Managing fleets digitally - Part II

Published in Western Canada Highway News:
Trans+Plus Systems touts “up-to-the-minute control” via its Fleet Manager Professional and Logistics Manager Professional. Users can employ the software to plan, monitor, execute and analyze operations to improve efficiency and reduce costs. “Our system is extremely flexible in handling multiple transportation modes through one dispatch screen,” Vince Bull says from the Trans+Plus headquarters in Guelph, Ont.
Fleet Manager and Logistics Manager allow integration with software programs in accounting (e.g., AccPac or Peachtree), mileage tracking (Pro*Miler, ProMiles), satellite tracking (Cancom, Qualcomm), document imaging and more. Trans+Plus has partnered with AccPac International, Shaw Tracking and other companies to make this possible.
“Through innovative enhancements, our software has become more intuitive, reducing the number of keystrokes required, boosting productivity and efficiency and providing more accurate, real-time information so that our clients can make better, more informed decisions even faster and easier than before”, says Bull, Trans+Plus business development manager.
“Simply put, by making their business processes more efficient, everyday tasks become easier, faster and smoother, operating costs are reduced, their business becomes more competitive and their bottom line is improved. And that’s really important in today’s economy.”
Corey Szott, a vice-president at Calgary-based Ferus Trust, affirms that “the collection of real-time satellite data (via Fleet Manager Professional) has resulted in huge operational advantages. In fact, since implementing the software from Trans+Plus, we’ve seen a huge reduction in the both the average age and balances of outstanding receivables.”
The Excelerate 9000 and Excelerate Live packages from Virtual Dispatch offer a wide range of features that include easy order entry, integrated invoicing and (of course) dispatching. The big difference between 9000 and Live is that the latter is web-based, enabling the instantaneous transmission of data over the Internet. And Live’s user-friendly design makes it “really easy to jump into using,” Virtual Dispatch president and CEO Mike Januszewski says from Stouffville, Ont.
Virtual Dispatch also has an ACE (Automated Commercial Environment) compliance system via its partnership with CrimsonLogic. It has become increasingly important that shippers send data directly to customs ports to ease entry into the United States. Virtual Dispatch’s ACE module makes that data transmission possible through a secure Internet connection, thus reducing inspection time and making transport to U.S. destinations faster.
“Virtual Dispatch software has made our company more efficient and responsive to our customers,” an Ontario trucking company executive declares at Virtual Dispatch’s website. “We now have a direct line between the driver and the customer. In an era of just-in-time we have been able to supply our customers with up-to-date information through our fully integrated system.”