Compliance made to measure from Truckfile
Fleet and workshop management specialist Truckfile says its packages are designed to be endlessly adaptable, to help operators of any number of vehicles, across all industry sectors, stay safe and legal in the most efficient way possible.
Fleet businesses that maintain their own trucks, others who rely on manufacturers’ franchised networks or independent service agents, and the busy workshops which carry out those inspections and repairs, are increasingly turning to Truckfile, the firm reports.
Based in North Lincolnshire but running a fleet of more than 350 trucks and 140 trailers across the country, Wren Kitchens has been using Truckfile since 2021.
The company, which has always been proud of its professional in-house distribution operation, employs a suite of Truckfile services and has seen particular benefits from the package’s Driver App.
Drivers use the app, on their smartphones or a tablet device, to complete their walk-around vehicle checks each morning. Any faults can be logged quickly and easily, backed up with photographs or video – and once recorded they are instantly accessible online to national fleet manager Philip Bennett and his admin team.
“The benefits of using this system speak for themselves,” he said.
“We’ve always run a ‘tight ship’ at Wren but since using Truckfile we’ve seen an increase in faults flagged up by drivers.”
The Driver App is not only helping to bring more problems to light, says Truckfile, but also drastically reducing the time taken to take remedial action.
“To be clear, that’s not because more is going wrong with our vehicles. It’s because Truckfile has helped us improve our process still further,” said Mr Bennett.
“Any issues identified by drivers are now in the system and visible to me immediately, which helps us to address these potential problems even sooner. This translates into a noticeable reduction in unscheduled downtime, which has to be of benefit.”
Merseyside-based haulier James Shaw & Son, meanwhile, uses Truckfile’s Workshop Application to monitor the maintenance of its fleet of 36 trucks, all of which are serviced and repaired in-house.
General manager Chris Thompson said: “The best aspect for me is the visibility – every bit of information I need about all our vehicles is there on one screen. I can see which trucks need servicing, MOT testing, taxing or tachograph calibration, as well as any reported defects. I don’t have to go looking for anything, it’s all right there in front of me.
“For our technicians, too, the benefits are clear,” he continued.
“They use hand-held tablets and a touchscreen terminal to record all vehicle inspections and jobs completed. It’s so much simpler and quicker than using paper forms.”
Truckfile is also the tool of choice for many OEM franchisee service departments – among them is Mercedes-Benz dealer Intercounty Truck & Van.
Boston depot manager Steve Sargeant’s workshop has seen a major boost in efficiency after installing the Truckfile Voice maintenance and inspection solution.
Technicians using the system, which replaces time-consuming manual data inputs with simple spoken commands, are now completing a typical vehicle inspection a full half-hour quicker than before.
Developed in partnership with voice-directed solution specialist Dakota Integrated Solutions, Voice is the latest development of Truckfile’s DVSA-accredited fleet and workshop management system.
It builds on the proven method of securely storing all vehicle maintenance information electronically by speeding up the process even further, says Truckfile – rather than using a computer workstation or hand-held tablet to check off each step of an inspection as it is completed, technicians simply speak into a headset microphone.
All individual tasks are automatically saved and records are updated in real time. The technician never has to take his or her hands, or eyes, off the job.
Steve Sargeant said: “Vehicle inspections are now taking an average of 90 minutes instead of two hours. With upwards of 50 trucks and vans passing through our workshop each day, that means efficiency has gone through the roof.
“We had initially hoped for a ten percent increase in productivity, but the reality of the solution has far exceeded our expectations. The system basically paid for itself in under two months.
“Voice has completely revolutionised our business, so I would encourage anyone working in the maintenance and inspection space to seriously consider implementing a voice-directed solution.”
The successful implementation of Voice led to Truckfile and Dakota being named winners of the ‘Fleet Innovation of the Year’ category at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2023.
