FARGO SYSTEMS
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Fargo Systems has been producing transport management software for the past decade, mainly for the container haulage sector. There it has a 30% market share and customers such as Maritime Transport, but according to sales manager Steve Collins, it will soon be seen more widely: “In the last three to four years there’s been a lot of effort and a lot of will put into entering the general transport sector. We offer a complete range of solutions that makes us quite strong.” Fargo’s Tops transport management system offers modules for everything from invoicing to Working Time Directive compliance. The system’s web-based interface, says Collins, means that “it’s quite easy to give all that information to an end user – so we’ve got a customer module, too”.
Tops... On The Go is Fargo’s mobile application, which combines vehicle tracking, phone/SMS communications and job management on one device – usually a Windows mobile PDA. But Collins says: “We want the system to be as avail able as possible, so we are looking at the Android operating system.” Android smartphones and tablets are widespread, and vehicle units are on the way; Fargo will launch an Android version of Tops... On The Go later this year. Recently, Fargo Systems implemented Tops... On The Go in 38 vehicles belonging to container haulier MacIntyre Transport. Operators can assign jobs to drivers via the PDA, and the driver can use it to accept the job. Job status on arrival, departure, load, unload and delays are automatically updated. The system captures PoD, manages driver timesheets and deals with defect reporting.
MacIntyre director Paul Miller says: “Being able to manage jobs from start to finish without operators and drivers being constantly on the phone saves a lot of time and means we can optimise efficiency and service for our clients.” The firm plans to roll out the system across the rest of its fleet.