When it comes to fines management there are no shortcuts. Every fine must be managed according to the process of the municipality where the infringement occurred. This can turn into an admin nightmare and is precisely why you need a holistic approach to fleet management.
The admin of managing fleet fines is the bane of every fleet manager’s existence. Not just because of the cost, but because the rules and admin requirements change according to where in South Africa the fine was received. Throw the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) into the mix, and things get even more muddled.
When you add in the basic nature of a fleet—many drivers, different routes, and very erratic fine delivery processes, this part of the job can quickly lead to a never-ending cycle of notifications and despair.
And, if you mismanage any of your fleet fines, you could end up with drivers or vehicles not allowed to operate until fines are cleared, which can quickly lead to productivity and profit losses. Whether you have a fleet of five or 5000, you need an experienced fleet partner that can help you form a holistic strategy to manage fines and who will also take care of all the tedious admin. This way you can focus on your core business and know that all your drivers and vehicles are legally on the road.
The AARTO snag
With all the noise around AARTO, however, it’s easy to forget some basic facts:
- To date, AARTO has only been rolled out in the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane.
- Across the rest of the country, the Criminal Procedure Act is still used to prosecute driving offences.
This means a fleet that operates in and around Gauteng will receive fines via AARTO, and other municipal areas. Fleets that operate nationwide are likely to get fines from different provinces.
The biggest hassle is that there is no one single system where all fines can be managed, because all provinces, and the municipalities within them, have leeway with how they implement their infringement notices. Added to that they all have different bank accounts, and you start seeing just how complicated fleet fines management can get.
Redirect or pay?
Another big question for most fleet managers is whether the company pays for fines, or whether fines are redirected to the drivers who incurred the offence. Again, it’s not a straightforward choice. System and documentation delays often mean that fleet managers only receive fines after the due date for redirection has passed. Or the redirection system in a specific province or municipality isn’t functional and this just causes further delays.
In most cases, the best course of action is for the company to pay the fines and then deduct the amount from the relevant drivers. To do this, a company must have:
- A clear policy indicating that fines will be deducted
- An effective system to track exactly who is driving which vehicle and when.
- A system to manage any disputes should a driver contest that they were driving the vehicle at the time of the offence
This is an admin-intensive process, but very easy to set up if you are working with a professional fleet supplier.
The risk of non-payment
We don’t think anyone is a fan of paying fines, but the risks of non-payment are just too high. With all the news surrounding AARTO, many people made the mistake of waiting to pay their fines to see if they will miraculously disappear.
The risk to fleets is much higher: if you don’t have a proper fines management system in place, you could find yourself with vehicles/drivers unable to operate because licenses can’t be renewed. Not only will you have to pay all outstanding fines, but you risk losing money due to unnecessary downtime.
The last thing anyone wants is to be faced with a hefty fines bill because you simply didn’t know how to keep track of them, and then also have to take additional time ensuring all vehicles and drivers can get back to work as soon as possible.
Cross-border fines management
This is where the real fun starts! As cross-border fleets travel through different countries, they have to adhere to the road laws of those countries.
In Botswana and Eswatini, for example, there is no process for sending fines. If a driver incurs an offence they are expected to pay on the spot (card machines are included). They can also be escorted to a police station to make a direct payment. If drivers don’t have the money to pay, their vehicles are immediately impounded.
There is no single or even aligned system to manage fines across Sub-Saharan Africa trade routes, which makes it a big challenge for fleet managers who operate in more than one country.
You need well-trained drivers
All of the above again illustrates why you need trustworthy divers. No company can afford to have vehicles and goods impounded across the border. With poor driver training, this is a very real risk.
Stay ahead of the fines game
With all of the different processes and systems involved in fines management just within South Africa, it’s clear that this is a task best left to professional fleet management companies.
Even with a small fleet, the admin load is so intensive that a company admin department can’t be expected to keep track of the platforms where fines could be issued. There are simply too many players involved.
You need a fleet partner who knows these systems, knows how the different countries, provinces, and municipalities operate and can manage it all on your behalf. This is the most cost-effective solution.
It’s up to fleet managers to ensure fleet fines don’t lead to downtime for vehicles or drivers. Tracking these across provinces and municipalities can be an admin nightmare and this is where you need the experts to step in, contact EQSTRA to discuss your requirements with a fleet management expert.
