Do you know any good IFTA shortcuts?
GPS doesn’t always know best. LIke my drive home – the GPS always tells me to turn onto one street that’s right beside two schools. Turning left there can take 10 minutes if you’re there right after school lets out. It’s a lot faster to turn two streets earlier – yes, it adds a couple of extra turns, but I won’t wait as long.
A good shortcut is only found with experiment and experience. IFTA shortcuts are risky. The price you might pay for a shortcut could be a large fine and extra interest. Is a shortcut worth it?
If you’re spending hours on your IFTA, you might be willing to risk it.
In Your Lane
If you’ve got a regular lane, it may be tempting to save the same data and use it over and over. It can’t be that wrong, can it? Maybe. Maybe not. But are you willing to take it into an audit?
A regular lane is a great gig when you can get it. You can predict your loads. You can plan your trips according to your experience. If stopping for 20 minutes to get a coffee and donut means you’ll miss the downtown rush hour traffic… who wouldn’t stop? You might experiment with a different exit from the highway to see if you can shave a few minutes or a few miles off the trip… sure, why not?
But those experiments do change the mileage. And eventually, those differences will show up in the numbers.
IFTA Shortcuts that aren’t risky
If you’re still working with Google Sheets and QuickBooks to manage your IFTA filing, you’re probably spending a considerable amount of time trying to reconcile the numbers. If you wait until the end of the month (because who doesn’t?) then you’re pushing the deadline and frustrated by the time at a desk or on a laptop. If you’re working with an accountant, you’re paying for that time.
The best shortcut is a system that will take care of your IFTA with every load instead of every quarter.
What would that look like?
It would track your miles per load – routing or ELD. It would accurately count them per state without your effort. Then it would be available at any time to help you plan for that bill at the end of the quarter.
Ideally, you could access it from a mobile phone or tablet to know where to buy fuel, but be safe enough to protect your data even if you lose your phone.
Pipe dream? Or current technology reality?
It’s available now and you can use it right away.
TruckingOffice is the best IFTA shortcut
It’s not a dream. TruckingOffice Trucking Management software handles your IFTA in a matter of seconds.
Since TruckingOffice manages every part of your trucking business, it can handle the IFTA with the exact same data – no extra data entry required. When TruckingOffice enters the dispatch, several things happen:
- The routing is selected.
- The driver is notified via cellphone.
- The ELD system is checked to set mileage tracking.
- When the BOL is signed, a picture of it can be sent with an invoice from the office or the cab as soon as possible.
- The ELD is checked for mileage.
- The IFTA data is stored.
How many stand-alone programs handle all of that? Does your accountant with Quickbooks produce a report in seconds for you to know how much you pay per quarter?
Here’s a secret – a number of your trucking accountants use TruckingOffice for you. So you’re paying for them to use it… but you don’t get the extra benefits of
- Business reports that show your business status including revenue per mile
- Scheduling your maintenance tasks by mile or by time
- Recording your maintenance tasks in case of a DOT audit
- Tracking your loads on the road.
Why are you doing that?
So the best IFTA shortcut is taking control of your IFTA and using TruckingOffice TMS to manage all of your trucking business. It will save you money and time – isn’t that what a good shortcut should do?
Here’s a shortcut to a free trial for IFTA calculator – and the entire TruckingOffice TMS. It’s not just the IFTA report – you’ll have access to the entire trucking management software program. Take it out for a spin – you’ll find it’s the tool you need to make your trucking business successful.
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