IFTA Enforcement

The International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA) Law Enforcement Committee recently introduced a successful ballot establishing the principles of uniform roadside enforcement of IFTA violations in the member jurisdictions. The IFTA membership represents the forty-eight contiguous States and ten Canadian provinces. Uniform enforcement of the IFTA agreement is critical to the goals and objective in which each member jurisdiction shares in the responsibility to license and regulate commercial interstate and international trucking companies.

The Law Enforcement Committee (Committee) believes uniform roadside enforcement is a task best performed by all partner agencies with responsibilities including safety, licensing, and collection of fuel taxes to maintain and build safe roadways. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is in a unique position to aid in the roadside enforcement of IFTA licensing requirements. The inspections conducted by the CVSA serve as an opportunity to determine proper IFTA credentials and identifying those carriers operating with no license or with a revoked license.

The Committee supports and recommends CVSA inspections identifying carriers operating with revoked IFTA credentials be placed "Out of Service" until such time the carrier becomes compliant. Carriers whose credentials are revoked often owe substantial penalties and road taxes to the member jurisdictions. The ability to locate and suspend the operations of non-compliant carriers is critical to the resolution of revoked licensing violations. Carriers not in possession of required IFTA licensing, including canceled or fictitious credentials, will continue to be noted as a violation under local laws in accordance with 49 CFR 392.2.