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The logistics sector has been at the forefront of data for years. Whereas ten years ago a warehouse still relied on experience and a stack of Excel spreadsheets, planners and operations managers now base their decisions on real-time figures: warehouse utilisation, lead times, route density and fuel consumption per journey. The entire supply chain, from incoming goods to the final metre to the customer, is being measured with ever-greater precision.
Anyone working in logistics is now used to the fact that every process is measurable, and that measurement ultimately saves time and money.
The blind spot in in-house fleet management
Remarkably, there remains one area in many companies where this data-driven approach has not yet fully taken hold: the company’s own vehicles. Whilst planning software knows exactly where a lorry is, down to the minute, the journey logs for the cars used by account managers, project leaders or senior management in many logistics companies are still simply kept by hand. A notepad in the glove compartment, a separate Excel spreadsheet that is only filled in at the end of the year, or simply nothing at all – with the risk that, during an audit, the tax authorities will request a complete logbook that does not exist.
This is not without consequences. Anyone who has a company car and also uses it privately is subject to a tax addition: a tax addition to their salary for the private benefit derived from the car. Only those who can demonstrate that they have driven no more than 500 kilometres for private purposes on an annual basis are eligible for an exemption from this tax addition. And in practice, ‘demonstrating’ this means being able to provide a comprehensive, verifiable journey log. Not a retrospective estimate, but a journey-by-journey breakdown that will stand up to scrutiny in the event of an audit.
Why manual record-keeping is increasingly going wrong
In a sector that otherwise runs entirely on automation, that manual bit of administration is often the weak link. A forgotten journey, an incorrectly recorded mileage reading, or simply not having time to update the records between client appointments: these are minor issues, but they can end up costing a fair bit if an additional tax assessment is issued. For companies with multiple leased cars in their fleet, there is the added complication that every employee has their own way of recording data, which makes it difficult for the administration team to maintain an overview. This is precisely the sort of fragmentation that the sector has long since automated away in every other area.
The solution is actually quite obvious, and fits seamlessly with how the sector already manages the rest of its operations: automating whatever can be automated. A device or app that automatically records every journey via GPS, distinguishes between business and private use, and generates a report that can be used directly by the tax authorities not only saves time but also prevents disputes later on. It is no coincidence that ‘best journey registration system 2026’ is a search term increasingly used by companies looking to take this step: Accredis offers a tax-approved journey logging system that carries the official RRS (Journey Logging Systems) quality mark and fully complies with all the Tax and Customs Administration’s requirements. For a sector accustomed to auditability in every other area, that is precisely the kind of certainty that makes all the difference during an audit.
The electrification of the vehicle fleet isn’t making things any easier
The pressure to maintain accurate records is likely to increase rather than decrease in the coming years. More and more logistics companies are replacing their leased cars with electric or plug-in hybrid models, partly due to more favourable tax rates and sustainability targets set for their customers. However, an electric company car does not automatically simplify the administration. In fact, it adds an extra dimension: charging costs at home, on the road or at the office must be split between business and private use, and that requires an even more precise link between the journey and the time of charging. Anyone still trying to keep track of this with a notepad is simply piling one inaccuracy on top of another.
Data as the foundation for peace of mind, not just for efficiency
The great thing about this development is that it’s not just about hard cash. Managers who have their fleet administration in order no longer need to search nervously through old notepads when the tax authorities carry out an audit. Drivers and account managers no longer have to keep track themselves of which journeys were for business and which were not. And, just as with the rest of the operation, senior management gets a clear overview rather than scattered fragments that are only pieced together in December.
For more background on the rules regarding additional tax liability and exactly what is expected of a journey log, the Tax and Customs Administration ’s website is the best source. Anyone who has already embraced the logic of data-driven working in the warehouse and on the road would be well advised to apply that same logic to their own company cars. In short, it is simply the next step in a development that the sector has been pursuing for years.