Mt Noorat Freighters
HOW MT NOORAT FREIGHTERS STREAMLINED ITS DATA PROCESSES TO CUT COSTS ON ADMINISTRATION
Administration work can be a costly business expense that drains time and important resources. As a bulk haulage company specialising in stockfeed, grain and other agricultural products, Mt Noorat Freighters often found itself bogged down by paperwork, and operating on inefficient schedules.
Mt Noorat Freighters was established in 1996 by the Moloney family and has 35 employees operating a fleet of 20 Western Star and Kenworth trucks on a continuous 24/7 schedule. Delivering across Victoria, South Australia, NSW and southern Queensland meant the company needed to undergo significant administrative change.
Supporting the transport industry
“With our previous system, the GPS devices weren’t what we had been promised and we were offered no customer support or feedback,” said Mt Noorat Freighters’ Systems Manager Scott Guthrie.
Mt Noorat Freighters decided to part ways with its previous supplier in 2011, and Guthrie began searching for a new supplier to assist the company in two strategic areas. The company required the new system to reduce the amount of administration work undertaken by back office staff, as well as helping to meet legal requirements regarding NHVAS compliance, along with fatigue and speed management.
Guthrie and his team identified three additional characteristics for the company’s next provider: to supply the desired technology, be a strong cultural fit with Mt Noorat Freighters and have expertise in and a dedication to the transport industry.
After meeting with close to 10 different transport providers, Mt Noorat Freighters eventually decided that a combination of CMS’s Freight2020 transport management system and Teletrac Navman’s in-cab and compliance technology was best suited to its requirements.
Streamlining data processes
“Many of our customers realise that at some stage, they need or may already have in place a transport-focused ERP system. They also realise that no single supplier can do both transport management systems and mobility, or compliance solutions,” said Teletrac Navman's Vice President – Transport Solutions Australia, Andrew Rossington.
The solution went live in October 2012 and Mt Noorat drivers and back-office administrative staff realised immediate benefits. “Once the drivers realised that the solutions in place would greatly limit the amount of paperwork and mass management they needed to complete themselves, they recognised it was a tool just as much for themselves as for our back-office staff,” said Guthrie.
Multi-channel transformation
By substantially reducing and automating large amounts of back-end administration work required of its drivers and office staff, Mt Noorat Freighters found that it had more overall control of its data and was now able to easily provide assurance of compliance to regulatory and safety bodies.
Mt Noorat Freighters’ new back-end host transport management system has increased productivity in its office significantly. Staff can track all vehicles and produce on-demand trip and driver efficiency reports. It allows staff to monitor speed and fatigue levels which has resulted in fewer driver violations. “The administration side of things has improved 100 per cent,” said Guthrie.
The systems also allow for electronic data submission, in-cab driver assistance with speed management, real-time alerts for back-office administration staff, audio and visual aids for drivers and significant streamlining of reporting and paperwork processes.
“Previously, we were doing double the data entry, as drivers would compile their own information and back-office staff would have to enter it into our systems. Now, this no longer has to be done twice, and staff have more time to concentrate on what they’re supposed to be working on.”
Practical solutions to complex problems
The iFace, an in-cab touchscreen device, allows drivers to receive their jobs and communicate with the office via on-screen messaging. Drivers can easily and quickly enter their pre-trip checklists, declare vehicle mass and view when their next rest break is required.
From a single in-cab device, a driver can complete their pre-trip checklists, communicate via messaging to the office and declare vehicle mass for NHVAS compliance. They can also view a summary of fatigue information in real-time, including the next rest break required, and use it as a turn-by-turn navigation system.
Providing exceptional service
As a small business in a heavily populated industry, Mt Noorat Freighters has been incredibly satisfied with the hands-on service received from Teletrac Navman throughout the entire process.
Apart from being a strong cultural fit and having expertise in the transport and logistics industry, Guthrie has found that Teletrac Navman’s after sales service and support has fulfilled Mt Noorat’s expectations. “If we have a problem, it gets looked at. We’re a partner, not just a customer,” said Guthrie.
Mt Noorat is utilising a range of in-cab and compliance technology solutions. These are delivered from the driver via the iFace, an in-vehicle touchscreen computer, to back-office administrative staff. This is complimented with CMS’s Freight2020 transport management system, delivering measurable benefits for both its drivers and office staff.
Over the next six months, the company is planning to integrate the Freight2020 system – which provides the billing and operational ERP – with its current Teletrac Navman solutions. “The combination of Freight2020 and Teletrac Navman’s NextGen product set will allow Mt Noorat Freighters to dispatch jobs directly to the driver – and when they complete the job, all the accounting and billing information will be transferred from the truck into the system,” said Rossington.