Overview - Toll Road Charge Processing

Introduction:

This suite of programs is designed to research and invoice renters for the charges associated with toll roads and toll bridges. The logic was cloned from the CARS+ Batch Parking Ticket Processing program and as such shares many similar characteristics.

Programs:

EDIT TICKET CHARGE CODES As these Toll programs share many of the same characteristics as the parking ticket processing programs, the Ticket Charge Codes file is used to configure both sets of programs.

IMPORT TOLL CHARGES This program:

Reads a comma delimited file of toll charge data*.
Searches the RA file for the rental agreement or NonRev that was open during the time the toll was issued (using the same logic as the Parking Ticket program).
Writes an open Vehicle History record, using Service Code "X5", for the toll charge.

* For rental operations in Australia, a third program is available that can read the exported file from the New South Wales Transport Roads and Maritime Services Department and re-format it into the file layout that can be read by the Import Toll Charges program. Contact Thermeon Customer Support if the program "ADF File Conversion" is not on your menu

TOLL CHARGE PROCESSING This program:

Reads the RA file for contracts that closed during a requested date range in the past.
Reads the Vehicle History file for "open" (un-invoiced) X5 Toll charge records for the RAs found in the previous step.
Writes a single Sundry Invoice for each RA for all toll charges received and mark the history records as "closed" (invoiced).
Can invoice licensee locations when tolls were assessed when a Non-Rev Movement was found or the location was responsible for the vehicle (neither Non-Rev nor RA was not found)
Optionally, can be configured to transmit a summary record of the transaction to Hertz's Global Accounts Receivable system in OKC.

This program is designed to be run several weeks after the rental agreement has been closed so as to make sure that all possible toll charges have been received from the various toll entities and they have been processed by the Import Toll Charges program. In addition to invoicing for the toll charges themselves, the system can be configured to add an administration charge to the Sundry Invoice.

POST SUNDRY INVOICES This program posts the resulting Sundry Invoices to the accounting system.

The Bigger Picture:

CARS+ has three different programs that can be used to process traffic citations and/or toll road charges that are related to the renting of a vehicle. The situation occurs when an outside entity is billing the rental car company (as the owner of the vehicle) for a citation (parking, toll, or moving violation). The features of each method are compared below.

Feature	Ticket Processing Report	Batch Ticket Processing Report	Import Toll Charges/Invoice Toll Charges
Ticket Entry	Each ticket or toll charge is entered manually into the screen, one at a time.	All tickets or tolls are entered first into a spreadsheet and the resulting file is processed.	All tickets or tolls are entered first into a spreadsheet and the resulting file is processed by the Import Toll Charges. This program writes un-invoiced toll records to the Vehicle History file, which are invoiced later by the Invoice Toll Charges program.
If there is an error or no transaction is found that matches the citation date and time	The error appears on the screen and the user can respond to it.	The error is reported back to the user in a report that is produced by the program.	If the vehicle record is found, the transaction can be billed to the location responsible for the vehicle at that time. If the vehicle record is not found, the error is reported back to the user in a report that is produced by the program.
Printed "invoice"	The Renter Letter serves as an invoice for the charges. This cannot be reprinted after the ticket is originally processed.	In addition to the optional Renter Letter, a Sundry Invoice can be printed as the invoice for the charges. Although the Renter Letter cannot be reprinted, the Sundry Invoice can.	A Sundry Invoice can be printed as the invoice for the charges.
Charges for the citation that are to be passed to the renter	Are posted to their credit card or the customer's CARS+ account through the Petty Cash logic.	Are placed on a Sundry Invoice which may be "paid" by the renter's credit card.	Are placed on a Sundry Invoice which may be "paid" by the renter's credit card. Optionally, an Optional Charge can be sold on the rental agreement that is a pre-payment for all toll charges. If that is done, RAs with this option are exempt from later invoicing.
Charges for the citation that are to be passed on to the responsible location. (Hertz only)	Not available	Not available	Are placed on a Sundry Invoice which is 'paid' by the Hertz Credit Card in the Location's customer record.
These charges are posted by	The regular DBRA posting routine	The separate, Sundry Invoice posting program	The separate, Sundry Invoice posting program
Ability to configure features	Most features are hardcoded into the way the program works.	Records in the Ticket Charge Codes Control file allow the user to configure how the program will behave.	Records in the Ticket Charge Codes Control file allow the user to configure how the program will behave.

Tracking Devices (transponders) Installed in Vehicles

A vendor in Australia, RMS (New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services) provides the rental operation with transponders that are installed in each vehicle. A file from RMS is imported into CARS+ using the Update Tag File program. It creates a record for each transponder in the Tag File. The records in the Tag File can be viewed or edited using the Edit Tag File Records program. Example shown below:

OPTION: EDIT TAG FILE RECORDS

1 Tag ID#
2 Acct#
3 Vehicle#
4 Vendor#
5 Install Date
6 Removal Date
Create date
Create time
Create empl

1SAVE 2NEXT 3ERASE 4DEL/PREV 5BACKUP 6 7HELP 8

Note: The GVT record 'RMSTOLL' is required in order for the following logic to work.

Vehicle Inventory Control: The "Alt ID#" field is used to record the transponder unit installed in the vehicle. The unit number is validated against the records in the Tag File. When the Vehicle record is saved, the corresponding record in the Tag File is updated with the vehicle number and the install date (using the current date). Additionally, a Vehicle History record is created using Service Code 'X6' with a description in the History record of 'A' (added).

Changing the Alt ID#: If the Alt ID# is changed on a vehicle record, the vehicle field in the corresponding Tag File record is initialized.

Changing the license number on the vehicle record also generates a 'X6' Vehicle History record with the description of 'M' (modified).

Sell a Vehicle: If the vehicle being sold has a unit number in the Alt ID# field, the vehicle field in the Tag File record is initialized. Also, a Vehicle History record is created using Service Code 'X6' with a description in the History record of 'R' (removed).

Import Vehicle File Records: If records that are imported result in the changes listed above, they also generate a 'X6' Vehicle History record.

The program Output RMS Records exports data to RMS by looking for open Vehicle History records under Service Code 'X6'. Once the data is exported, the system date/time are used to Close the X6 history record. (Closed records are ignored in the export.)

Note that a start date is entered in the 'RMSTOLL' GVT record. RAs that opened before the date are not sent to RMS - even if the vehicle has a transponder and the the RA closed after the date. These RAs will need to processed another way. RAs opened on the date or later are transmitted to RMS. These RAs have a statement printed on the contract that the renter is giving the rental operation permission to share their personal data with RMS.

Tolls are processed in a similar manner to the Import Toll Charges process described above. However, Edit Ticket Charge Codes in the field for Statutory Declaration offers a choice to create a file (instead of printing individual letters to each renter). The file is sent to RMS for toll processing.