Road transport is a field of activity that offers as much as it does from an administrative point of view. The formalities required to carry out transport operations under legal conditions are numerous and can raise important challenges. If you own a transport company, it is necessary to take a good look at the obligations you have, from a legal point of view. An important element, which must be taken into account at all times, is the so-called roadmap for freight vehicles.
You need to know what is the definition of road map, who completes it, when they complete it, what information must be mentioned on a car road map and what is its usefulness. You also need to know the latest ways to ensure you have quick, secure and accurate access to the information your roadmap needs to include. With the help of the details in this article, you can find out the answer to all the questions you have, regarding the concept of road map for cars and road map for trucks.
Roadmap: Definition and Usefulness
The roadmap is a supporting document that has multiple uses. This document is drawn up in the event that transport is carried out by means of motor vehicles. The document and the information it must contain are legislated. Waybills are documents that characterize the specifics of a journey performed by a carrier.
These documents include information related to the route taken, the purpose of the trip, fuel consumption, etc. You will learn more about what a road map for trucks or a car road map must contain, during this article. . It is necessary for any company that organizes freight transport to know the utility of the waybill. This has effects, from several points of view, as follows:
- taxation – road sheets are documents through which deductions of up to 50% or even 100% of the expenses of the vehicle used for transport can be obtained;
- accounting – the roadmap is a supporting document, useful for drawing up the mandatory accounting reports;
- labor protection – the road map mentions specifications regarding the technical condition of the vehicles used to carry out a transport;
- traffic – the itinerary can be used as an alternative to the movement order. The driver can present it to the traffic agents, so that he cannot be penalized for the transport activity carried out;
- justice – are documents that can be used as evidence in court, in the situation where the company ends up being involved in lawsuits.
So, roadmaps are documents that can help ease the mission of many people involved in the life of a transportation company. Drivers, accountants, tax experts, as well as lawyers can benefit from filling out this document with correct data. However, is the roadmap mandatory?
Roadmap – mandatory
In the case of transport activities, it is mandatory to complete the road map, according to the law. The obligation of the roadmap is justified differently, depending on the uses that are given to the document. The road map is a document without which certain benefits cannot be obtained, as well as a document that can save you from problems with traffic agencies or other authorities. For example, from the point of view of traffic on public roads for the purpose of transporting goods, the road map is a mandatory document, in the absence of a travel order.
By means of the sheet, the driver justifies his transport activity. At the same time, the law provides that the road map is a necessary document, in case of accidents on public roads. Thus, in such cases, original variants and copies of documents such as: on-site minutes, sketches, statements, travel order or roadmap are necessary for carrying out investigations.
A very important side, from a legal point of view, is the one related to labor protection. Thus, by law 319/2006, art. 13, lit. e, it is defined the obligation to draw up supporting documents of the roadmap type. According to the law, the employer (i.e. the transport company) has the obligation to provide instructions in order to complete and issue road sheets to define the technical condition of the motor vehicles at their departure and arrival from the races.
In terms of tax utility, as you learned earlier, the roadmap can be used to deduct expenses up to 100%. Even if this is an advantage for the company, the completion is not optional. When a vehicle is used for commercial purposes and is owned by a company, the road map must be completed.
In the event of an audit, the tax inspectors investigating your company’s activity will request the track records. In the absence of these, they may consider that the automobiles have not been used in a justified manner, with a view to obtaining monetary gains. Under these conditions, the company is liable to fines and even more drastic punishments.
It should be noted that there are also exceptions when it comes to vehicles for which journeys must be made. These are the cars used for security and protection services, courier services or emergency services. Also included in the list of exempted vehicles are those used for taxi services, cars from the fleet of driving schools, cars rented or used through operational or financial leasing, as well as cars used as goods, for commercial purposes.
In addition to being required and mandatory, the roadmap must also be completed following a specific pattern. A model roadmap contains the basic information mentioned in the law.
What should the roadmap contain
There is no mandatory model that must be followed when completing the roadmaps. The law does not provide such a benchmark, but there is a minimum set of data that the sheets must contain. They are defined in the fiscal code, in point 68 (2). Is about:
- The category to which the vehicle used for transport belongs;
- The route covered in a race (starting place and destination);
- Information about the purpose of running a race;
- The number of kilometers traveled in the race performed;
- Own fuel consumption rate per kilometer.
Being defined as a supporting document, the roadmap must also include other information, in order to be used for accounting or tax purposes. Thus, the following details can be included on it:
- title of the document;
- the name and headquarters of the company that prepares the document;
- the names of the persons participating in the transport;
- the purpose of the transport and the legal basis;
- information about the quantity and specifics of the elements transported;
Other information can also be entered on the roadmap which, although not mandatory, can be very useful in certain circumstances. The tax authorities consider it useful that the description of the ways of carrying out the transports is done in the most precise manner. From your company’s perspective, this helps create a transparent image of fairness. Such an approach can also save you from wasting time with thorough research. Here are what other elements it is recommended to include in the roadmap:
- vehicle registration number;
- car brand;
- date and time of departure, date and time of arrival;
- refueling on the route;
- departure mileage and arrival mileage;
- the distance traveled on unimproved roads;
- all data about the person who drove the vehicle.
Even though they seem dense and difficult to obtain, this information needed to fill out a roadmap can be obtained easily. It is important to know that the sheet is not a typed document and can be adapted depending on the activity you carry out and the technological equipment you have. You can choose standard, pre-printed forms, but you can also approach the modern method. This involves the use of technologies that will automatically generate complete, valid and highly accurate roadmaps.
Modern monitoring systems, a help in completing the roadmaps
The essential detail in any discussion about the obligation of the roadmap and how it should be drawn up is that the document should not be pre-printed. The law does not specify the obligation to have road maps in physical format. They are documents that identify the vehicle used to carry out a transport, as well as how resources such as fuel are used in this regard.
It is precisely for these reasons that it is perfectly acceptable for a company to resort to electronic documents. They can be generated automatically, by means of basic GPS monitoring systems. These systems offer, as advantages, the possibility to monitor in real time the movement of vehicles in a company’s fleet. They guarantee perfect visibility and the necessary information is accessible 24/7, including from mobile phones and web applications.
The CargoTrack basic system is composed of two elements: the software component and the hardware component. It can be used for vehicles, trailers, containers and other items that may enter your company’s fleet. The software and hardware component gives you an overview of your fleet’s activity and increases productivity by up to 35%. In addition to this aspect, the system is also useful from the point of view of generating documents such as the roadmap.
A monitoring system such as CargoTrack Basic monitors all vehicles in real time and generates activity reports including according to drivers. The system also makes it easy to create routes with waypoints and can generate activity reports, including roadmaps. A remarkable advantage of this solution is represented by the fact that the system uses modern technologies and applications, such as Google Maps, Google Traffic or Google Street View. Thus, accuracy is guaranteed, including from the point of view of measuring fuel consumption.
An even more advanced solution is premium fleet monitoring. It allows even more precise roadmaps to be generated. Detailed analysis of driving times and schedule violation information are on the list of benefits. The information on which these details are based is obtained from the tachograph. Based on all the statistics and actions that emerge from the monitoring process, precise roadmaps are generated. In the situation where you need accurate information, in the case of a lawsuit or when you have a control of the tax inspectors, the accuracy of the information makes a significant difference.
GPS tracking systems for your transport company’s fleet are useful in many ways and can help you increase the profitability of your company. You can find out if drivers are following their driving times, preset routes and recommended driving style to protect the fleet and optimize fuel consumption. Also, you can use these systems to generate roadmaps in a precise and detailed manner.
The road map is a mandatory document for transport companies that are not part of the exempted categories. They reflect how the transport vehicles are used, the routes followed, the technical condition of the vehicles, as well as the exact information about the route, destination, company and the driver controlling the car.
Choose to invest in the modern solutions available on CargoTrack.ro and get rid of any worries about the waybills. They will no longer need to be filled out in physical form and can be generated automatically by a precise system that operates on the basis of modern technologies. Every run can be justified and accurately reflected on the road map that modern GPS tracking systems generate. Invest in quality solutions and enjoy a legal and much more productive activity!
