In recent months Alltruck has seen a dramatic increase in penalty charge notices (PCNS) incurred by our vehicles. As the operator of our vehicles, our customers are responsible for the payment of any charges accrued on the road. We know that these charges are an unwelcome cost to our customers so, we have conducted our own research in order to better understand where the majority of these charges occur and provide you with advice on how to avoid them.
From our research, we found an overwhelming amount of PCNs came from the ‘Dart Charge’, the toll for the Dartford River Crossing. We discovered that in December 2017 alone, 436 of our vehicles were caught not paying the Dart Charge. This must be paid by midnight the day after you cross.
There are a handful of ways to pay for the Dart Charge:
Once you have set up an account, you can pre-pay in advance of any journey if you know you or your drivers will be travelling that way. This is the most convenient and fastest way to complete a payment and can potentially save you lots of hassle in the future.
Our research also shows that toll roads are the overall biggest offender for PCNs, making up roughly 60% the total notices. For more information about the payment of toll road charges click here.
Other reoccurring offences include:
So whether it’s truck rental or contract hire, please be aware that you are liable for any PCNs incurred by you or your drivers on the road. By taking a few simple steps as highlighted above, you can save your business unnecessary cost and hassle.