Driver and Vehicle Licence Renewal: See How to Never Forget Renewal in Your Fleet Management

Without looking, when is your licence expiring? Better yet, what about all your fleet vehicle licences? 

If you’re not keeping track of this information, your fleet’s efficiency, compliance, and profitability can pay the price. 

The solution is a fleet management system, ensuring you never miss another licence renewal. Let’s take a look at what you need to know about driver and vehicle licence renewal for your fleet.

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Exploring driver's licence renewals

A valid driver's licence is an important document for driving on South African roads. What many don’t realise is getting a driver's licence is just like getting an actual vehicle; it isn’t a once-off arrangement you can simply forget about after payment. 

Your driver's licence doesn’t come with lifetime membership. It’s only valid for five years and expires once it reaches this date. Driving with an expired driver's licence is no different from driving without one, so keeping an eye on its expiration date is important. This can be a lot to deal with, but we’re here to simplify it for you. Cue to stage, Cartrack’s step-by-step guide for driver’s licence renewals. 

What do you need for driver’s licence renewals?

Let’s look at four key requirements for renewing your licences:

1. Your South African ID, a copy of your ID, your old driver's licence, or a valid South African passport.
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2. At least four black-and-white ID/passport photographs.
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3. Proof of residential address.
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4. Your application fee.

When renewing your driver’s license, avoid waiting until the last minute. Your driver’s license needs to be renewed four weeks before its expiration date because a new driver’s licence takes about four to six weeks to be ready. So, renew it early to keep the rides and memories rolling.

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Exploring vehicle licence renewals

Vehicle licences are there to prove that your vehicle has been registered and is legally allowed to be driven. Unlike your driver's licence, which is valid for a longer period, your vehicle licence must be renewed every year before it expires.

What do you need for vehicle licence renewals?

The requirements for renewing your vehicle licence are similar to driver’s licence requirements. They include:

1. Your South African ID
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2. Proof of residential address
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3. Your motor vehicle licence renewal notice (MVL2)
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4. Your licence fee

If you can’t renew your vehicle licence before its expiration date, you get a 21-day grace period to renew it once it has expired. This period is calculated from the expiration date of your current licence disk.

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What is the penalty for late renewals?

Late renewals might be a walk in the park, but they come at a price. Let’s look at the penalty for late licence renewals, beginning with vehicle licence penalties.

Vehicle licence penalties

Auto Pedigree shares that “late renewal penalties and arrears can amount to anything from R90 to R1000… depending on how many months you’ve been driving with an expired licence.”

The penalty is 10% of the annual licencing fee for every month the licence has expired. Here’s an example: 

If you live in Gauteng and drive a vehicle that weighs between 750kg and 1,000kg, your annual licensing fee will be R384. This means that if you don’t renew your licence before its expiry date and pass the 21-day grace period, you’ll need to pay a penalty of R38.40 per month.

Driver licence penalties

Driver’s licence renewal isn’t as taxing as vehicle licence renewal. If you renew your licence after its expiration date, you’ll need to apply for a temporary driver’s licence, which costs between R72 and R100. This is what you will use while waiting for your new driver’s licence to be issued. 

These penalties are quite hefty and can harm your fleet’s overall efficiency. But worry not, because we have a few extra tips to help you keep them at bay.

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Extra tips to avoid late renewal penalties

When you're responsible for a fleet of vehicles, monitoring licences is a lot more work. So here are our top three tips for avoiding late renewal penalties in your fleet.

1. Don’t wait until the last minute:
   
   Procrastination steals your time and money too. Waiting for the last minute to renew your licence can bite you in the wallet, and with it being a legal requirement for driving, it places your drivers and fleet at risk of legal consequences.
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2. Diarise your renewal dates:
   
   It's easy for dates to slip your mind, so write down the date you renewed your licence, as this can help you know exactly when you will need to renew your licence again.
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3. Frequently check the expiration date:
   
   Refresh your memory by keeping a close eye on their licence's expiration date. Never assume you know the expiration date of a licence, because this can be a costly mistake.
   
   These tips can help avoid those extra costs due to expired licences, along with other negative impacts they can have on your fleet. Let's dig deeper.

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What impact do expired licences have on your fleet?

An expired licence is a minor inconvenience that can boil over into something more serious that affects your fleet's overall efficiency. Let’s get into the top 3 ways expired licences impact your fleet:

1. Unplanned downtime:
   
   A vehicle licence is a legal requirement for driving a vehicle. If your vehicle licence expires, you shouldn’t be on the road. This means that your operations will be put on pause, negatively impacting productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
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2. Costs that exceed the fleet's budget:
   
   As we explored above, renewing an expired licence comes at a higher price. Upon first glance, these may seem like small amounts, but in the long run, if this happens to multiple vehicles in your fleet, it can put a heavy strain on your profitability. Running an effective, profitable fleet needs you to plan and budget, and even the smallest unbudgeted amount can contribute to knocking your fleet off balance.
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3. Unsafe driving:
   
   If your drivers are moving around with expired licences, they won’t want the authorities to catch them. This leads to them driving unsafely with behaviours including running red lights, harsh accelerating, and tailgating other vehicles, which increases the likelihood of them being involved in costly and potentially dangerous accidents. 

So what can you do to ensure that you don’t feel the bite of expired licences? The answer is simple; it’s Cartrack.

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Say goodbye to late licence renewals with Cartrack’s fleet solutions

Never miss licence renewals with Cartrack’s fleet management platform. Keeping up with the licence needs of multiple vehicles and drivers can be quite challenging and time consuming. But with Cartrack, this wave storm turns into a smooth sailing journey. We send you reminders to notify you when licences are about to expire, ensuring you don’t face any late penalties or drive with expired licences. That’s not all, because you decide when you want to receive the reminder to renew your licences, putting you in full control of your operations. This ensures your vehicles and drivers are always compliant and road-worthy.

Pair this with MiFleet, Cartrack’s cost management software, for unparalleled budgeting visibility. This solution helps you closely monitor every fleet expense, ranging from fuel and maintenance, to licence renewals. This helps you spot which vehicles took up more money for licence renewals, ensuring your operations remain profitable and effective. 

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Never miss a licence renewal with Cartrack’s fleet management system today

Fleet licences are what guarantee that you are driving legally, and a fleet management system is the solution you need to keep them up-to-date.

‍Contact us today, and let’s simplify your licence renewals together.