What’s the fastest IFTA calculator available?
Everybody wants to know that right about now. Get this stupid task done and get back on the road, right? We’ve got better things to do.
Breaking down the IFTA Calculations
First, you have to track all of your miles per state. Whether you have a load or not, you need a record of the miles.
Second, you have to have all of your fuel receipts to prove where you purchased fuel.
Third, you need to know the tax rates for every state you drove in.
Now you need to … do I need to go any further with this? Who wants to do this by hand?
Fastest IFTA Automation
I guess there may be someone out there doing their IFTA calculations by hand. I suspect those owner-operators are dropping fast because it simply takes too much time and effort. Even if you create some kind of super-complicated spreadsheet to do it for you, you’re still stuck with tracking every state or jurisdiction’s fuel taxes every quarter. That’s not fast. That’s the opposite of fast.
Automating the IFTA reporting was the single best thing that happened to the trucking industry. If we have to pay these taxes, at least now there’s a way to get it done quickly. Now it’s just a matter of finding the fastest one.
How about one that doesn’t ask you to enter any extra data at all?
The Fastest IFTA Calculator
The fastest IFTA calculator is going to be a component of a full trucking management software package. It will use the data you’ve already entered into the system. It will be able to compute your taxes upon demand at any given time, not just during the IFTA months (January, April, July, and October.)
What you want isn’t an IFTA calculator – what you need is a fully powered trucking management software system. The same numbers you use for IFTA are the ones you use for your IRP. Why should these be separate programs? Can’t one program do them both?
IRP Fees: Breaking Down the Numbers
When you apply for an IRP, you must know all about the fees you are expected to pay. You will need to decide which states you will operate in and ask yourself what is the IRP for each jurisdiction. Instead of guessing what the fees will be, you should consider using trucking management software to determine your charges for each state.
The IRP registration fee for your apportioned plate will vary depending on the state you are based in. It will also differ based on your gross vehicle weight and what states you plan to register in. Generally, the state fees for a truck that is 80,000 pounds and operating in the lower 48 U.S. states will cost anywhere between $1,500 and $2,000.
It can be difficult to remember all the different rules and regulations that determine fees for each state. In Alabama, for instance, the price is based on the gross vehicle weight, and there is also a $1.25 issuance fee included. However, in California, there is a flat fee charged plus a weight fee based on the unladen weight and the number of axles on your truck.
Yes, IFTA and IRP in one trucking management software program
IFTA and IRP shouldn’t be more than a small part of your trucking business.
Those are tasks that should be done in minutes and nothing else.
So your fastest IFTA calculator should also be able to
- handle your invoices (current and late)
- track customers’ payments and contact information
- manage your truck maintenance records
- integrates seamlessly with your ELD.
Do you think that’s too many bells and whistles? Too many things you don’t think you need?
You need every one of those things on that list. But maybe you’ve got all that covered? Maybe you’re so new or so small that you think you can handle all of it with Google docs and spreadsheets?
Then there’s just one question: do you want to grow your business?
Try TruckingOffice trucking management software today for free. No credit cards, no debit cards, no checking account numbers needed. Just sign up today and you can enter all of last quarter’s data to use our IFTA report to file your taxes. Then you can also explore our entire program – not just some of the parts like other TMS programs let you do – and run a few reports on your trucking business. You may find that those “bells and whistles” will help you build and grow your owner-operator business to new levels of success.
Interestedly in IRP /IFTA filing