IFTA DECALS AS PROOF OF REGISTRATION

IFTA DECALS AS PROOF OF REGISTRATION

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU SEE A TRUCK WITH A CURRENT IFTA DECAL?

It means that there is a current IFTA decal on the side of the truck

And while it usually means that the carrier is registered , and that the vehicle’s operations are being reported…

Having the decal on the side of a truck does not guarantee that at all.

If an operator wants to evade IFTA, the decal is the easiest part to get around.• A decal can be stolen

• A decal can be forged

• You can have a decal and still have a suspended account

• Enforcement uses the decal as visual confirmation that the carrier is registered, those who would cheat the system know that, and can easily get a decal.

The only way you can find out is to stop him and check

What does it mean when you see a truck without a current IFTA decal

It means that you do not see a current decal on the truck.

It does not automatically mean that the truck is not operating legally.

And the only way to find out is to stop him and check.

It could mean the truck is the same color as the decal.

• He may be operating with a temporary permit.

• He may be exempt from displaying an IFTA decal.

• He may be operating during the grace period.

• The decal he was issued was defective and fell off or faded out.

IN 2009 ALONE:

Imagine how much fun it is to have to attach even 10 of these to trucks during the months of December and January.

• You will have to pull each truck into a heated shop or bay and wait for it to warm up, effectively putting each truck out of service for hours, or…

• If you are lucky, you give them to your driver and tell him to put them on when he travels somewhere warm…and pray he does not lose them.

• And after all that, even though you are properly registered, even though you purchased decals for your trucks, if they fall off…

Enforcement will be there, and they may not know that there is a legitimate reason for the decal to be missing, and a properly registered carrier will be fined.

The fine amount is the same whatever the cause, and even if the decal is defective, as often as not the only recourse is to appear in court and challenge the citation.

Too expensive, unfair, and impractical.

The point is, the decal is not an effective means of verifying

compliance.

With today’s technology, electronic verification is the best tool for confirming that

a carrier is properly registered under IFTA

Means of Verifying Carrier Compliance

• IFTA Clearinghouse

• NLETS

Instead of arranging the contracts and finding a vendor to produce the decals, ordering and paying for the decals, distributing the decals ..

The Jurisdiction can enter the registrant information into a database for quick verification, and issue a registration card to identify the registrant.

Enforcement can match the carrier DOT number in the database to confirm a properly registered IFTA carrier.

Questions to Consider

• Preferred method of electronic verification– Other options?

• Means of maintaining financial structure

• Enforcement protocols