IFTA reporting accurate?

Need a better system for record keeping...
Do you do trip reports for each trip?
Also a fuel card adds up your gallons per state so makes that very easy.

Once you do it a bunch of times it becomes routine..

 

You can't just "forget" a run. You have log books to remind you.

Get a receipt scanner and scan EVERY receipt the moment you get back to the truck. EVERY receipt. Use the Fuelgages app.

When you are waiting somewhere, being loaded, unloaded, repairs, whatever, pull out the laptop and put the information into your IFTA spreadsheet (or use an app, I'm sure there's one).

The amount of back office work, as you put it, is directly related to how organized you are. If you do it as if it was part of your day job, it'll be easy peasy.

 

I've got a 3 ring binder I keep everything in. Fuel receipts, trip logs, and fuel log. When I get back to the office, fuel receipts get printed and it and the trip logs get filed. The fuel log stays in the truck the whole quarter. The report is compiled from the fuel log and trip logs. The receipt copies are just filed away and used to back up the logs, in case of a audit.

 

i do my ifta logs pen and paper scratch down the last 3 or 4 numbers of the odo rolling down the road, ever once in a while i get distracted at a loading location or ill think that 5 that i hit a bump while writing down was a 6 then when i add up all the millage on my trip sheet if somethings not right ill find what doesn't seem right and go back to google maps and punch the route in and correct it.

 

I've forgotten to write the mileage down at a state line before. Google maps can be your friend here. You could actually get your numbers close enough off of Google maps after every trip if you wanted and then also figure odometer miles. That's more work IMO than just writing it down as you go.

It's just not all that much work to me. It's not nearly as aggravating as keeping up with a log book. Just remember, all your IFTA miles, log book miles, IRP reported miles, and receipts have to match. If you just do it as you go and not worry about making sure everything matches after the fact is much easier.

This will only happen if it's a very big violation dealing with lots of money but their are other ways they can track your travels if they did deep enough. Lots of scales anymore will have records of when you go though them and any contact with law enforcement will live a electronic paper trail. Years ago you could get by with some stuff but nowadays all the databases are connected and red flags pop up with things don't match.