Permit Renewal Season Means Updating Permit Books, Simplify With New Permit Book App

Renewing registrations, licenses, tax accounts, and many specialty permits is an annual headache that carrier’s dread. Getting your vehicles properly registered and keeping those records in Federal DOT compliance and State compliance takes time, expertise, and the right programs.

Beyond just getting the renewed permits, the next step is to update each driver’s in-cab permit book. This is one of the biggest operational bottlenecks for any size fleet as you have to get the required critical regulatory documents to the right terminal, into right truck, for the right driver and right trailer timely.

The burden is only amplified with every terminal, truck, trailer and driver as there are no shortcuts and mistakes can result in a citation and/or downtime.

But there is a simple-to-use permit book app and online management tool that can help.

What Permits Need To Be Renewed by December 31^st?

Most permits and annual fees must be renewed and paid prior to December 31st. Depending on the State the trucks are based, where the trucks travel, at what weight they are registered, and what the trucks carry, some interstate truck registrations expire December 31st.

When it comes to processing individual renewal requests, most State’s give a “must be received by date” and then use a “first come, first served” or “first in, first out” approach.

Renewals received after the “must be received by date” are worked as rapidly as their man power and systems allow. Should that process take them into January, the Carrier is subject to citation for non-renewal due to the fact that the Carrier failed to turn in their paperwork by deadline.

The Following Are The Major Programs Up For Renewal:

Truck Registrations which must include proof of Heavy Vehicle Use Tax payment. Most States use a staggered system when it comes to the date to renew truck registrations. For all Oregon based trucks, December 31st is the deadline for registration renewal.
IFTA Licenses: All interstate carriers operating trucks over 26,000 lbs must renew their IFTA license.
UCR Filings: All interstate carriers must pay their 2020 Unified Carrier Registration fees for each interstate truck registered at over 10,000 lbs.
Oregon Weight/Tax Identifier Account: All trucks traveling in Oregon that are registered at over 26,000 lbs must renew their Oregon Weight Tax Identifier (weight/mile tax account).
New Mexico Mileage Tax Account: All trucks traveling in New Mexico that are registered at over 26,000 lbs must renew their New Mexico weight/mile tax account.
New York Heavy Use Tax (HUT) Permit (due by November 30)
And many individual Federal and State specialty permits like: Over weight/dimension Permits and HazMat Permits

The renewal season floods state agencies with added work. Many states have undergone budget cuts and have reduced the locations and/or staffing to process these renewals. In their effort to control the workflow and provide timely service, these agencies open up the renewal process several months prior to the deadline. Those without their new credentials by January 1, 2018, can face heavy fines.

You can use a service agent, like Glostone Trucking Solutions, who help with the permit and registration renewal process.

How To Simplify Updating Permit Books

So, you now have your new permits? Do you update the permit books right away? How do you get all the permit books updated, especially if you have 10+ drivers that pick up new loads in the middle of the night?

There is now a way to simplify this whole process from the computer and get the documents to your drivers instantly.

Permit Book is a cloud-based driver app that loads, organizes, and stores critical documents to the driver based on the driver login, truck and trailer assigned or selected. You can get the right documents into the right truck from your desk, get an updated document to the right truck instantly (push notifications will alert the driver to any permit or file changes, and never lose a document again.

Permit Book documents are automatically loaded, updated and cached whenever the application is in a cell phone service area. Because these documents are cached locally, they are accessible from the mobile application even when not in a cell service area.

If the roadside officer refuses to touch your phone or screen to see the documents, Permit Book documents are easily attached and emailed to the officer.

If an expiring document has been updated with a new document, or other new documents have been added, push notifications to the driver will alert them to any changes.

Why Permit Book App Was Created

Every day, more and more carriers are searching out and adopting better practices to reduce costs, drive their bottom line, and enhance operations across the board.

As of January 1, 2019, all US States and Canadian Provinces are required to accept electronic images of IRP cab cards and IFTA licenses, with Alaska and Hawaii being exempt from this requirement.

While International Registration Plan (IRP) and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) e-credentialing are requirements of Core ITD, industry and State personnel are interested in electronic support for other permitting and critical documents.

For example, Oversize and overweight (OS/OW) loads are special case shipments that exceed the operational parameters defined by the State. The correct routing of these shipments makes sure that mobility, safety, and security concerns are addressed. Many states are now allowing drivers to carry and display oversize load permits electronically, instead of having to carry paper copies.

Check out what the Permit Book app and online back-end for office management looks like:

October 15, 2019October 15, 2019

New Features Turns Electronic Permit Book Into Fleet Document Management System

Paper permit books have always been burdensome for the trucking, construction, logging, and transportation industries. Each truck must have certain documentation at arms distance from the driver, including: IFTA license, IRP cab cards, truck and trailer registration, any HAZMAT credentials, ELD instructions, etc. Companies are also using our Permit Book tools to add Bill of Ladings for each load, company policies and emergency contact information, maintenance records, driver training documents, and more.

Getting the paper documents, making sure they get into the right truck for the right driver with the right trailer, and replace the documents when lost or expired can get complex. A mistake can result in a citation or downtime and the burden is amplified with every terminal, truck, trailer and driver as there are no shortcuts.

Permit Book App and online fleet management tool is an electronic version of the paper binder permit book in trucks for required docs. This solves the problem of paper permits getting lost & simplifies the process of getting these docs in the trucks quickly.

What Are The New Features?

Permit Book driver app (available of Apple and Google Play app stores and online) and online fleet management tool allows key documents to be electronically loaded into the system from your desk and assigned to a driver, truck or trailer to be accessed and viewed anywhere while the driver is on the road.

We have now added the Expiration Date field when loading in these documents online and have clearly color coded when a document is expired (in red), and if expiring soon within 30 days (yellow) from the online portal.

Fleet managers can now clearly see, sort, and be proactive in updating these documents and get those documents to your drivers instantly – preventing any fears of violations due to old documents.

Another feature if for managers who handle multiple companies under a single roof. These managers can switch between the different companies with the same login and manage all their company documents, drivers, and equipment.

How Will The Permit Book Workflow Change?

Setup an account: simply bulk upload your list of drivers, trucks, and trailers to create where to assign and store your documents.
Obtain your documents as normal: you may need to digitize a paper document by scanning it as a PDF.
On the desktop dashboard, upload (assign) each document to the appropriate category: Company, Driver, Truck or Trailer; name the document; and add an expiration date if document expires.
You can then login to the online portal to see when documents are nearing their expiration dates. Edit and replace the expiring document with the new one!

The driver will receive a push notification (if they turn on this function in settings) to their device that a document was added or updated and needs to be download.

The burden of getting important documents to the right truck for the right driver with the right trailer has been simplified with Permitbook.com and Permit Book driver app available on Android and Apple app stores today.

Fill out the form below if interested to learn more and talk to a representative for a demo.

July 22, 2019July 22, 2019

Trucking Company a Front to Secretly Haul SR-71 and its Predecessor to Area 51 in 1960s

In the 1960’s, during the development of the SR-71 Blackbird aircraft, Lockheed had to figure out a way to transport the secret aircraft from their Skunk Work’s facility in Burbank, California to the test site (Area 51, Nevada) without anyone knowing what they were hauling.

The SR-71 did not have the C-5 airplane, Airforce’s huge transportation aircraft introduced in 1970 that secretly transported the F-117 Stealth Fighter to Area 51 test site. So, the Lockheed team developed a “false-front” truckline, called Roadrunner Internationale, to haul the SR-71 fuselage and wings to the test site, where it was reassembled.

History of the SR-71 Blackbird Airplane

The Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” is a long-range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division.

During aerial reconnaissance missions, the SR-71 operated at high speeds and altitudes to allow it to outrace threats. If a surface-to-air missile launch were detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outfly the missile. The shape of the SR-71 was based on the A-12 which was one of the first aircraft to be designed with a reduced radar cross-section.

The A-12 was produced from 1962 to 1964 and flew from 1963 to 1968. It was the precursor to the SR-71 Blackbird, a slightly longer variant able to carry a heavier fuel and camera load.

How Did Roadrunners Internationale Haul The Airplanes?

The Roadrunners were an elite group of CIA, Air Force and support personnel operating out of what is officially known as “an operating location near Groom Lake, Nev.,” also known as Area 51, the Ranch or the Area by those who worked there.

From the beginning of Project OXCART, it was known that the A-12s would be built in the Skunk Works within the Lockheed Plant complex in Burbank, California and that the A-12s (and later the SR-71) would have to be transported overland to Area 51 for flight testing, development and training of the Project Pilots.

The trip to haul the full scale model was started in November 1959 and took three days to complete. The largest of these packages was 65′ long and 32.6′ wide.

In total, eighteen trips were made to Area 51 and three trips were made to Palmdale to carry the first three SR-71s built.

The first fully developed A-12 convoy departed Burbank on 26 February 1962 and arrived three days later. The safe operation of the transportation of these airplanes was aided by the California and Nevada Highway Patrols.

Dorsey Kammerer was appointed to head up the activity to build and use the transportation carriage system. An early-on step was to equip a pickup truck with a set of extension poles sized to the width, height of the main transport carriage trailer.

An initial plan was to drive the best estimate route of travel, noting the obstacles to easy movement of the carriage boxes. Where necessary, the obstacles were noted and steps were taken later to be removed, such as signs, trees, and roadside soils.

Travel was allowed on mid-week days only, no movement on the weekends or Holidays. During one of the movements a Greyhound bus nicked the big box. The bus driver was paid cash to have the bus repairs done without any resultant attention to the details.

The end of the road was the main hangar complex at Area 51 where the airplane was off-loaded into the hangar for re-assembly.

Below are pictures of these top secret trips found on the Roadrunners Internationale website: http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/transporting_the_a-12.html

July 11, 2019July 11, 2019

HD Trucking Article: Permit Book App Lets Fleets Manage Required Driver Documents

Permit Book App Lets Fleets Manage Required Driver Documents

July 10, 2019 • Permit Book

The Permit Book driver app and fleet management tool allows key documents to be electronically loaded into the system and assigned to a driver, truck or trailer to be accessed and viewed on the road.

Permit Book is a cloud-based driver app that loads, organizes and stores critical documents to the driver based on the driver login and which truck and trailer they select after logging in. The documents are downloaded, updated and cached when in an area with Wi-Fi or cellular service.

Read the full article here: https://www.truckinginfo.com/335843/permit-book-app-lets-fleets-manage-required-driver-documents

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019

CCJ Article: Glostone Trucking Solutions develops electronic Permit Book app

Glostone Trucking Solutions develops electronic Permit Book app

Aaron Huff | @AaronHuffCCJ | July 9, 2019

Glostone Trucking Solutions has developed Permit Book, a driver app and cloud-based fleet management tool that allows documents to be electronically loaded into the system and assigned to a driver, truck or trailer to be accessed and viewed anywhere while the driver is on the road.

Permit Book stores documents assigned to the driver based on driver login and the truck and trailer they select after logging in. The documents are downloaded, updated and cached on a mobile device while in a cell phone service or Wi-Fi area.

To read the full article: https://www.ccjdigital.com/glostone-trucking-solutions-develops-electronic-permit-book-app/

June 26, 2019November 2, 2019

Best Practices For Fleets Storing Electronic Documents For Permit Book

In-cab paper permit books have annoyed owner-operators and fleets for decades. Operators of commercial trucks often misplace, forget or simply not aware of the required documents needed in the cab of the truck for roadside inspections.

The problem is particularly acute with large fleets who manage dozens of company documents for each driver, truck, and trailer, have multiple terminals and/or deal with drivers switching trucks or trailers, sometimes multiple times each day.

No matter what, the right documents need to be in the right truck for the right driver and trailer. A mistake can result in a citation, downtime, or worse. Until now, there have been no shortcuts. The burden is simply amplified with every terminal, truck, trailer and driver in the fleet.

Permit Book is a first of its kind driver app that provides drivers electronic accessibility to documents from any IOS or Android based smart device, even when out of cell service.

This guide walks through best practices of what documents should be stored in Permit Book along with other important documents fleets could consider providing to the driver when utilizing Permit Book app.

Required Trucking Credentials For All In-cab Permit Books

- Truck registration: Every vehicle is required to carry proof of valid registration. This document proves your truck is properly registered and lists VIN, license plate, make and model as well as information on the registered owner. Commercial truck registrations expire annually and must be renewed with a copy of the renewal in the truck prior to the old one expiring.
- Annual inspection: Commercial trucks and trailers are required to carry proof of an annual maintenance inspection performed by a Certified mechanic. This inspection confirms your equipment has been deemed safe to operate and defect free. Annual means dates are important. Check for expiration. New inspections and updated documents must be obtained prior to the expiration date.
- IFTA Decals/License: If you operate above 26,000 lbs and interstate, you need IFTA decals on the side of the truck and an IFTA License in the truck. Both must be updated annually.

Federal, State or Type of Haul Specific Documents For Permit Books

- Lease agreement: If you are an owner operator leased to another company or have leased a truck from a leasing company, you must carry a copy of the lease agreement. These vary between a single page and multipage contracts. It’s a document listing equipment ownership and lease terms.
- Hazmat permits: If your company is transporting placardable quantities of Hazmat materials, you need to have the proper permits. For non-high-risk shipments, you need an FMCSA hazmat permit that certifies your company has the appropriate endorsements. These permits have expiration dates and can be valid for single or multiple years. In addition to the federal permit requirements, individual states may require separate hazmat permits.
- ELD instructions: Written instructions on how to operate your electronic logging device. The DOT mandates these have to be kept inside your truck and made available during an inspection.
- Intra-state authorities: Intra-state authority allows you to pick up at a point within a certain state, to deliver to another point within that state such as Florence, KY to Louisville, KY.
- Kentucky Carriers Vehicle Inventory List: If your vehicle if 60,000 pounds or greater GVW then it should be registered in the Carriers Vehicle Inventory List for Kentucky or KYU*
- New Jersey Business Registration Certificate: New Jersey has detained vehicles in the past for not having a copy of the Business Registration Certificate in the vehicle. Good idea to carry a copy should you operate in the state of New Jersey.
- New Mexico Weight Distance Tax: If operating in NM and your vehicle has GVW greater than 26,000 pounds, you must obtain Weight Distance Tax* permits for each vehicle which will enable you to cross New Mexico without having to pay the mileage (Weight-Distance) tax out of pocket at the time. The carrier can then report the taxes due on a quarterly basis for all subject vehicles.
- New York’s Highway Use Tax: If your vehicle has GVW greater than 18,001 pounds or more and enters New York you are subject to New York’s Highway Use Tax. You will need to carry the paper copy of the NY HUT registration for your truck with your permits and also affix a state issued decal to the front of the truck
- SCAC Code: You may also need on occasion to know the SCAC Code* for your Carrier company. Carrying a copy of your Carrier SCAC Code from National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. may be required to access military facilities.

Important Trucking Licenses, Permits, And Tax Accounts For Fleet Asset Management

If you are a new company or are expanding where and what your fleet or truck is hauling, it is important to know what documents are needed. This is asset management.

An effective asset management programs includes tracking detailed equipment data used for proper registration, obtaining permits, calculating tax fees, ownership changes, and DOT safety violation measurement.

Below is a breakdown of individual states or for special hauls: when they need to be renewed, how much they cost, and who they apply to.

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR):

Who: All interstate carrier, private carrier, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies
When: Renews every January 1^st
How Much: Fees are based on the number of units crossing state lines

International Registration Plan (IRP):

Who: Commercial motor vehicle intended for use in multiple member jurisdictions applies to vehicles that have GVW more than 26,000 lbs, has three or more axels regardless of weight, and is used in combination when the GVW exceeds 26,000 lbs.
When: Renewed annually at year end or staggered schedule depending on jurisdiction
How Much: Fees vary depending on the weight of the vehicle and the jurisdiction in which vehicle or fleet operates

International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA):

Who: Commercial motor vehicle intended for use in multiple member jurisdictions applies to vehicles that have GVW more than 26,000 lbs, has three or more axels regardless of weight, and is used in combination when the GVW exceeds 26,000 lbs.
When: Obtained at the same time as annual vehicle registration and renews every January 1^st. Requires quarterly tax filings even if zero miles have been driven
How Much: Each state determines the price for its annual IFTA license and decals. The quarterly tax owed or is due in a refund depends upon the fuel tax rate in state where the fuel was purchased compared to the tax rates in the states where the fuel was used

New Mexico Tax Account:

Who: Any vehicle 26,000 lbs GVW or greater operating in New Mexico
When: Renews every January 1^st, quarterly filings required even with zero miles
How Much: $10.00 per truck at the time of registration. Quarterly taxes depends on the weight of the vehicle and miles traveled on New Mexico roads

New York Tax Account:

Who: Any vehicle in excess of 18,000 lbs GVW operating in New York
When: Renews, in time increments that New York identifies as a series, typically in three year times. These schedules are determined by the weight of vehicles and miles traveled in New York
How Much: $19.00 for the initial permit per truck. $1.50 for renewals per truck. Quarterly taxes depends on the weight of vehicles and miles traveled in New York

Oregon Tax Account:

Who: Commercial motor vehicles exceeding 26,000 lbs combined GVW operating in Oregon
When: Oregon tax account must be opened prior to operating in Oregon. Carriers must file Oregon weight mileage taxes monthly or may apply to the state to file quarterly. Monthly or quarterly files are required even with zero miles. Oregon tax accounts must be renewed by January 1^st.
How Much: $8.50 for each out of state truck registered to operate within Oregon. For Oregon based trucks, the fee is included in the registration fee. The monthly tax owed depends upon the weight of the truck and miles traveled in Oregon.

Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC):

Who: Any carrier who crosses an international border between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Any carrier transporting goods on behalf of the Federal government or military. Carriers who haul specific types of freight.
When: Carriers must obtain a SCAC prior to crossing an international border or shipping freight for the Federal government. SCAC(s) must be renewed annually.
How Much: $87.00 for payment via check through mail or $76.00 online

Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT):

Who: Any vehicle exceeding 55,000 lbs GVW that operates on public roadways
When: This tax filing must be made and paid to the IRS within the first 60 days of registering a new truck with the state and must be renewed annually. For renewals, tax filings and payments are due August 31^steach year
How Much: For vehicles between 55,000 to 75,000 lbs GVW, the annual tax is $100.00 per truck per year, plus an additional $22.00 for every 1,000 lbs over 55,000 lbs GVW. For vehicles over 75,000 lbs GVW, there is an annual tax of $550 per truck

Do you need help getting these documents or want to make sure you didn’t miss anything?

Whether an Owner Operator or a large, multi-terminal fleet, the experts at Glostone can insure your equipment is and stays road legal. For new vehicle and renewal registrations, Glostone can establish a new registration account, obtain plates/tags and renew existing registrations, often within 24 hours.

Glostone’s Asset Management maintains and manages your entire equipment list. Glostone can add, delete, perform title work and transfer fees as trucks and trailers come and go. They provide a complete permit book for every new truck added. Company or truck specific licenses or permits can be automatically obtained and renewed including:

US DOT Updates
HazMat Permits
Unified Carrier Registration
Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT 2290)
Over Dimension Permits
Fuel Permits
And many more!

Call Glostone to learn more: 503.607.1088 or learn more here.

June 19, 2019July 9, 2019

New Permitbook.com Driver App Revolutionizes In-Cab Permit Book Process

Permit Book driver app and fleet management tool allows key documents to be electronically loaded into the system and assigned to a driver, truck or trailer to be accessed and viewed anywhere while the driver is on the road.

Using paper for truck permitting has always been burdensome for the trucking, construction, logging, and transportation industries. Getting the paper document, making sure it gets to the right truck for the right driver with the right trailer, and replace the documents when lost or expired can get complex. A mistake can result in a citation, downtime, or worse and the burden is amplified with every terminal, truck, trailer and driver as there are no shortcuts.

How Permit Book Driver App and Fleet Management Tool Works

permit book driver app dashboard Permit Book is a cloud-based driver app that loads, organizes, and stores critical documents to the driver based on the driver login and which truck and trailer they select after logging in.

This allows you to get the right documents into the right truck from your desk, get an updated document to the right truck instantly (push notifications will alert the driver to any permit or file changes), and never lose a document again.

Permit Book documents are automatically loaded, updated and cached whenever the application is in a cell phone service area. Because these documents are cached locally on the smart device, they are accessible from the mobile application even when not in a cell service area.

If the roadside officer refuses to touch your phone or screen to see the documents, Permit Book documents are easily attached and emailed to the officer based on your smart device’s functionality.

If an expiring document has been updated with a new document, or other new documents have been added, push notifications to the driver will alert them to any changes.

Legality Of Electronic Documents At Roadside

Permit book electronic permit roadside legality

As of January 1, 2019, all US States and Canadian Provinces are required to accept electronic images of IRP cab cards and IFTA licenses, with Alaska and Hawaii being exempt from this requirement.

Industry and State personnel are interested in electronic support for other permitting and critical documents as well. Government is always behind in implementing technology but every State realizes the critical need to do so in order to meet the needs of business and improve their own efficiency.

Every state is in a technology transition and paper is being eliminated wherever possible. For example, many states that offer or send electronic copies of permits allow for those documents to be displayed at roadside.

Other states detail exactly what is allowed. The Oregon DOT allows carriers to carry an electronic version of the following credentials in their vehicles for:

Apportioned Registration Cab Card (IRP)
Temporary Apportioned Vehicle Registration
Oregon Commercial Registration Cab Card
Temporary Commercial Vehicle Registration
International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) License
Temporary IFTA Decal Permit
Oregon Weight Receipt and Tax Identifier
Temporary Oregon Weight Receipt and Tax Identifier
Single-Trip Oversize/Overweight Permit

Until universal acceptance of electronic credentials is achieved, drivers and fleets should be aware of the state regulations that specify if in-cab electronic credentials is allowed, and on what size of device. To see a continually updated list of which states accept electronic documents and credentials at roadside, read the state-by-state breakdown here.

During this transition, it is advised that drivers continue to carry paper credentials in order to provide time for all involved to work out the details of this new program.

How Will The Permit Book Workflow Change?

Setup up an account: simply bulk upload your list of drivers, trucks, and trailers to create where to assign and store your documents.
Obtain your documents as normal: you may need to digitize a paper document by scanning it as a PDF.
On the desktop dashboard, drag and drop (assign) each PDF to the appropriate Driver, Truck and Trailer and name the document. That’s it!

The driver will receive a push notification to their device that a document was added or updated and they need to download it to be cached on their device.

If drivers are worried about using their personal phone data, there are many free wifi location to have documents be downloaded to the phone.

To learn more or to join the wait list, go to Permitbook.com.

Category: News

Permit Renewal Season Means Updating Permit Books, Simplify With New Permit Book App