This years conference will be in celebration of Microlise’s 30th Anniversary and will be held at the Barcelo, Hinckley Island Hotel on May 10, 2012 from 9:00 – 15:00 with an optional Product Demonstration session from 14:00 – 15:00.

Mr. Quentin Willson will be chairing the event and presenting on FairFuelUK’s Battle against Rising Fuel Costs as well as his time spent on Top Gear.

Conference partners include: Carlsberg, John Mitchell, Ryder, Hoyer, Metropolitan Police, DHL and Tesco.com

For more information and to register your attendance please visit:

http://www.microliseconference.com/

This release has functionality to improve order workflow but importantly rectifies an identified issue affecting a proportion of TomTom navigation devices.  This issue has been caused by a bug in a chip provided by a third party and has prevented the units obtaining a GPS position.

There are no known issues for TomTom navigation devices operating in combination with a TomTom LINK Classic or Link300. Obtaining the GPS position can be easily selected on the navigation device when tapping the Menu Icon WORK › page 2 › Settings › Use LINK GPS and this should be the default setting.

TomTom apologise for any inconvenience caused and state all PRO devices should be updated to the latest software (10.534 or higher) to ensure the resolution for the above mentioned GPS issue. This update is considered mandatory for all cases when the navigation device is used independent of a LINK unit and update to this version would be the first advice given for any technical support.

Please remember to back up your device before commencing this update.

If you have not already done so, you will need to download MyTomTom.  The update can then be downloaded and installed automatically by connecting your PRO navigation device to MyTomTom.

Businesses are being warned of a tax crackdown on mileage claims after a series of investigations into fuel and mileage payments.

Mileage audit firm TMC says it has identified five companies in the past month that are being investigated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

A bill for more than £700,000 in back taxes could be at stake for one of the businesses involved.

“Investigators see the whole area of mileage as low-hanging fruit in the current climate,” said Paul Jackson, managing director of TMC.

He believes that more fleets could find their records being scrutinised by HMRC as it hardens its line on incomplete or inaccurate mileage records.

In the cases seen by Fleet News, HMRC contends that the employers failed to check mileage claims properly.

Drivers were therefore able to overstate their business mileage and in effect received tax-free AMAP or Advisory Fuel Rate (AFR) expense payments for business miles they didn’t cover.

One tax inspector spent three weeks using an online route planner to check hundreds of mileage claims made by just eight drivers.

In practice, HMRC normally would look at the past six years, but in this case it examined the company’s records over the past four years, revealing some serious inaccuracies.

Fleet News has seen a mileage claim for 2,764 miles in a single month, but when it was checked by HMRC it should have only been for 1,798 miles – 35% less than the actual mileage claim which was submitted.

At an Advisory Fuel Rates of 12ppm, that equates to an over-spend over the course of a year of almost £1,400.

“What is frightening is the business had no idea,” said Amanda Philp, head of marketing at TMC. “They’ve got good records, detailed records that are filled in and signed by the appropriate people, and in a lot of ways this looks like a model fleet.”

HMRC is treating claims by the company’s 135 other drivers as similarly unchecked and has warned the business that it faces a potential charge of up to £200,000 in respect of tax-free payments it made for ‘phantom’ business miles.

One company concerned wished to remain anonymous, but told Fleet News that each claim it received was signed off by a line manager, so it had no reason to believe the mileages were incorrect.

“When we looked at the tax inspector’s comparisons and then learned of the amounts involved we were completely taken aback,” said the company’s finance director. “We were deeply disappointed at what had happened.”

“In the past, a firm in this situation might reasonably hope to be let off with a warning from their tax office to do things properly in future,” said Jackson.

“Now that the Government cannot afford to ignore even relatively small amounts of unpaid tax, fleets shouldn’t expect leniency if they can’t show properly audited records.”

As well as looking to recover PAYE and NIC on what they consider to be excessive claims, HMRC can also include interest and penalties for the company involved.

“Usually you find that it is only a minority of individuals who are systematically abusing mileage expenses,” explained Jackson. “But unless you can show that your records are adequately audited, those few bad apples will taint your whole fleet in the event of an investigation.”

David Goodall was the technical specialist for car benefits at HMRC before recently joining TMC.

He said: “Businesses need to be aware that HMRC is now very focused on the way they record and check mileage claims. They can expect to be challenged over any errors or omissions in their records that might have led, even inadvertently, to underpayments of tax on cars or fuel.”

But what does HMRC say?

Fleet News tried to ascertain the number of businesses HMRC has investigated for the possible payment of phantom business miles and how much money in back taxes it had received as a result.

However, having submitted a Freedom of Information request, we were told it was unable to provide any figures as too much work was involved.

Instead, an HMRC spokesman said: “HMRC has a responsibility to ensure that everyone pays the tax they owe and abides by the tax rules.

“Where people seek to consciously ignore or flout those rules to avoid paying the correct amount of tax, HMRC will not hesitate to take action.

“Employers should have appropriate systems in place to verify that any business mileage claims made by their employees can be paid free of tax.

Poll reveals mileage audit split.

Fewer than one in two fleets (46%) carry out a mileage audit of their drivers’ claims, according to a Fleet News poll.

Apart from satisfying HMRC that mileages are not being overpaid, mileage audit can help drive down fuel costs and emissions.

We Can Help You

Our basic vehicle tracking solution allows you to track your vehicles mileages and to differentiate between business and private use to satisfy HMRC requirements.

Simple auto generated reports on movements including mileages and journey times offer complete protection as well as saving money on ever increasing fuel bills.

Call us today and ensure you are not the next target of a HMRC six figure fine!

Howdens Joinery has opted for telematics provider Microlise following a successful trial as reported in this months FleetNews:

The company, which supplies more than 400,000 kitchens each year to UK homes, is implementing Microlise’s fleet performance and journey management modules.

The fleet performance module will allow Howdens to understand how economically and safely their vehicles are being driven in order to provide targeted driver feedback and training with the goal of improving fuel economy and reducing accidents.

The journey management module enables vehicles to be tracked against delivery schedules in order to provide enhanced customer service information.

In taking the decision to use the Microlise solution, Howdens trialled the fleet performance module. Initially, a 12 week trial was planned but Howdens chose to team up with Microlise after only eight weeks. During that time the system had helped deliver a 5.44% improvement in fuel economy across the two trial sites.

Microlise has now completed the roll out of the fleet performance module to 104 delivery vehicles across six sites (some of these sites are DHL sites who run part of Howdens distribution operation).

In addition to Microlise’s MTU3 telematics unit, which reports on the location of the vehicle and driving style information via a direct connection to the vehicle’s CANBus, Microlise is implementing the new DCM4 driver communications module and panic buttons.

The DCM4 will provide Howdens’ drivers with voice calls and driver phone book, two-way messaging and task management, with the objective of reducing call costs and making the exchange of information between the driver and traffic office more streamlined and effective.

The journey management module will be implemented as a third phase in the project, whereupon the DCM4 will also be used to convey schedule and delivery information to the driver.

Microlise is also providing Howdens with a consultancy service to ensure the system is perfectly embedded within Howden’s day to day operation and the company gets the maximum amount of benefit from the solution.

This service typically takes the form of monthly analysis, site visits and calls to ensure everyone is happy with the system and its operational usage.

If you would like to discuss telematics, vehicle tracking, journey management or driver feedback further please contact us today.

In a recent email update from FairFuelUK it appears that the Governments plan to increase petrol & diesel prices by adding a massive 16p a gallon (3p/litre fuel duty & VAT combined) look set to go ahead.

Petrol & diesel prices are already at record levels and are still rising.  We know that this increase will push many families and businesses over the edge.

What makes this situation even more frustrating, is that we have supplied the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and every MP with independent research that shows that CUTTING fuel taxes would not actually cost the Government any revenue.  Even a modest cut of 2.5p per litre would create 175,000 new jobs and boost the economy by 0.33%.  The taxes generated from this economic growth would balance out any lost revenue from the fuel duty cut.

We have studied the replies from MPs to our earlier emails and it’s clear that our central campaign message is not getting through. Given the seriousness of the fuel price scandal, and the little time left before the Budget, we have to do all we can to make sure that our voice is heard.

In recent weeks, our number of supporters has grown dramatically – but we need more.  The more people we have behind us, the more powerful our voice.  Please ask all your family, friends, customers and contacts to sign up at www.fairfueluk.com.  Every sign up (and it’s free!) really helps.

Much of our campaigning is done across the internet which enables us to keep costs down whilst reaching out to tens of thousands of people.  The best way you can help us have a visible presence as a campaign is to get a campaign sticker.  A huge showing of these on the roads and motorways of Britain helps keep this vital issue in the eyes of the media and of the politicians and it helps fund the campaign … get some here …

If you want to take control over your fuel bills right now, our vehicle tracking and telematics solutions are PROVEN to significantly reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Call now for a quote: 0871 644 62 68

“We thought our system was okay,” the company’s fleet manager says. “I had a spreadsheet with private and business mileage separated on it and I had built up a picture for every employee. I knew which drivers did low private mileage because they had a second car.

“I looked at fuel purchase trends and I checked the mpgs to see if they looked right for the car, although that isn’t foolproof.

“I also emailed drivers regularly to remind them to submit their mileages at every purchase with their fuel card.”

Unfortunately, these measures were not enough to satisfy a tax inspector.

The visit found that the company’s mileage logs did not leave a clear audit trail to determine that all of the private fuel had been repaid to the employer.

Of a sample of 28 drivers, only 10 were considered sufficient.

Reasons

The reasons HMRC gave were “poor annotation”, odometer readings were not declared when purchasing fuel at every purchase, the odometer readings were found to be different to what was shown on the fuel card statements and mileages were rounded.

A driver who said he never used the car for private use was filling up his company car on a Sunday, which counts as a private journey.

This left the company facing a six-figure tax liability but, like most companies, it decided not to seek settlement from the employees.

“They had followed the expense system,” the fleet manager says. “It was our expense system so we have to take some portion of the blame.”

How We Can Help To Protect You

Our vehicle tracking software tracks your vehicle mileages automatically and provides simple, unequivocal reports for your whole fleet.

We can also alert you if a vehicle is used out of working hours when it shouldn’t be to ensure that you can stop this problem before it costs you.

Our system can also help differentiate private & business mileage through use of a Dallas key reader. To help protect privacy in private journey mode, the location information is blocked.

It May Not Be Too Late

If you are hit with a similar tax issue, it may not be to late! HMRC will often reduce your bill if you show willing to manage the issue going forward and understand how tracking will do this for you.

If you want to ensure full protection from this or any other legislation, please call us today

In an attempt to improve air quality in the capital, Mayor of London Boris Johnson has introduced a campaign designed to encourage drivers – notably drivers of commercial vehicles, taxis and PSVs – to reduce engine idling and thus cut costs and carbon emissions.

The campaign follows the award of a £5 million grant from the Department of Transport. Transport for London has established the Clean Air Fund, measures aimed at reducing particulate matter across London. Transport for London, Department of Transport and the Greater London Authority have now agreed how and where the money should be spent.

In addition to reducing engine idling, the Clean Air Fund also includes: actions involving trials of green walls and screens and additional tree planting; the installation of particulate filters to buses on selected routes; the expansion of dust suppressant trials; marshaling at taxi ranks, including at rail termini; and engagement with business in order to promote greener travel.

The Clean Air Fund measures seek to reduce particulate matter concentrations across London and especially at pollution hotspots on three main priority routes: Marylebone Road and Euston Road; Victoria Embankment and Upper Thames Street to Tower Hill; and Marble Arch to Hyde Park Corner.

The key messages from the campaign are that although air quality in London is hugely better than 50 years ago, there is still room for improvement: ‘London can breathe better – switch off your engine when you are parked, loading or waiting at the roadside.’ The No Engine Idling Campaign was launched in summer 201o with a small team of eco-marshalls monitoring taxi ranks at London mainline stations and on other street ranks where air quality was known to be poor.

Leon Daniels CMILT, Managing Director for Surface Transport, TfL, has written to coach, bus and freight operators to encourage their drivers to switch off their engines while stationary. In addition to commercial vehicle and bus and coach drivers, the TfL campaign is also targeting school drivers and related or partnering organisations.

A marketing and communications campaign has been launched that is designed to raise awareness, the main elements of which include: an information website; billboard bus back and radio advertising; No Engine Idling signage deployed at 50 selected bays around London; mass circulation of information to appropriate databases; and engagement with trade associations and driver membership organisations.

Boris Johnson said: ‘Delivering cleaner air is key to may goal of creating a better quality of life for Londoners. 2012 is also a historic year during which the eyes of the world will turn to London and I want people to experience a cleaner, greener city before, during and after the Games.’

Steve Agg FCLIT, Chief Executive, CILT, said: ‘The combination of ultra-high prices for petrol and diesel and the desire to reduce emissions and improve air quality adds up to a commonsense and worthwhile campaign by Transport for London. I have no doubt that CILT members will support these endeavours and encourage their drivers to reduce or avoid unnecessary engine idling whenever possible, not just in London but also in all relevant circumstances across the UK.’

For more information please visit www.cilt.org.uk.

ETS are delighted to announce their recent partnership with global telematics experts Microlise.

Microlise are a leading Transport Management solutions provider specialising in Vehicle Tracking, Telematics, Transport Management, Planning and Proof of Delivery systems.

Microlise solutions enable customers to reduce their operating costs and environmental impact by maximising the efficiency of their transportation.

Key drivers for implementing a Microlise system are to increase utilisation & productivity, reduce fleet & operational costs, improve customer service, improve driver safety & fuel economy and ultimately lower CO2 emissions.

Headquartered in Nottingham UK, Microlise also have offices in the USA and a network of Resellers and Partners worldwide.

Microlise’s customers span three continents with systems deployed across hundreds of fleets comprising tens of thousands of heavy and light commercial vehicles.

These fleets operate in a range of transportation sectors, some of which include; Retail distribution, Home Delivery, Third Party Logistics, Parcels, Petrochemical, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical and Aggregates.

ETS were attracted to the relationship by the fact Microlise can offer a more integrated & scalable solution – in terms of driving style, journey management, Proof Of Delivery, Debrief and powerful KPI Reporting – meaning they are able to offer their existing and new customers a “perfect fit” solution and from a single provider.

Ensure your vehicles and employees are being utilised as efficiently as possible – 24/7 – with vehicle tracking.

Tracking Benefits

• Cost Effective – Reduce your company fuel bills by up to 50%
• Live View – View your fleet in exact locations with google satellite imagery
• Remote Immobilisation – Immobilse your company vehicle at any time or place
• Increase Employee Productivity – With comprehensive tracking reports
• Driver ID Keys – Clearly record Business and Private mileage & monitor the private use of your vehicles
• Duty Of Care – Ensure compliance with Working Time Directive & Corporate Manslaughter legislation with Duty of Care reports
• Flexible – Log in from any PC/Laptop anywhere
• Trend Analysis – Compare & analyse weekly, monthly and yearly trends to ensure maximum fleet utilisation

For further information please ring Jan Evans on 08716446268 or complete the form below.

Please take two minutes to sign this if you have not already. this effects all of us that buy fuel for our cars.