This guide walks you through every section of the portal — from monitoring your fleet overview to submitting driver checklists via SMS link.
Your at-a-glance view of the entire fleet
Example KPI cards — your live numbers will differ
Total assets, active drivers, checklists submitted in the last 30 days, and total expenses for the period.
Red/amber banners highlight licences, COF, and DG certificates expiring within 30 days or already expired.
Shows assets where the latest checklist had a reported fault — click the asset to open the checklist detail.
Bar chart ranking vehicle makes and models by average spend per asset — useful for budgeting and lifecycle decisions.
Tip: The overview auto-refreshes when you open the portal. Use the ↻ Refresh button in the top-right corner at any time to pull the latest data from Zoho.
View, search, and drill into every vehicle or piece of equipment
The full asset list loads automatically. Each row shows the registration number, make/model, current status, and upcoming expiry dates.
Type any part of the registration number, make, or model. The table updates instantly — no need to press Enter.
The right-side panel shows the full asset profile: all dates, assigned driver, odometer reading, and a spend summary broken down by expense type.
Status colours: Active Under Service Off Road Hired Out
Four dropdown menus let you pick any asset from your fleet.
A side-by-side card layout appears with make, model, status, odometer, licence expiry, and total spend for each selected asset.
Useful for comparing maintenance spend between similar vehicles, or checking which asset is due for replacement.
| Pill colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Expired 5d ago | Date has already passed — immediate attention required |
| 12d left | Expiring within the next 30 days — schedule renewal now |
| 15/08/2025 | More than 30 days away — no action needed |
| — | Date not recorded in Zoho — update the asset record |
View and manage driver profiles, licences, and contact details
Colour-coded pill shows how many days until each driver's licence expires. Red = expired, amber = within 30 days.
The mobile number used to send checklist links. Must be set correctly for the SMS checklist workflow to work.
Shows which vehicle the driver is currently allocated to.
Indicates whether the driver has been invited to the Zoho Customer Portal. Required for the SMS checklist link to work.
To add a new driver: Click the + Add Driver button at the top of the Drivers tab. This opens the Zoho Creator form directly in the portal. Fill in the driver's name, mobile number, and linked asset.
Vehicle inspection submissions and defect tracking
The table shows every submitted inspection: date/time, driver, vehicle, and whether issues were found.
A ⚠ Issues badge means the driver reported at least one fault or defect on this inspection. Click the row to see the full detail.
Each inspection item appears as a coloured tile:
What triggers an "Issues Found" badge? The system checks each inspection answer for problem keywords like damaged, missing, broken, faulty, cracked, leaking, flat tyre, expired, failed. Responses like "Checked and No Damage" or "No Leak" are correctly treated as OK.
Type any part of a registration number in the search box to filter checklists for a specific asset.
Use the dropdown to show only checklists with reported defects. Useful for daily defect reviews.
Track fuel, maintenance, tyres, and all other fleet costs
You'll see total spend KPI cards, a breakdown by expense type, and the full expense table.
Options include: All time, This month, Last 30 days, Last 90 days, This year, Last year, Custom range. All charts and the table update simultaneously.
Useful for matching a reporting period or financial quarter.
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Fuel | All refuelling costs logged against a vehicle |
| Maintenance | Scheduled services, repairs, labour |
| Tyres | Tyre replacements and puncture repairs |
| Licences & Permits | Vehicle licence renewals, permit fees |
| Parts | Spare parts purchases |
| Other | Any cost that doesn't fit the above categories |
To add an expense: Click the + Add Expense button at the top of the Expenses tab to open the Zoho Creator form. Select the asset, enter the amount, choose the expense type, and add any notes.
How drivers complete vehicle inspections from their phone
Via the Zoho Creator portal, a checklist request is created and assigned to the driver and their linked vehicle.
The SMS is sent to the mobile number in the driver's profile. The link opens the Zoho Customer Portal checklist form on the driver's phone — no app download required.
Each inspection item (tyres, lights, wipers, fluid levels, body damage, etc.) has a simple Yes/No or description field. The driver works through the checklist item by item.
On submission, the record is saved in Zoho Creator. Any reported faults are immediately visible in the Checklists tab of the Fleet Dashboard.
Open the Checklists tab and filter for Issues Only to see any submissions with faults. Click the row to see exactly which items were flagged and what the driver reported.
From the Drivers tab in the dashboard, click + Add Driver or navigate to the Drivers section in Zoho Creator directly.
Use the international format with country code: +27821234567 for South Africa. Do not include spaces or dashes.
In Zoho Creator: go to Settings → Customer Portal → Invite Users. Enter the driver's email address. They will receive an invitation email to set up their portal login. Portal access is required for the checklist link to work.
Open the Fleet Dashboard → Drivers tab. Confirm the driver's number appears correctly in the SMS Number column. The SMS workflow uses this number every time a checklist is triggered.
Common issue — driver says they didn't receive the SMS: Check that the mobile number in the driver record is correct and includes the country code (+27 for South Africa). Also confirm the driver has active portal access in Zoho Creator settings.
Pro tip: Have drivers complete a test checklist the first time to confirm the link arrives, they can log in, and the submission appears in the dashboard. This takes about 2 minutes and prevents issues on real inspection days.
Common actions and where to find them
| I want to… | Where to go | How |
|---|---|---|
| See which assets have expiring licences | Overview tab | Check the Expiry Alerts banner at the top of the page |
| Find a specific vehicle | Assets tab | Type the reg number in the search box |
| View an asset's full maintenance history | Assets tab | Click the asset row to open the detail drawer |
| Compare fuel costs between two trucks | Assets tab | Scroll to Asset Comparison, select both assets, click Compare |
| See this month's total spend | Expenses tab | Set the period filter to "This month" |
| Find all checklists with reported faults | Checklists tab | Use the status filter dropdown → select "Issues Only" |
| See what a driver reported on an inspection | Checklists tab | Click the checklist row to open the detail view |
| Add a new vehicle to the fleet | Assets tab | Click + Add Asset button |
| Log a fuel fill-up | Expenses tab | Click + Add Expense and select Fuel as the type |
| Send a driver their checklist link | Checklists tab | Click + Submit Checklist to create and assign the checklist |
| Refresh dashboard data | Any tab | Click ↻ Refresh in the top-right corner of the header |