June/July 2007

Undeterred by indifferent experience with a phone-based tracking system, Rugeley-based B & J Commercials put in place a fully-fledged GPS-based system from Quartix, and is still singing its praises

There's tracking É and then there's tracking. That's been the experience B & J Commercial Services, a multi-discipline haulage and transport support business based in Rugeley, Staffordshire.

The company runs a fleet of 26 large goods vehicles on a variety of haulage operations, and is also active in freight forwarding, 24-hour breakdown assistance and vehicle and trailer hire.

Its first experience of vehicle tracking was with a mobile phone-based tracking system, which was in use last year. But managing director Bill Hope wasn't terribly impressed. It was slow to update and not very accurate, he says, adding: I also wanted to resolve some issues over timesheet accuracy.

 

The company therefore started looking for a more responsive and useful system, and happily it was contacted around that time by Quartix, one of the leading suppliers of Web-based GPRS/GPS-based vehicle tracking systems.

A Quartix unit was fitted and trialled in one of the company's vehicles for a month, and this proved so successful that we ordered another five units immediately, Hope says. That was just the start; since then the system has been fitted to 37 vehicles, and is expected to be fitted to all 65 vehicles within the coming year.

The system has proved itself in a number of ways, as Bill Hope explains. The Quartix Web page is constantly up on the PCs in the transport department, he says, so that we can see at a glance the vehicles' real-time locations.

We can make a considered decision as to whether any particular load will work Ð based on where the driver is and when he will be available.

Essentially, the system gives us far more control, helping us to squeeze jobs in and make decisions very quickly.

The company works closely with a network of subcontractors, as well as running its own fleet of 26 haulage vehicles, which include Volvo, Scania and Renault Magnum 44-tonne articulated outfits. Customers include Palletways, The Cannon Group, Wincanton Logistics and HM Prison Service.

B & J has already arranged for one of its closest customers to have parallel access to the Quartix system. This means that company can check on the location of 27 double-deck trailers in real time, without having to contact B & J for the information.

Hope admits there were some early misgivings among his own drivers about the implications of having a tracking system in place. Initially there was some alarm. The 'big brother' issue raised its ugly head.

However, he says the company was able to lay their concerns to rest. We made the effort to reassure the drivers that installation of trackers was the most practical way to sharpen operations by keeping the wheels moving, boosting security and saving us having to pester them for their whereabouts.

Not only has the system improved operating efficiency, it has also proved itself in terms of enhancing fleet security. The company is using it to track trailers as well as vehicles, and it has already foiled at least one attempt at theft.

A tractor unit carrying a load for us was taken from a closed yard at 2 am, Bill Hope says. We were alerted at 6am, and immediately checked the tracking system, which showed the vehicle parked in a nearby town. The police recovered the tractor unit Ð minus the trailer.

That wasn't the end of the matter, though. The tracking system's daily route chart revealed a point where the vehicle's journey had been briefly interrupted, and when this location was checked out, the trailer was found dumped (presumably for later unloading).

It was quite a relief to have been able to recover tractor, trailer and load Ð all by 12 noon on the same day!

Hope is enthusiastic about Quartix's backup service. He says any query emailed to the support team receives a reply within half an hour.

Indeed, he has become a real advocate of the whole concept of vehicle tracking. Go for it! he says simply. For the cost involved, the system is a superb fleet management too. We couldn't run our business as effectively or efficiently as we do without it.