Vehicle compliance

This guide covers road user charges (RUC), warrants and certificates of fitness (WoF/CoF) and vehicle licensing (rego): the Compliance area of Vectis.

RUC and WoF/CoF apply only to New Zealand organisations. Rego applies to both New Zealand and Australian organisations, with a few New Zealand-only fields (ACC levy, GST split and "on hold") hidden for Australian organisations.

Overview#

Vectis turns RUC licences, WoF/CoF inspections and vehicle registration into one compliance position per vehicle, built from the vehicle's own telematics odometer wherever possible:

• RUC: how many kilometres are left on the current licence, when it is projected to run out, and whether it has already overrun.
• WoF/CoF: whether the warrant or certificate of fitness is current, and when it is next due.
• Rego: whether the vehicle's licence is current, due or lapsed, worked out from its dates rather than a status someone sets by hand.

Use it when you're responsible for keeping a fleet legally on the road: a new vehicle joining, a licence about to run out, an inspection due, or working out what off-road distance you can claim back.

Getting started#

Before you start#

• You need the compliance and register permissions: compliance management, RUC register editing and certification register editing. If you can't see the actions below, ask an administrator to grant them.
• RUC and WoF/CoF setup appears only for New Zealand organisations. Australian organisations can skip straight to recording a rego renewal.

1. Confirm which vehicles need RUC

   Every New Zealand vehicle starts with an Unconfirmed RUC profile. Vectis suggests an answer from the fuel type (diesel, electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen are liable; petrol, petrol hybrid and LPG are not), but never treats it as final until a person confirms it.

   1. Go to Compliance in the sidebar and open the Needs review tab.
   2. For each vehicle, review the suggested applicability (Required, Not required or Exempt) and its fuel type.
   3. Select Confirm on a single vehicle, or Confirm all suggestions to accept every suggestion at once.

   The vehicle leaves the Needs review list, and its RUC status starts showing on the Fleet position tab and on the vehicle's Compliance tab.

2. Fill in each liable vehicle's RUC profile

   1. Go to Vehicles, open the vehicle and select the Compliance tab.
   2. In the RUC section, select Edit profile.
   3. Set the RUC vehicle type (for example, type 1 for a light diesel or EV, or type 12 for a plug-in hybrid), the distance recorder (Odometer, Hubodometer or Electronic distance recorder) and, for heavy vehicles, the nominated weight.
   4. Enter a reason for the change, which is recorded on the audit trail with who made it and when, then select Save profile.

3. Confirm each vehicle's fitness requirement

   1. On the same vehicle's Compliance tab, go to the WoF / CoF section.
   2. If the requirement shows Needs review, select Confirm to accept the suggestion: WoF for light vehicles, CoF for heavy and passenger-service vehicles.

   The Fitness card then shows the confirmed requirement, with its state (Ok, Due soon, Urgent, Lapsed or Unknown) beside it.

Once applicability and profiles are confirmed, the Compliance page shows a real position for every vehicle instead of "Needs review".

Reading the compliance screens#

The Compliance page#

The Compliance page has three tabs:

• Fleet position: every vehicle with RUC, WoF/CoF and rego side by side. Filter by Kind (RUC, WoF, CoF, Rego) and State (Unknown, Lapsed / Overrun, Urgent, Due soon / Low, Ok / Covered) with the chips above the table. The list sorts worst-first. Tick vehicles and select Plan purchase to start a bulk RUC purchase request.
• Needs review: New Zealand vehicles whose RUC applicability hasn't been confirmed yet.
• Vehicle identity: vehicles missing the plate, VIN or first-registration date that a RUC provider or the Motor Vehicle Register would need to match on. An empty list means every vehicle's identity is complete.

Select a vehicle's registration to jump to its Compliance tab.

The vehicle Compliance tab#

Each vehicle has RUC, WoF/CoF and Registration sections, shown by region in the same way as the Compliance page:

• RUC position: status, km remaining (or km over, if overrun), the projected exhaustion date (always labelled "projected") and the licence's end distance.
• RUC profile: applicability, RUC type, distance recorder and nominated weight.
• Licence chain: every licence's start and end distance in order, with any gap (unpaid distance) or overlap called out. An overlap is distance two licences both cover; NZTA automatically refunds it at the first licence's rate (RUC Act s31), subject to the $20 minimum and 2-year limit. Neither a gap nor an overlap stops a licence being recorded: the record has to reflect what was actually bought.
• Odometer readings: the last 10 readings, with their source (device, manually entered, verified manual, imported or partner) and age.
• Odometer anomalies: readings that went backwards or jumped implausibly. Accept one to let it into RUC calculations, or reject it.
• Distance recorder replacements: the odometer or hubodometer reading before removal and after fitting, so the licence chain still lines up across a replacement.
• Purchase requests: RUC purchase requests for this vehicle.
• Off-road distance and refund claims: see Claim an off-road refund.
• WoF/CoF: the current fitness state and certificate history.
• Registration: current status, plate, expiry, any lapsed periods and, for New Zealand, the ACC levy, GST and whether the vehicle is on hold.

What each RUC status means#

WoF/CoF and rego use their own states: Ok, Due soon, Urgent, Lapsed, Unknown and Not applicable (for a vehicle a kind doesn't apply to, such as rego "On hold"). For alerts, RUC's Low and Overrun count as Due soon and Lapsed, but RUC screens always show RUC's own labels.

Record a WoF or CoF inspection#

1. Open Certifications

   Go to Registers → Certifications and select Add Certification.

2. Enter the certificate

   Enter the vehicle, certification type (WoF or CoF), issued date and expiry date. Once you've entered the vehicle, type and issued date, Vectis suggests the next due date with a reason, including NZTA's WoF frequency change taking effect on 1 November 2026, which the suggestion accounts for on either side of that date.

3. Enter the outcome

   Enter the outcome (Pass, Fail or Recheck), the recheck due date if there is one, the odometer at inspection, the inspecting organisation and the certificate or label number.

4. Save

   Select Create Certification.

The certificate appears in the list with its outcome badge. A Fail immediately sets the vehicle's fitness to Lapsed, whatever the previous expiry date said, until a Pass is recorded. The odometer you entered is recorded as a verified reading, and RUC uses it if it's the vehicle's most recent trusted reading.

Record a verified odometer reading#

A verified reading is one Vectis can rely on for RUC and fitness checks. It is more trustworthy than a GPS-derived distance estimate, which is only ever used as a projection input, never as the authoritative reading.

1. On a vehicle's Compliance tab, in the RUC section, select Record reading.
2. Enter the odometer value and when it was taken. Add a note, such as "read from the dash" or "WoF inspection", if useful.
3. Select Record reading.

The reading appears in the Odometer readings list and feeds straight into the RUC position, unless it looks like an anomaly (for example, it goes backwards). An anomaly is held for review rather than silently accepted or discarded; accept or reject it from the Odometer anomalies card.

Drivers can also record a reading from the mobile app; see Compliance warnings for drivers.

Record a RUC licence#

Vectis records a licence you bought through NZTA or an agent. It does not buy the licence for you.

1. Open the licence form

   On a vehicle's Compliance tab, in the RUC section, select Record licence. You can also go to Registers → RUC Licences and select Record licence.

2. Enter the licence

   Select the vehicle and enter the licence number from your NZTA receipt. Set the RUC vehicle type and channel (NZTA online, Agent, eRUC, Direct Connect or an approved RUC provider). If the type needs a nominated weight, enter it.

3. Enter the distance

   Enter the start and end distance. Licences are bought in whole 1,000 km units: the form shows the distance and unit count as you type, and won't submit a distance that isn't a whole multiple of 1,000 km.

4. Enter the dates and total

   Enter the purchase date and, if known, the issued date, which starts the 2-year off-road refund window. Enter the total from your receipt. If a RUC vehicle type and channel are set, Vectis shows what it would calculate from current rates and fees; select Use calculated to use it, or keep your own figure. A mismatch is flagged, never silently overwritten.

5. Save

   Select Record licence.

A confirmation screen shows any gap or overlap against the vehicle's existing licence chain. An overlap is refunded automatically by NZTA at the first licence's rate (RUC Act s31), subject to the $20 minimum and 2-year limit. Neither blocks the record, and both also show on the vehicle's Licence chain card.

To change or void a licence, use the RUC Licences register. A licence can be voided with a reason, but is never permanently deleted once recorded.

Record a registration (rego) renewal#

1. Go to Registers → Registrations and select Add Registration.
2. Enter the vehicle, plate (registration number), start date, expiry date and term in months.
3. Choose the licence type: Standard, or On hold (exempt from licensing) if the vehicle is off the road.
4. For New Zealand organisations, enter the fee paid, ACC levy, GST amount and label number if known.
5. Select Add Registration.

The status (Current, Due soon, Lapsed or On hold) is worked out from the dates and licence type, so you don't set it by hand. If there's a gap between this registration and the previous one, the vehicle's Compliance tab shows it as a lapsed period with its exact number of days, since NZTA back-charges a lapsed licence when it's renewed.

Plan and record a RUC purchase#

Vectis doesn't buy RUC today: you buy through NZTA or an agent and record the result in Vectis. Purchase requests help you plan what to buy and track it until it's recorded.

1. Start a purchase plan

   On the Fleet position tab of the Compliance page, tick one or more vehicles and select Plan purchase. You can also select Plan purchase on a single vehicle's Compliance tab.

2. Set the horizon

   Set the horizon (90 days by default). Vectis recommends whole 1,000 km units to cover that many days of projected driving for each vehicle, with its reasoning alongside.

3. Check the start distance

   The start distance defaults to the end of the vehicle's current licence. If you change it, Vectis shows the resulting gap or overlap before you submit. An overlap is refunded automatically by NZTA at the first licence's rate (s31), subject to the $20 minimum.

4. Create the request

   Select Create purchase request.

5. Move the request through its lifecycle

   On the Purchase requests page:

   • Submit marks it as waiting for the purchase to be made and recorded.
   • Approve appears only if your organisation requires approval and you have permission to approve.
   • Complete asks for the licence number and actual total from your NZTA or agent receipt, and creates the RUC licence automatically.
   • CSV results records several outcomes at once from a CSV of licence numbers against request lines, useful if you bought several licences in NZTA's own channel.
   • Cancel cancels a request that hasn't been completed.

A completed request creates the RUC licence exactly as if you'd entered it in the licence form, and the vehicle's position updates immediately.

Configure compliance alerts#

Go to Compliance → Alert settings. You need the compliance management permission.

• RUC thresholds: warn when km remaining or projected days drop below a threshold, and mark as urgent below a lower one. By default, warn at 1,000 km or 14 days (whichever comes first) and urgent at 250 km or 3 days. Also set the stale reading threshold (default 7 days), after which a reading stops being trusted and the position becomes Unknown.
• Channels: turn in-app, email and push notifications on or off. Push is opt-in for each user regardless of this setting.
• Checkout policy: for RUC overrun, lapsed WoF/CoF and lapsed registration, choose Warn only or Block checkout. All three warn by default.
• Purchase approval: require an approval step before a RUC purchase request can be submitted, with an optional spend threshold. Off by default. This is also where you set the default purchase horizon in days and the maximum units per licence.

Select Save settings. The new thresholds and policies take effect immediately across the Compliance page, vehicle tabs and mobile checkout and prestart warnings.

Claim an off-road refund#

Off-road distance, inside geofenced areas such as farms, quarries, private estates or sites, can be refunded. A refund figure from Vectis is evidence, not entitlement: it never says a claim will be paid.

1. On a vehicle's Compliance tab, scroll to Off-road distance and refund claims. Each row is a licence with its measured off-road km, the method used (distance inside marked geofences, from the GPS track) and its value at that licence's rate.
2. Rows below the $20 minimum, or against a licence older than 2 years, are flagged, because NZTA won't accept a claim in either case.
3. Select Create claim on an eligible row.
4. Once a claim exists, select Claim pack to download a CSV with the vehicle, licence, distances, trips and value, ready to lodge with NZTA.

Bulk import RUC licences#

Go to Bulk Uploads → RUC.

A six-column file imports with these columns: registration, purchase_date, start_odometer, end_odometer, cost and notes.

You can add any of these optional columns: licence_number, ruc_type, nominated_weight_kg, recorder_type, recorder_id, channel, ruc_amount, admin_fee and issued_at.

Vehicles are matched by registration, and end_odometer must be greater than or equal to start_odometer: the distance comes from that range. A row that creates a gap or overlap against the vehicle's existing licences still imports, with a warning.

Run the RUC report#

1. Go to Reports → RUC Report.
2. Choose a date range (the last 3 months by default) and select Run report.
3. Review spend, licences bought, units bought against km driven, gap and overlap km, and overrun events for each vehicle.
4. Select Export CSV to download the same figures.

Troubleshooting#