It’s that time of the year when we need to place those 2020 International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) decals on our assigned trucks before February 1—but let’s be sure we can KEEP them where they belong!
Imagine this scenario. It’s a cold January morning and you have done everything to be sure your equipment is ready to roll. You stop for a short break, then have to go into an open weigh station. You are instructed to pull around back, wondering what might have prompted an inspection, when the DOT inspector politely asks you, “Driver, where are your current IFTA decals?”.
It may be a case where you simply forgot to pick them up and place them on your assigned truck. Or you placed them over your 2019 IFTA decals and someone was able to remove them from your truck while it was parked and unattended for a moment.
If you place those IFTA decals directly on top of your old ones it becomes very easy for someone to remove them in one piece to use on another truck. They hope that no law enforcement officer matches the decal numbers to those on file with the state they are assigned from.
In short, it’s best to remove the old IFTA decals and then place the new ones directly onto the body of the truck in the same locations.
How should I remove the old IFTA decals?
If your truck will be inside an AMS shop for repairs, ask a technician to remove and replace them once the truck has been in a heated building for a while.
If you want to replace them yourself, grab an empty coffee cup and fill it with hot water. Then pour some onto the area where the old IFTA decal is to warm that area and loosen the adhesive. Then peel off the old decal and clean the area with Goo-Gone or another adhesive remover that will not harm the paint. I advise against using any type of a blade as it would be too easy to scratch the painted surface.
Once the old adhesive is removed, wipe the surface clean and dry. Then apply your new decals to the same location, making sure there are no air bubbles.
Before you leave a terminal, do yourself a favor and go through your permit book to make sure everything is current.