FLEET MANAGEMENT

Ladies, Gentlemen, Owner Operators, and Fleet Owners!  We have found a real treasure for you today... 

Last week on a blistering cold Sunday morning, after Church of course, I let the hounds run while I was sweeping the snow off the "No Trespassing" and "Sorry 'Bout the Smell" signs in the front yard of HQ, when a shiny black Cadillac with tinted windows and Michigan license plates slowly rolled up.  I carefully reached behind and inside my coat to make sure I had my .44 at the ready...  

      18 Wheels of Justice HQ (Circa 1987)          My girls,” CAT, Cummins and Deeetroit”

Suddenly, out jumped two spry, young men dressed in boots, blue jeans and Driver Buddy shirts with a beautiful blonde in tow.   The blonde yelled that they were looking for 18 Wheels of Justice.  Luckily, I quickly recognized the two men as Ray and Shawn of SRS Technologies fame, and took my hand off my revolver. (Now, I will be the first to admit, albeit the last one to point out, that I did, in fact violate standard operating procedure #2 at 18 Wheels of Justice HQ. ("Shoot first and ask questions later") I'm not sure if my delay in enforcing standard operating procedure #2, was a result of the beautiful blonde, or the shock of seeing Ray and Shawn with a beautiful blonde, either way, I was sure I would hear more about it later...   

It wasn’t long before Ray and Shawn start telling me about SRS Technologies popular new product...Driver Buddy

I said well, let's take a look.  I yelled up to Nicky, my brassy assistant and lady friend, who for whatever reason, likes sitting on the roof watching everything that goes on around here.  I hollered up to Nicky, "Ma, get off that daaa…ng roof!  We got company down here."      

Today we are proud to have with us, two true innovators and legends in both the software and trucking industries.  It's hard to find such a rare combination, it just doesn't happen very often, and when it does, it's best to take notice.  Mr. Shawn Ryan and Mr. Ray Lark have revolutionized the way trucking companies will do business...

Driver Buddy Video

C’mon in, gentlemen and have a seat.  Sorry about the misunderstanding out front, I didn’t recognize you guys at first.  Well, well, well… Driver Buddy sounds like a very effective tool, nice and simple to use.  It won’t cost you a fortune and solves a lot of the biggest problems our drivers face on the road.  I do have some serious questions for you, if you don’t mind…

·                     How is Driver Buddy different/better from similar products?  Driver Buddy goes way beyond what many have come to expect from a cab-to-office software company.  Our business model is designed to streamline Customer Service, Sales and Operations so our clients can focus on growing their business and not on chasing paperwork regardless if you have 1 truck or 1000.  Simply put, Driver Buddy is powerful, easy to use and from a single screen gives you the capability to follow your orders, track your assets and manage your documentation from the time a customer calls to the time you send the invoice.  Best of all, we automatically track your information every step of the way.  Log into Driver Buddy and, from a single screen, get real-time access to a Time & Attendance system and a Customer Management system that is combined with our Workorder Management system that is combined with our Dispatch and Tracking system that is combined with our Delivery Confirmation system that is combined with our Customer Portal and finally, all this is part of our Data Management system.  Driver Buddy organizes and manages your delivery data transaction by transaction and keeps it stored for your convenience for 7 years.

·                     Are there similar products? With all the features available on the Driver Buddy Platform, we feel confident in saying that there is nothing like us on the market.  While there are more and more companies coming onto the marketplace that offer GPS tracking and to relay information about engine performance, there are none that we can find that combine all the features we offer in a single log-in application. 

·                     If you were to compare it to one on the market, what makes it stand out?  We stand out in so many different ways.  First, all you need to launch Driver Buddy is an internet connection, a computer and a smart phone – That’s it!  Next, go to DriverBuddy.com, login once and get access our entire portfolio of products.  Then, we’ve combined GPS Tracking and Asset Utilization with a Customer Management System, a Workorder Management System, a Workflow Management System, a Customer Portal and a whole lot more.  Finally, our focus is on teaming with our clients to help grow their business.  We do not simply want to sell you a software package and demand that you learn how to use it.  We want to give our clients access to a software solution that learns your business, has the power to grow as you grow and best of all, is so easy to use you almost forget you’re using it. 

·                     Do you two have backgrounds in trucking?  We bring to the table 30+ years’ experience in Trucking, Operations, Procurement and Supply Chain Management at companies big and small.  Most recently we ran the operations of one of the country’s largest jobbers (refined fuel and crude haulers).  We were sent to New Jersey and were an instrumental force behind keeping the East Coast supplied with fuel during Super Storm Sandy.  We literally lived in a tent in a parking lot for 22 days while we ran the dispatch operations for 270+ fuel hauling trucks that came from all four corners of the country to help in the relief effort.

“And, because we are so confident that our platform will drive results, there are no long term contracts - none.  Pay by the month.  We know our platform will work for you” 

·                     Why did you decide to bring Driver Buddy to Owner Operators and Fleets?  After leaving the jobber where we were both worked and where we made several painful attempts to implement multiple different systems that never seemed to “talk” to each other or to our existing systems, we decided that we could do a better job and create a solution that actually worked when we needed it to and did not cost a fortune to install and run.  We sat back and asked ourselves two things; first, “what core features are needed to run a trucking operation and how should they ‘talk’ to each other” and second, “who could benefit the most from having a solution like this”?  The result is the solution platform we call Driver Buddy and our target customers are the owner operators and small to medium sized fleets.  It seemed to us that the software companies out there wanted to focus only on the huge fleets and so the smaller fleets and owner operators got left out.  These smaller companies were often forced to decide between paying for an expensive software system that is impossible to understand or to buy an additional truck or hiring another driver in an effort to increase revenue.  That was not good enough for us.  We want the small fleets and owner operators to have the power and functionality to compete with the big guys.  We are happy to know that we were successful and now we want as many of these small to mid-sized companies to use Driver Buddy to drive revenues and grow their businesses.  We are confident Driver Buddy will make their lives easier and help them return their focus to driver revenue and not chasing paperwork. 

“Even in the most complex transportation environments we do not need more than 15-30 minutes to train a driver how to use Driver Buddy.  The process flow really is intuitive and once we walk the driver through how to process a shipment, they get it and off they go...”

·                     I like the seamless transfer of documents to the home office; it will save small carriers a fortune by not needing TripPak, or to pay for faxing at truck stops.  Exactly.  This is the whole idea behind Driver Buddy.  It is a seamless way for companies to manage their entire process.  For example, our system eliminates cab-to-office communication errors and delays by making a digital copy of paperwork that is then saved directly to the order at the transaction level.  What I mean by this is, we allow the driver to photo capture their paperwork and save it to a stop and within seconds the back office can access that paperwork and use it to create an invoice before the driver ever leaves the customers lot.  And, for the next 7 years, if the back office ever needs to run a report using that paperwork or any other information about that order, it is as easy as a few clicks on the keyboard and out comes the report.

·                     Can you walk us through how a typical load would work?  Let's say Bubba just unloaded in Bugscuffle, TN (yes, I've been there), he is empty, has his signed bill of lading in his hand.  Marge, in accounting, is waiting patiently for his bill of lading, so she can bill the customer.  The customer has just called to find out if the product has delivered and who signed for it...  What are the steps?  Oddly enough, I have been through Bugscuffle on my way to Shelbyville one time a few years back.  With Driver Buddy our driver, Bubba, would have gotten all the information about that load on his Smart phone prior to starting his day.  Bubba would begin by signing in and tapping “Start New Load”.  Driver Buddy will GPS route him to his destination and have listed all the information, tasks and drop off items necessary to complete his shipment.  As Bubba completed each of these tasks and was unloaded he would take a picture of the BOL and tap the “Completed Load” tab in the work order on his phone.  Bubba would even have the option to add in any accessorial charges as well as any other load related expenses that the customer needed to be billed for.  He can add notes related to that stop that the next driver or back office may benefit from (example – don’t park in back lot or always stop and talk with the guard Jim before entering the yard, etc.).  If Bubba does not type well, he can tap the speaker icon and speak into the phone; his notes will be typed for him.  Within seconds all of that information would be saved to that specific drop-off location in the work order and Marge would receive a text, e-mail or both to indicate Bubba was done and all the required information was available.  She can now invoice the customer and not miss any details.  If she needed some extra piece of information, Marge would know right away and be able to get word to the driver before he left the customer site.  Bubba, now that this load was complete, will see on his smart phone that he has a new load waiting for him.  Bubba simply taps “Start New Load” and he is GPS routed from his current location to his new location by Driver Buddy.

·                     What about smaller carriers?  Is there an online login, where dispatch can enter loads from the home office, or even a out of state office and then send to drivers?  We built Driver Buddy to be accessible from anywhere at any time because we know not all Dispatchers have the option to be at a desk all day.  As long as you can access an internet connection and have either a laptop or tablet you can enter orders, dispatch orders to driver, track driver/asset movement or location and review work order history from anywhere at any time.  I’ve used Driver Buddy to Dispatch shipments from McDonalds during a stop on a drive to Beaverton, PA.

“All in all, I am confident you will find that Driver Buddy is the most powerful application available and is so affordable that now, the smaller fleets have the technology to compete with the big fleets, and win!”

·                     Is there a lot of training that my drivers will need?  Even in the most complex transportation environments we do not need more than 15-30 minutes to train a driver how to use Driver Buddy.  The process flow really is intuitive and once we walk the driver through how to process a shipment, they get it and off they go.  The Smart phone application is available on Google Play and iTunes and is as simple and fast to download as a song or a game.   

·                     Does it have to be on a certain type of phone or tablet? Driver Buddy supports iPhones and the Samsung line of Androids – this covers about 85% of the smart phone market.  We are confident it will work with other Android models but the graphics may or may not look a little different (color, size, etc.) but the functionality is not impacted.

·                     How long does it take to set up?  For the drivers it will take less than 2 minutes to download the App from Google Play and iTunes.  As for the back office set up, depending on the service level you choose, we do most of the set up for you.  The longest we have been on site to set up a client has been 2 days and most of that time was to train 2^nd and 3^rd shift personnel.  Once download and running, we have not had to go back except to train people on new features.

·                     What are the immediate benefits?  Our clients can begin using Driver Buddy from day one.  They can eliminate manual processes, unnecessary paperwork, redundant operations and save money by canceling their subscriptions to the other software packages that are now included in Driver Buddy.  Our clients find that driver efficiencies and asset utilization rise immediately.  The benefits are just about limitless with Driver Buddy.

·                     What type of reports does it generate?  We offer standard reporting – Open, Pending and Completed Orders and a few others but we can build any report you want or need.  Remember, Driver Buddy has a built in Work Order Management system which makes all your data available for reporting at a moment’s notice.  We know that not only is your information important to you it is more important that you can access the right information at the right time when you need it from wherever you need it.

·                     Does it include real time tracking? How often does it update?  Everything in Driver Buddy is refreshed every few seconds.  A driver can take a picture of a BOL or add notes to an order while they are waiting to be loaded/unloaded and 3-5 seconds later that picture and those notes are available for the review back at the main office.

·                     How do I download updates to Driver Buddy?  The best thing about Driver Buddy being available as an App in Google Play and iTunes is that there are no future downloads.  Just like other Apps on your smart phone, you get a message when there are updates and once you hit “OK to update” you have all the newest and greatest features.  When you login to Driver Buddy from your laptop there are no updates, the newest features are already there waiting for you.

·                     OK, let’s talk cost.  How much is this going to set a company back (start-up and subscription fees) and how long is a membership?  Well, as we’ve said before, we built the Driver Buddy platform for the owner-operator and small to mid-sized companies so we knew costs had to be competitive and long term commitments were not going to fly.  As a result, Driver Buddy has 4 service levels – Lite, Standard, Pro and Enterprise, to meet need that range from only wanting to enter basic order details, dispatch and track assets to a full fledge platform of features that can be used to run your entire operation.  And, because we are so confident that our platform will drive results, there are no long term contracts - none.  Pay by the month.  If our platform works for you – Awesome!!  If not and you want to see what else is out there, we do not want to keep you tied to something that is not working for you.  We want our clients to spend their valuable resources wisely because being profitable and growing is the name of the game.  As for costs, Driver Buddy Lite has no start-up costs, a small monthly system access fee and the monthly fee is $25/month/truck.  As you move up in service levels there is are minimal start-up costs (roughly equal to 1 month’s fees) and the system access fee and per truck fee gradually increase.  All in all, I am confident you will find that Driver Buddy is the most powerful application available and is so affordable that now the smaller fleets have the technology to compete with the big fleets, and win!!!!

What a great solution for smaller fleets and owner operators.  For fleet management - Driver Buddy is simple, efficient and very effective.  How do I get started?

Simply Click Below or Call 855-One-Buddy(855-663-2833)

Driver Buddy Contact Form

www.driverbuddy.com

18 Wheels of Justice, Sustainable Truck Driver Retention, Negotiating with Freight Brokers, The Ultimate Guide on Driver Recruiting and Retention - Trademark & Copyright 2012 Michael H. Komadina