Truck Owners Lack Clarity on FASTag reports Logistics Startup WheelsEye

Mumbai, March 08, 2021: The Indian government has successfully implemented the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system on all major highways across India. The ETC system works using a digital wallet (FASTag) which automatically deducts money from the vehicle’s wallet.

However, commercial vehicle and truck owners are still hesitant in trusting FASTag according to a study conducted by India’s leading truck FASTag provider WheelsEye Technology. Based on a study conducted on 5+ lakh commercial vehicle owners, fleet operators are facing multiple difficulties in handling FASTag; extra toll deductions, a late reflection of recharge, foggy tag classification, and lack of awareness are to name a few of the challenges faced by truck owners.

The study includes n-numbered customer escalations received by the FASTag division of the Gurugram-based logistics tech giant. Some of the major issues reported by truck owners in managing FASTag are listed below:

• Wrong Toll Deductions

One of the biggest issues being faced by truck owners is the extra charge by toll plazas. It has been observed that almost 1 out of every 5 FASTag transactions is faulty reports WheelsEye. It was found that either double or extra toll is debited from the FASTag wallet in most of the cases. It is immensely difficult and time-taking for commercial vehicle owners to detect such transactions and initiate a ticket for the same. Logistics-based IT giant, WheelsEye has developed an industry-first auto refund feature designed to detect wrong toll deductions and offer a quick refund to ease-out the burden of truck owners.

• Blurry Tag Classification

Tag classification plays a crucial role in toll transactions; it is vital to examine a vehicle’s GVW or gross vehicle weight to determine its FASTag class/color. In simpler terms, a 4-axle truck will have to pay a higher toll than a 2-axle truck. A truck with a wrong class FASTag is bound to be charged either less or more than required resulting in an extra charge by the toll plaza. Multiple cases have been found that result in creating a discrepancy in FASTag classification. For instance, an auto vehicle classifier (AVC) often contradicts with FASTag class of a commercial vehicle. In other cases, it was found that tag class 7 is being confused with class 6 as the toll tax for vehicles with tag class 6 is more than that of tag class 7.

• Late Reflection of Recharge

A recharge takes time to reflect in the FASTag wallet. Either due to poor network or slow process at the bank, recharges are often delayed which leads to stalling at toll plazas. As per the FASTag giant, the authorities must take the necessary steps to develop a feature for real-time reflection of the online transactions.

• Blacklisting of Vehicles

Thousands of cases are being recognized each day where a vehicle’s FASTag is blacklisted by a partner bank. In such cases, truck owners are left stranded as their vehicles are not allowed to cross the toll plazas even after having money in their FASTag wallets. As per the report, around 10 cases are being reported every day by truck owners across the country.

• Multiple Partner Banks

There are multiple private, government banking, and non-banking financing firms that provide FASTag. ICICI Bank, Paytm First, Airtel Bank, and HDFC Bank are to name a few. For a person who is not smartphone-friendly and prefers going to a market rather than ordering online, it is hard to manage a digital wallet. Over 3 dozen providers with varied rules and regulations of minimum balance have just made it even more difficult.

WheelsEye spokesperson Sonesh Jain said, “After closely monitoring the problems faced by truck owners in managing FASTag, we can conclude that most of them are due to lack of awareness and an inclination towards technology. If one can communicate to the truck owners and drivers about how technology can help them make their business profitable, truck owners will start shifting their focus on the latest technologies rather than fighting them.”