3rd January 2008
Isotrak has secured its first general haulage customer: the iconic Eddie Stobart haulage operation.
Isotrak's Active Transport Management System (ATMS), which provides real-time vehicle tracking and transport management, is set to transform Eddie Stobart's transport efficiency. For the first time, using ATMS, Eddie Stobart planners will be able to dispatch jobs automatically to drivers, receive automatic progress updates, and maintain continually updated visibility of whole-fleet and individual-driver performance.
Pilot studies have indicated that Eddie Stobart's adoption of ATMS will yield immediate and broad-based benefits to the business, thanks to crystal-clear visibility of journey times, delivery routes, turnaround times and nonproductive time.
Eddie Stobart expects that this fresh visibility will increase operational effectiveness, improve driver safety and working conditions, while also decreasing carbon emissions by minimising the number of miles run (through better use of resources).
Eddie Stobart, whose customers include Tesco, Coca-Cola, Knauf, Nestlé, Crown and Sara Lee, employs over 1,200 drivers operating from a network of 28 transport depots (including customer sites) across the UK. Isotrak has already installed tracking hardware in 800 of Stobart's 1000-strong articulated fleet. The contract, Isotrak's haulage industry début, complements its UK market leading position in retail distribution with companies such as Asda, Marks & Spencer, Morrison's, Sainsbury's and Tesco.
Isotrak's essential communications boost
Isotrak's ATMS components include GPS/GPRS track and trace units, and a two-way driver communication module comprising fixed, in-cab data terminal with safe, legal hands-free telephony.
Using ATMS, Eddie Stobart planners will be able to send 24-hour job manifests via the in-cab data terminal, giving drivers valuable additional control over their working schedules, for example by helping to plan overnight stops and anticipate next-day itineraries. At the same time, drivers will use the in-cab terminal to provide updates on job progress and drop-off times, thereby automating the whole process.
The arrival of ATMS will also make a real difference to the quality of drivers' working environments. In an age when cargo thefts and driver assaults are growing in prevalence, and given the number of its drivers who are tramping overnight, Eddie Stobart was determined to provide the best possible levels of safety. Accordingly, a vital component of Isotrak's ATMS is the provision of a dashboard-mounted panic alarm, which flags an immediate location-based alert to transport managers so that help can be summoned if required.
Finally, to complement the pan-European scope of Eddie Stobart's operations – including its high volume European MEGA trailers division – Isotrak's ATMS includes street-level vector mapping for the whole of Western Europe.
From drawing board to deployment
Eddie Stobart's decision to work with Isotrak was made on the basis of extensive objective assessments, including a proof-of-concept exercise in the Stobart 'drawbar' fleet based at Carlisle, then a pilot trial proper with Eddie Stobart's articulated fleet based at Appleton, near Warrington.
Isotrak's 11-year transport industry heritage, and deep understanding of transport operational challenges, enabled it to refine and tailor a base solution into a bespoke service to meet Eddie Stobart's precise and demanding requirements.
Full installation of Isotrak's tracking equipment equipment across the fleet has been underway since spring 2007, notwithstanding the additional challenge of resourcing installations in vehicles that spend most of their time on the road.
Gillian Ingles, Divisional Director of Stobart Group, says: "Thanks to Isotrak we have now reached our long-standing goal of obtaining real-time fleet visibility. Isotrak proved its business case irrefutably through a pilot study, then tailored its provision to our precise needs and overcame significant technical and operational challenges to get us up and running without delay. Isotrak's professionalism and competence are extraordinary."
Craig Sears-Black, Sales & Marketing Director of Isotrak, says: "It's a great honour for Isotrak to make its début in general haulage with Eddie Stobart, one of Britain's premier haulage organizations. Our unique blend of deep transport-industry know-how, and straightforward 'it just works' technology, has now been proven the ideal transport transformation tool not only for large retail fleets, but also the wider haulage market as a whole."
