay or respond to the instructions on the violation notice, you may incur additional fees or a suspended vehicle registration. If the violation continues to go unanswered, it can have severe consequences on your fleet's car insurance and even lead to the suspension of your or your operator's driver's license.
Though you may receive a violation notice for simply forgetting to pay your tolls or going through the wrong lanes, there are other reasons for toll violations. Depending on how many fleet vehicles you own or how far your business delivers goods, your drivers may run into plenty of chances to incur toll violations, sometimes without their knowledge.
Some causes of toll violations may include:
While these are general guidelines your drivers shouldn't break, every state has different toll rules. It's critical to know what could cause a toll violation in your state and any locations where your fleet transports goods. If you have a larger fleet, it can be more difficult to stay on top of toll payments and ensure you pay violations paid promptly.
If you receive a toll violation addressed to you or one of your drivers, here are some steps you can take to manage the violation and ensure it's been rightfully issued to you:
If you've followed the steps above and determined your toll violation is incorrect or addressed to the wrong person, follow these steps to submit a toll violation dispute:
Here are some ways your fleet drivers can avoid toll violations:
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