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Business processes

Traffic Fines & Salik Tolls

Fine identification, contract matching, customer charging, billing, recovery, and reconciliation

Traffic Fines & Salik Tolls

This page covers how traffic fines and Salik toll charges are identified, matched to rental contracts, charged to customers, billed, recovered, and reconciled.

Overview

Traffic fines and Salik tolls are a normal part of vehicle rental operations. The system automates identification, matching, and charging to ensure costs are recovered from the responsible customer.

flowchart LR
  A[Fine / Salik Received] --> B[Auto-Match to Contract]
  B --> C{Match Found?}
  C -->|Yes| D[Create Charge]
  C -->|No| E[Manual Investigation]
  E --> D
  D --> F[Customer Notification]
  F --> G[Invoice & Collect]
  G --> H[Reconcile Payment]

Business Tip: Process fines within 48 hours of receipt. Delayed processing reduces recovery rates and may incur additional government penalties.


Traffic Fines

Fine Lifecycle

StatusDescription
ReceivedFine notification received from authorities
MatchedMatched to a rental contract and customer
UnmatchedCould not be auto-matched, needs investigation
ChargedCost added to customer invoice
DisputedCustomer disputes the fine
PaidCustomer has paid the fine
Written OffCompany absorbs the cost
flowchart TD
  A[Fine Received] --> B{Auto-Match}
  B -->|Matched| C[Matched to Contract]
  B -->|No Match| D[Unmatched - Manual Review]
  C --> E[Create Customer Charge]
  D -->|Found Match| E
  D -->|No Owner Found| F[Company Absorbs]
  E --> G[Notify Customer]
  G --> H{Customer Response}
  H -->|Accepts| I[Add to Invoice]
  H -->|Disputes| J[Dispute Process]
  H -->|No Response (7 days)| I
  J --> K{Decision}
  K -->|Upheld| I
  K -->|Overturned| F
  I --> L[Collect Payment]
  L --> M[Reconcile]

Fine Sources

SourceData FormatTypical Delay
Dubai PoliceDigital fine notice24-72 hours
Abu Dhabi PoliceDigital fine notice24-72 hours
RTA (Dubai)Digital fine notice24-72 hours
Sharjah PoliceDigital fine notice48-96 hours
Speed cameras (Salik zone)Auto-processed via SalikReal-time

Fine Details Captured

FieldDescription
Fine numberGovernment-issued reference
Date of violationWhen the offense occurred
Time of violationExact time
LocationWhere the violation occurred
Vehicle platePlate number of the vehicle
Violation typeSpeeding, parking, red light, etc.
Fine amountBase fine amount
PointsDemerit points (if applicable)
Image/photoSpeed camera or traffic camera image

Auto-Matching Logic

The system automatically matches fines to rental contracts using these rules:

RulePriorityLogic
Plate number + date range1 (Highest)Fine date falls within contract rental period
Plate number + GPS data2Vehicle GPS confirms location at violation time
Plate number + branch log3Branch dispatch/return log matches fine date
Match ConfidenceAction
High (date + plate + GPS)Auto-charge with notification
Medium (date + plate only)Charge with review prompt
Low (plate only, date unclear)Manual investigation required
No matchFlag as unmatched

Status Change: Fine: ReceivedMatched or Unmatched

Business Tip: Auto-matching is not 100% reliable for fines received months after the violation. Always review unmatched fines manually — wrong charges damage customer trust.


Fine Charging

ComponentAmountNotes
Government fine amountAs per noticePassed through to customer
Admin/processing feeAED 25 – 50Per company policy
Total chargeFine + Admin feeAdded to contract invoice

Customer Notification

When a fine is matched and charged:

  1. System generates notification
  2. Customer receives SMS with fine details
  3. Customer receives email with fine photo/evidence
  4. Fine amount added to outstanding balance
  5. Customer can view fine in their portal

Status Change: Fine: MatchedCharged


Salik Tolls

Salik Overview

Salik is Dubai's electronic toll collection system. Tolls are charged each time a vehicle passes through a Salik gate.

Salik GateToll (AED)
Al Maktoum Bridge4
Al Garhoud Bridge4
Airport Tunnel4
Al Safa4
Al Barsha4
Jebel Ali4
Al Mamzar4
Business Bay Crossing4

Salik Lifecycle

StatusDescription
ReceivedSalik transaction data received
MatchedMatched to rental contract
UnmatchedNeeds manual matching
ChargedCost added to customer invoice
PaidCustomer has paid
ReconciledPayment confirmed with Salik system

Salik Auto-Matching

RuleLogic
Tag ID + date rangeSalik tag linked to vehicle, transaction during rental period
Plate number + timestampTransaction timestamp within contract dates

Salik Charging

ComponentCalculation
Number of crossingsCount of gate passages during rental
Toll per crossingAED 4 per passage
Total toll chargesCrossings × AED 4
Admin feePer company policy
Total chargeToll charges + Admin fee

Example:

ItemValue
Rental period7 days
Salik crossings12
Toll charges (12 × AED 4)AED 48
Admin feeAED 25
Total Salik chargeAED 73

Status Change: Salik: ReceivedMatchedCharged


Matching Investigation

When auto-matching fails, the operations team investigates.

Investigation Steps

StepActionTool
1Review fine photo/camera imageFine detail screen
2Check vehicle GPS history for the dateFleet > GPS History
3Review branch dispatch/return logsBranch > Dispatch Log
4Cross-reference with other contractsContracts > Search
5Contact customer if neededCommunications
6Assign to correct contractFine > Assign Contract

Common Unmatched Scenarios

ScenarioResolution
Fine received after contract closedRe-open billing, add charge
Fine for period between two contractsAssign to gap period (company absorbs)
Multiple vehicles, same plate (transfer)Check transfer logs for correct assignment
Fine from before vehicle was in fleetCompany absorbs, do not charge

Business Tip: Create a "gap period" log for days when a vehicle was between contracts. This makes fine matching significantly easier.


Billing & Invoicing

Invoice Components

Line ItemSource
Base rentalContract rate × days
InsuranceContract terms
Traffic fines (itemized)Each fine as separate line
Salik tolls (itemized)Each crossing or grouped summary
Damage chargesDamage assessment
ExtrasGPS, child seat, additional driver
Tax (VAT)Applied to subtotal

Payment Methods

MethodProcessingNotes
CashRecord in POSImmediate
Credit/Debit cardPayment gatewayMay have processing fee
Bank transferManual reconciliation1-2 business day settlement
Corporate invoiceMonthly billing cycleNet 30 terms

Reconciliation

Daily Reconciliation

StepAction
1Pull new fines from government portal
2Pull new Salik transactions from Salik portal
3Run auto-match process
4Review unmatched items
5Process matched charges
6Verify customer notifications sent
7Update accounting entries

Monthly Reconciliation

CheckDescription
Total fines received vs chargedAll received fines should be accounted for
Total Salik received vs chargedAll Salik transactions should be accounted for
Payment statusAll charged fines should be paid or in collection
Accounting entriesAll charges should have balanced journal entries
Disputed itemsAll disputes should be resolved or in progress
flowchart TD
  A[Monthly Reconciliation] --> B[Count Fines Received]
  A --> C[Count Fines Charged]
  A --> D[Count Payments Received]
  B --> E{Received = Charged?}
  C --> E
  E -->|No| F[Investigate Gaps]
  E -->|Yes| G[Verify Payments]
  D --> G
  G --> H{All Settled?}
  H -->|Yes| I[Reconciliation Complete]
  H -->|No| J[Escalate Unpaid]

Business Tip: Run reconciliation weekly, not monthly. Monthly gaps are harder to investigate and resolve.


Rejection & Write-Off

Sometimes fines cannot be recovered from customers.

Write-Off Criteria

ScenarioActionApproval
Customer cannot be identifiedWrite off fineFinance Manager
Customer disputes with valid evidenceOverturn and absorbDamage Manager
Legal ruling in customer's favorWrite off + refund if chargedLegal Manager
Customer bankrupt / unreachable (90+ days)Write off as bad debtDirector

Permission: writeoff:create, writeoff:approve


Fine & Salik Metrics

MetricTarget
Fine matching rate> 95% auto-matched
Matching investigation time< 48 hours
Customer notification time< 24 hours from match
Recovery rate (fines)> 90%
Recovery rate (Salik)> 98%
Dispute rate< 5%
Monthly reconciliation accuracy100%

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