SOFT SEL Most small hauliers can afford a basic computer—
Page 36
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
but finding a software package tailored to road haulage is less easy. CM screens the systems. Jim Hay wants to take the plunge into computerising his transport operation. It is a move which is rarely painless for road hauliers, is often expensive, and is guaranteed to revolutionise any traffic office in all senses of the word.
Hay runs John Adams Transport from its West Lothian depot. His fleet operates in the general haulage sector and has a small warehousing side: between the two activities an alarming amount of paperwork is generated. Where to start?
A first step is to buy the latest copy of What PCP and then discover that a reasonably competent PC and printer will set you back around £1,400, but all of the software suppliers mentioned here will also supply hardware if requested, and include support system maintenance options.
Finding the software is the real problem. "The only two packages I know of personally are Roadrunner and Multihaul. Both packages appear to be quite good but are designed for operators with 12 or more vehicles. The software is expensive to buy and has on-going expensive maintenance contracts," says a recent letter from Hay to Commercial Motor.
Although there are a number of inexpensive programs for tachograph chart analysis and reporting, Hay requires a costcontrol programme that can replicate the daily vehicle booking sheet, match proof-ofdelivery notes to consignment order documents, allocate rates to jobs for regular customers, apportion costs to separate activities or vehicles, and eventually produce an invoice at the appointed time.
He asks: "Is there a computer software package out there to suit the needs of the UK's average road haulage business? In other words, a vastly scaled down version that is competent at an affordable price.
And what is an affordable price? CMasked a number of software consultants and manufacturers: "They are available but you've got to spend a lot of time looking for them. A lot these programs are written by people who do not advertise them, and are well hidden because they might not be able to cope with a large demand." QS Business Systems of Liverpool, Administration Systems of Bristol, and Peak Software of Macclesfield are three companies which emerged.
All offer system maintenance support packages and can provide software at prices that will be difficult to beat but will still ten-ify most operators. Peak Software says its business is mainly in the independent retail motor and garage industry, but it has a number of programs available with potential road haulage applications. Hireline is a package developed for vehicle rental applications but has a bookings diary that Peak says can perform a similar role to the hauliers' daily booking sheet.
In addition to comprehensive sales, nominal and purchasing ledger modules, the fixed-asset register contains all the elements required to keep an eye on the vehicle fleet The price of the comprehensive version to a single user is around £2,000 (inc-VAT).
For a few hundred pounds, Peak's Fleetline can perform functions such as monitoring vehicle standing and running costs, report when road fund licences and MoTs are due, and maintain a vehicle repair history.
HARDWARE Peak will let you run a fully working copy of Fleetline for 30 days at a nominal cost of £25. You can also buy or lease hardware from Peak, under its "Plug in and GO" package.
QS director Roger Taylor says Transys links directly with Multisoft accounting ledgers. Transys was developed after a small local haulier asked for help. "He wanted something uncomplicated, so he could key in details from job tickets, update his accounts and produce invoices at the same time." For around £2,500 (ex-VAT) others can buy the same package which includes vehicle costing, profit and loss, payroll and balance sheet preparation.
Bob Fotherglll, managing director of ASL, says that at £2,200 (ex-VAT), a haulier can buy a single-user version of Mass 89 that can perform most of the functions a haulier needs except vehicle scheduling. It has been around for about three years. Included in this package are facilities for vehicle sales and leasing, parts stock management and vehicle maintenance. It can link directly to the Sage software accounting system if preferred. Fothergill says that the system becomes costeffective from a vehicle maintenance point of view for as few as eight vehicles. At this price it could well be worth a demonstration.
RESOURCES Large operators with sufficient resources have more options than the small operator. For example, the large parcel carriers can buy a system such as Kalamazoo's Profleet, or Tranman from BIS, while Kerridge Computers is busy developing a new largeuser product. These do everything that Hay wants—and much more besides—on a bigger scale and can be used by a large number of operators on a number of different sites.
Camberley-based GSI offers Tolas, again fully comprehensive and also for multi-screen or site users. These are all relatively expensive but cost-effective with large numbers of vehicles.
Small operators can have software written for them but it is expensive. To customise an existing accounts package will also cost a lot. As most of the software is written for 20 vehicles or more, much of the potential is underused by the smaller operator rendering it cost ineffective.
David Green is manager, systems marketing at Mansysco. This is the parent company of Infotach which already offers a chart analysis system called TCAS Rapide and has just introduced InfoHaul to the market. InfoHaul aims at the 80vehicle-plus market, and costs around 18,000 for a twouser system, excluding hardware. "The small operator is much more interested in what his costs are today and how he can keep these at an absolute minimum and under control. He's not really interested in trying to schedule jobs if he has only a handful of vehicles," says Green.
But Green recognises the market potential and the future possibilities for small operators which like the InfoHaul system: "Next year we will possibly look at using the basic engine room of what we have now on a smaller scale". In the medium sized fleet range, two packages are well known in the field. They are Multihaul and Roadrunner. Roadrunner is used by operators of as few as three vehicles, says managing director Derek Beevor.
His is also the organisation that the Road Haulage Association refers its members to as part of its computer service. Beevor invented the system in 1979 in response to similar needs to those of Jim Hay. Beevor still rims John Tudor Transport for which the program was originally conceived. At the time it had seven, but now operates 19 vehicles. He still runs it and another company called Silver Woolf Transport.
COST-EFFECTIVE Beevor says for around £7,000, a transport booking system, sales and nominal ledgers, vehicle costing system and accounts package are included. Like all of the packages, it becomes more cost-effective the more vehicles you operate. "There's nothing it does that cannot be done by a transport manager. Roadrunner just does it at the touch of a button," says Beevor.
Ian Pollock, managing director of Musselburgh-based Pollock (Scotrans) has a 30-vehicle fleet and says Multihaul shows how a haulier can benefit from technology. He says that once the traffic operators had the system up and running, cost analysis became possible on a daily basis. "The haulier presenting his accounts at the end of the year can find out too late that there are real problems," he says. Bill Marshall is managing director of Edinburgh-based John Richards which designed and markets MultiHaul, which, like Transys, has a Multisoft link. He says for £4,000 a company of eight or more vehicles would have a vehicle and accounts management system which was comprehensive and worthwhile.
If there are more cost control software packages for the little companies we didn't find them. So if your company is thinking of introducing some software that fits the bill, give CM a call—we've identified a market. El by Steve McQueen