Analysis services can help hauliers
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If you've not been examining your drivers' tachograph charts as closely as you know you should, then this expanding firm could be a godsend. Especially as the law is soon to be enforced much more strictly. John Durant has the details
THE OWN-ACCOUNT transport side of the industry is outstripping the hire or reward hauliers in its use of tachograph chart analysis, according to John Sutcliffe, of Transport Data Services. TDS is moving to larger premises at 4 Chapel Street, Ripley, Derbyshire, from its Heanor base.
This comparatively small but expanding firm is run by two transport men each with around 15 years in the road transport industry. It was started by John — ex Roadline and United Carriers — who was later joined by Bob Yorke.
They want to develop services to professional hauliers. "We are certain that there is a lot we can do for them," John told me. "However, some newcomers in this field are simply taking advantage of off-the-shelf tachograph analysis systems to open a 'bureau'.
"In general, they do not understand the workings of the programs they are using nor their limitations. As we and other reputable chart analysis bureaux have learned through long experience, accurate chart reading is a skilled task, and effective computer analysis is more than a matter of buying a ready-made package and setting up in business. There are cowboys in this field as in any other.
"We get phone calls concerning buying a computer system from those obviously not solidly in transport; it turns out that they just want to get on the bandwagon. "Some people know about computers and nothing about transport, or vice versa; it's easy to produce rubbish results in these circumstances. One firm which used to be in analysis in quite a big way was killed off by poor quality. Everything we send out we check — particularly the infringements.
"At TDS we have developed our own software and are still developing it. No single software package covers all aspects of vehicle operation, and we frequently produce special software to meet the requirements of an individual client's operation. Thus we can ensure that the analysis is 100 per cent correct and not a compromise.
"When we sell a complete analysis system, we back' it up with full training. We don't normally sell to people who want to set up a bureau — not because of the competition but because unskilled analysis would give us a bad name."
I was interested to hear just how small a firm can be that reasons that an analysis firm will help it. "We have two or three firms with only two or three vehicles," said John. "We have an electrical firm, for instance, which has just one rigid vehicle in Surrey and another in Devon. Very small firms like this tend to use us just to watch for infringements. One larger firm has been
able to reduce its fleet to 14 vehicles largely through our reports.
"A close study of vehicle operations takes a company a lot of time, and they often have the expense of calling business consultants in. They have to examine delivery notes, weigh bills and consignment notes, etc., and even then the information remains sketchy. But by using tachograph sheets you can obtain spot-on information on what vehicles/drivers do day to day."
Vehicle costing programs, John told me, will be introduced next year.
So why do not more bread and butter hauliers use analysis services? Is it the cost? Bureau services work out at around E1.50 per driver per week — say the cost of a gallon of derv. Basically, hauliers need a record of the activities of each vehicle and driver, highlighting infringements of the law (in Driver's seven-day report). The law, probably being enforced much more strictly within the next few months, requires operators to examine all charts for infringements of drivers' hours regs and to bring any infringements to the drivers' attention. If anyone is not doing this — accurately — he needs to think again.
TDS provides a printed memoranda for operators to sign and hand out.
Then there is the Vehicle Pi ductivity Report, too; colur two, cat, by the way, refers vehicle classification — in tl case 2 equals artics over tonnes gtw.
The operator needs to se tachograph charts either daily weekly to Transport Data S, vices; supply details of fuel us by each vehicle (if fuel consul,' tion reports are required); a keep Transport Data Services formed about any fleet or mi power changes.
Transport Data Servic analyses the charts and retur them with a full set of repor compares the summarised ch information over a rolling tv week period in exact accordar with the tachograph legislati, highlighting infringemer should these occur; and p vides additional managemi information on driver a vehicle performance.
The operator, says TDS, bei fits in these ways: • Weekly driver reports su manse activities; • Legal requirements to bri infringements to driver's tention are covered by printed memoranda prepar by the bureau; • Weekly vehicle reports as effective fleet managemeni
• A comprehensive analy service deals correctly v‘ Category 1 and Categor) vehicles, drivers' mat, shifts that span midnic multi-use of vehicles finish away from base, and rolling 14-day cycle;
• Infringements, time c( suming to detect by man methods, are picked up in analysis; • Special reports are availa on request; • The output is easy to uric stand.
A company with a large fl may find it worthwhile purch ing a tachograph analy system from TDS. Should it quire special reports or inforr tion from tachograph analy the software can be modifiec suit specific needs. The Tai equipment, says TDS, "is tremely reliable and surprisir affordable; the exact cost pends on specific requi ments."