Ever since the introduction of digital tachographs in 2006, transport operators have been using digital solutions to help get insights and manage their fleet’s driver and vehicle data. Fast forward 18 years later, fleet managers are now using software solutions in all aspects of their business, from tachograph analysis to assist with tachograph management and drivers’ hours to TMS systems to help with planning jobs and managing deliveries from start to finish.
Having good tachograph analysis software in place
Whilst the main purpose of any tachograph analysis system is to provide vehicle and driver data insights to ensure your fleet is operating legally, and compliant with driving hour laws, some systems such as disc-check can offer much more than this.
Clear insights are so important when it comes to managing your tachograph data. This can help to stay compliant and ensure all your drivers stay within the legal driving hours. Disc-check offers a range of dashboards and reports to ensure you understand your data, and how to improve compliance by showing infringements at a glance, and in-depth reporting on your drivers’ hours.
Another feature that could help with compliance is disc-check’s debrief module. This allows transport managers to get real insights into their drivers’ compliance by giving drivers a rating based on their infringements. This allows operators to keep drivers in check and see repeat infringements quickly and easily and therefore get compliance back up before it becomes a bigger issue.
Drivers can also download a free disc-check app, allowing drivers to manage their hours whilst on the go. Whilst having regular meetings with transport managers to discuss infringements and why they are happening is important, drivers can acknowledge their infringements without having to go back to the depot, meaning they can spend more time on the road, and less time in the depot, without having to take time to sign every infringement. Signed infringement reports can also be uploaded in disc-check to have your paperwork all in one place, with easy access.
Managing defects and vehicle maintenance
Whilst paper daily vehicle walkaround checks are still very much in use, going digital could help you save time and simplify managing your vehicle safety. Vehicle-check also allows drivers to use their phones to carry out walkaround checks and add comments and photos to any defects reported so that transport managers can see the damage to understand the issue more. Thanks to instant reporting, managers are notified quickly when defects are logged and can therefore arrange fixes quickly, so vehicles have less downtime and are back on the road quicker.
Having a system in place like vehicle-check also allows drivers to log incident reports to show when and where incidents took place, take pictures of damages that occurred, and add other parties involved, witnesses and even emergency services involved. Incident reports can then be seen by transport managers instantly and can even be sent to insurers, saving time for transport managers.
Maintenance planning can be tedious and time-consuming when done manually, especially for larger fleets. By having a maintenance planner in place, managers can automate the process. This can save time and ensure everything is logged and completed in time. Using vehicle-check’s maintenance planner module allows schedules to be added for every asset of a fleet, and means that inspections, MOTs, services, brake tests and more can be planned automatically so the next event is never missed again.
Streamlining transport planning with TMS
Transport management systems (TMS) have helped fleets manage their entire operation from order processing to invoicing. Systems such as TransMaS allow transport managers to easily manage their orders from start to finish. It allows jobs to be inputted and assigned to drivers easily, and with TransMaS, customers and contractors can even add their orders directly into TransMaS to accept or reject.
Once jobs are assigned to drivers, drivers can see all the pick-up and delivery information for their day on a handy app, and can check in to each delivery point to state when they’ve arrived and set off, which helps transport managers make sure that their operation is running smoothly and make alternative arrangement when drivers get delayed during the day. The app also allows drivers to log PODs to be sent straight to the transport operators so that jobs can get signed off as soon as a driver has left a delivery.
Invoicing capabilities on TransMaS allow transport managers to send a job to an accounts platform to be billed or invoiced directly from TransMaS, saving time and leaving less room for human error. It also allows surcharges and more to be added to the invoice.
Digital solutions are only becoming more advanced and with new capabilities and features being added all the time, making the most of digital software will only help your transport operation. For more information on any of TDi Software’s products, visit our website.
