Every business has blind spots, and hauling operations are no different. What if you could see what you’re missing?
In 20 years of working with municipal and private haulers, our team of fleet automation professionals has made some of the same observations of revenue leaks again and again.
We believe in sharing what we’ve learned, so here are five ways we’ve seen haulers lose money — along with proven fixes.
1. Don’t track go-backs
Your driver missed a stop. Or did they? A customer called with a complaint, and you can’t provide unqualified evidence from the collection point to show them what happened. Did the driver stop or drive by? Was the cart out?
Without seeing what’s happening at the curb, you can’t reduce go-backs — or charge for extras.
The fix: On-board tablets that snap time-stamped photos of every stop allow your trucks and drivers to communicate with customer service staff in real time. Photos from the curb allow managers to see what’s happening there — and address it.
2. Pick up extras — for no extra charge
An extra bag of yard debris here, a Christmas tree there, and an oversized item down the street. Haulers are doing more work, but often not seeing returns because logging extras on paper is a tedious and unreliable method.
The fix: With the Routeware system, recording an extra is as easy as the driver hitting a button and selecting the extra from a list. With integration directly into your billing system, extras get automatically added to your customer’s bill. And with Routeware’s picture-taking functionality, you have photographic proof of extras that are picked up, which will eliminate potential customer disputes.
Risky Business: Ensuring The Security Of Your Billing System
When it comes to hauling operations, which are part of critical infrastructure, there’s pressure to settle ransomware attacks with immediate payouts. It can’t be understated how critical it is to deploy secure back-office systems, especially when it comes to customer billing.
3. Run extra trucks
Fleet costs are always on the rise. Trucks aren’t cheap – not to buy, lease, insure, or maintain.
Increasing a fleet’s size without increasing overall workload or efficiency can lead a hauler to lose money quickly.
The fix: Routeware’s system of on-board devices and back-office software enables you to track your data to discover where you can be more efficient on your routes. If each driver could do 10% more stops without increasing hours, you could cut 10% of your fleet without reducing services.
4. Provide service without pay
Without real-time account information visible inside the truck, drivers don’t know which customers to serve and which to skip. And so, in the spirit of providing excellent service, many times those whose bills haven’t been paid receive collection when suspension would be in order.
The fix: In-cab computers show drivers which locations to skip. Skipped collection often begets prompt payment.
5. Lose great drivers
There’s a driver shortage, and its effect on hauling businesses has never been greater. Yet without information about your drivers’ individual performance behind the wheel, it’s impossible to coach struggling drivers or reward successful ones. This can lead to employee churn and subsequent increased recruitment and training costs.
The fix: Forward-thinking haulers use fleet automation tools and insights to train new drivers, help those who need it, and compensate those who are doing an excellent job.
Even small revenue leaks add up over time, often making an investment in fleet automation not only cost-effective but profitable, too.
