With 6 A.M. came the mingling of the lights. That brief moment when Night and Day dance together, one inevitably yielding to the other. The creeks and hums of Night slowly giving way to the first stirrings of morning.
And as that first bit of dawn leaked through the curtains of his cab window, Bobby’s alarm suddenly awoke him with an ear-piercing chord.
He stirred from his slumber to silence his phone with a *
smack.*
It was just another day on the road for Bobby… or so he thought. But this day’s events would turn out to be far more sinister.
As he rubbed his eyes and glanced at his phone, a small reminder popped up: “IFTA Due Today.” His heart beginning to thump wildly, he glanced at his calendar to see the cold, hard truth of it.
It was October 31st, 2014, the
Day of the Deadline.
Bobby often thought about the approaching third quarter
IFTA deadline, but his thoughts were quickly diverted by more pressing matters.
Upcoming maintenance on his truck. Delivering his cargo on time. Desperately seeking a few solid hours of rest.
Bobby, like so many others, assumed he’d get around to IFTA later. And later never came.
Accepting the harsh reality, Bobby sprung from his bed, one hand buttoning his shirt, the other rummaging around for a shoe box filled with fuel receipts.
He retrieved the box, and slowly pried off the lid to reveal its horrifying contents.
Dozens of receipts, old and new, twisted and writhing upon one another like a fistful of worms. Many illegible. Many more missing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobby knew he needed original receipts for all fuel purchases. “Now is not the time to panic,” Bobby repeated to himself. But it was futile. Panic already had Bobby is his steely grip, and the grip was getting tighter each second.
Beginning to lose hope, Bobby grabbed his incomplete trip sheets, powered up his laptop, and began typing them up, line by line.
Minutes became hours. And each hour felt the length of an eternity.
Squinting at the screen with his heavy eyelids, Bobby’s bloodshot eyes suddenly grew wide as he noticed the time. The deadline had passed, and Bobby’s IFTA filing was late. Again.
This wasn’t the first time Bobby missed the deadline. He was all too familiar with late filing penalties. So he carried on, knowing that the sooner he filed, the better.
Racing to finish, he filled in the gaps on his trip sheets the best he could. He “guest-imated” his fuel use based on a standard MPG. But in his haste, Bobby made these dire mistakes–and many more. Mistakes that would cost Bobby dearly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Months had passed, and Bobby had almost forgotten that fateful night. Until one brisk evening, he sat alone and exhausted in the quiet of his cab.
The phone rang.
Bobby, startled, peered over to his phone to see who was calling. It was an unfamiliar number he’d never seen before.
He reached over and slowly raised the phone to his ear. “Hello?” Bobby croaked.
Nothing.
“Hello?” he said more loudly. Still nothing. Sleep deprived, he wondered if he’d imagined the phone ringing. Just as he went to hang up, he heard someone on the other end.
Breathing.
“Hello!” he said a third time, crazed with anticipation! The menacing breath quickened.
Finally, a somber voice spoke. “Mr. Hawkins, good evening. I’m calling to notify you...you’ve been selected for an
IFTA audit.”
The phone slipped from Bobby’s hand. Stricken with shock, he sat staring blankly at the floor. He knew he’d gone too far. He knew his day of reckoning had come. And he wondered how he could’ve done things differently.
“If only I’d been more prepared,” he lamented. If only he’d known about
TSNAmerica.
So I ask you, readers, will you be ready for the 3rd quarter IFTA deadline this October 31st?
You too can avoid the horrors of last-minute IFTA filing by heeding this cautionary tale.
Don’t wait until the last minute. Call
Truck Services of North America and start preparing today. We’re available via phone at 803.386.0320, on live chat, or via email assistance at
support@TSNAmerica.com.
Just send us your completed Trip Sheets, detailing your exact mileage and fuel use per jurisdiction, and we will use them to prepare and file your IFTA return for you, directly with your state. No calculations. No waiting in line. No worries.
And remember, even if you didn’t travel at all this quarter, you are still required to file if you hold a valid IFTA license.
Don’t waste your Halloween frantically filing your IFTA return. Leave it to us, and go out Trick-or-Treating instead. You deserve to have a little fun!
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