Heavy Duty Trucking, September 2019

HDT SEPTEMBER 2019 90 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM bout two years ago Flying Star Transport was looking to integrate its dispatch in truck technology and accounting system while meeting the new electronic logging device mandate and addressing demand for more real time data It was working with PDI which provides enterprise software for convenience retail and petroleum wholesale markets But PDI didnt offer an ELD solution After researching options Flying Star dropped its longtime traditional in cab computer system in favor of a bring your own device strategy Using iPad Air2s in all its trucks the fleet is running KeepTruckin software and integrating with the PDI back office systems via API or application programming interface a protocol that allows communication between different software and applications We have a solution that doesnt force us to have proprietary hardware It also allowed us to keep better track of our trucks in real time we can see them as theyre moving the speed theyre going how long theyve been sitting says Jayson Boydstun chief financial officer With dispatch accounting and the in truck software all talking to each other the company has been able to go from four days to two days on billing Our next step is to take that ELD and geo information that KeepTruckin is providing and be able to provide some reporting and analytics that we see as critical to our business and future to make sure were running profitable lanes and making the best decisions when we make a freight rate decision Boydstun says KeepTruckins open API allows Flying Star to integrate real time information from the truck into its TMS and really slice and dice it he adds The system also has helped Flying Star with driver payroll After moving from a commission type pay program to hourly pay the company found its able to use KeepTruckin to collect driver log information and import that via API into its payroll system explains Dwayne Thompson IT systems administrator We can also use the same system to collect miles driven to support the incentive enhancements we offer in conjunction with hourly pay Its also changing the way Flying Star interacts with customers The next phase Boydstun says is to give customers some real time visibility into where their loads are and when that loads going to be there Theyre Integrating ELDs with enterprise software paying off for petroleum hauling fleet With Flying Star Transports dispatch accounting and the in truck software all talking to each other the company has been able to go from four days to two days when it comes to billing clients not depending on a phone call theyre able to log into a system and monitor their shipments Also being able to speed up our billing time has been a tremendous plus A lot of them are convenience stores that need to know the price of fuel delivered as they are pricing their fuel He also notes that a new geofencing feature from KeepTruckin is allowing the company to set it up with customers so an email is automatically sent to both Flying Star and the customer when the truck breaches that customers geofence The more real time information that we can garner not just from the logistics perspective but also from the customer perspective and the driver perspective it seems to be a great benefit Thompson says What KeepTruckins been able to help us do from a management position is help drive efficiencies Boydstun adds Are we having to wait too long at certain sites How do we help coach our driver to know this load should take three hours so why is it taking four We probably gained 10 15 efficiency just by monitoring our freight lanes By Deborah Lockridge Editor in Chief dlockridge@ truckinginfo com FLEET SNAPSHOT WHO Flying Star Transport WHERE Amarillo Texas FLEET 42 trucks OPERATIONS Hauls petroleum products and other fuels with terminals in Texas New Mexico Colorado Oklahoma and Arizona FUN FACT Formed in 1999 because Davidson Oil a fuel jobber needed a reliable transporter Today they are a third party carrier serving other companies as well CHALLENGE Integrate dispatch accounting and in truck technology and meet ELD mandate FLEET TALK A PHOTO FLYING STAR TRANSPORT