Cherry Load, the Oxfordshire-based logistics solutions provider reports ‘instant control’ over driver and vehicle activities since switching to remote tacho downloading and data analysis from leading transport software specialists Mandata and TruTac.
Established in 2011, the family-run company operates a mixed fleet including temperature-controlled, curtain sided and bulk-tipping trailers. The company initially looked to Mandata for software to help manage everything from transport planning to operational monitoring, electronic proof of delivery and invoicing for their UK-wide operation.
In November 2018, to speed-up and automate the retrieval of driver and vehicle tacho information for simplified compliance, Cherry Load added a suite of software from Mandata and TruTac which enabled tacho data digital files to be downloaded remotely via Mandata’s service, Tacho Now, and then pushed to TruTac for analysis.
This is valuable for monitoring information regarding our own drivers and particularly so for agency drivers, about whom we have little or no knowledge.” Explains Cherry Load’s Compliance Manager,
Tracey La Porte.
The combined Mandata and TruTac systems allow Cherry Load to remotely download and view data such as vehicle speeds, break intervals and daily working times. All of which can be accessed on a single screen with individual driver averages and an automatic alert to flag up any anomalies.
This allows me to attend to any infringements almost as soon as they happen” continues Tracey, “and if an agency driver has more than one card, i.e. one British and one from another country and has swapped from one to the other, the TruTac system alerts us to a potential problem. Similarly, we can see if that driver has recently worked elsewhere, because a tell-tale truck icon appears on the screen.”
Cherry Load’s online compliance control is provided by a mixture of TruTac’s software products including TruControl – with TruAnalysis, TruView, TruDocuments, TruDriver Digital, and TruLinks – which analyses the remotely downloaded digital tacho files from Mandata.
“Compliance and keeping things legal is, of course, my number one priority” adds Tracey, “and there’s no question, remote downloading of pre-analysed vehicle and driver data makes this easier to control.” “Time was,” she adds “when we used to meet with drivers in random locations to physically download their cards – thankfully that’s a thing of the past because now we can see all the information at the press of a button, online from any location.”
According to Tracey La Porte, the Mandata system comes with the convenience of all vehicle and driver data, automatically captured in one place and with the addition of TruTac, Cherry Load have the assurance of being able to view much of the same data after it has been analysed to see exactly what’s going on.
“Another good example of this is TruTac’s weekly Period Reports” says Tracey, “which inform drivers when they have been exceeding their limiter speed - useful for guarding against DVSA inspections, which can pick up cases of habitual speeding.”
Cherry Load also generate Graduated Penalties reports each month which, using the TruTac system calculate how drivers could potentially have been penalised – in points and financially – had repeated infringements not gone undetected.
Managing Director, Sarah Burrows
adds that in addition to the important compliance benefits, Cherry Load have also seen a decrease in costs through the rollout of the Mandata and TruTac combined solution.
"We have seen a cost reduction of around 13% through a combination of direct costs and time saving, plus the added bonus of being able to access data from any location.”
Cherry Load Ltd is managed by founders Derek and Sarah Burrows and is FORS Silver-accredited.