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Working Time software may boost time behind the wheel
Page 8
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Two operators strugging to cope with the requirements of the vo-D
have come up with a solution of their own. Dominic Perry reports.
TWO SOUTH-COAST hauliers have teamed up with a software provider to come up with a solution to the problems posed by the Working Time Directive. Poole-based Wyvern Cargo and Southampton firm Meachers Transport say they are saving tens of thousands of pounds in reduced adinin costs and increased driver availability.
RTDTrac, developed by software firm Gossip Interactive, is based on a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) — a hand-held computer and phone — which allows drivers to easily record working time and, more crucially, periods of availability It's in this area that both operators say they are seeing real benefits from RTDTrac.
Chris Hodgson,general manager at Meachers, says: "We are finding that they record more with the PDAs. It's a damn sight easier persuading a driver to hit a button on the PDA than to fill out a time sheet, particularly when the delay might only be for five minutes."
Both firms have instructed drivers to record even the slightest delay as POA, which in practice covers portions of time as small as one or two minutes. Hodgson adds: "What's the first thing a driver does when he clocks on? He goes and has a cup of coffee. We get them to record this as POA." Over a 17 or 26-week reference period this may allow a driver an extra day's work.
The data collected on the PDA is automatically transmitted back to a central computer, allowing firms to monitor their drivers' available time without the cost of manually inputting data. Meachers estimates this would have cost them around £25,000 for its 100 drivers.
Mobile phone firm 0, will be marketing the software alongside its )(DA device; cost is £1/week per driver,plus charges for the XDA.