ERH Refrigerated Transport

CHALLENGE: Beginning a digital journey

ERH Refrigerated Transport is a transport provider based out of Melbourne, delivering refrigerated goods to the FMCG industry, mainly along the Eastern seaboard. ERH actively embraces new technology and equipment as part of its stated goal of continual improvement. In modernising its fleet to meet emerging business challenges, ERH wanted to ensure that drivers and vehicles were adhering to legislative requirements throughout the delivery supply chain, manage an increased administrative burden on the business, and discover new ways to streamline processes.

To control increasingly complicated reporting processes and paperwork and improve driver efficiency, safety, and fatigue management, ERH approached Teletrac Navman to add more capabilities to its existing GPS tracking solution. The business was on a digital transformation journey and wanted to automate and digitise existing processes for more efficient outcomes.

SOLUTION: Adopting the tool for success

ERH adopted Teletrac Navman’s in-cabin driver technologies and Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) to help employees get on with the job with ease and empower them to stay compliant. When drivers begin their day, they simply log on to the device and tap to start work or log rest to keep track of their fatigue hours. The device alerts them when it is time to take a break based on rulesets and regulatory requirements. This assists them in accurately managing fatigue instead of counting hours, ensuring compliance and making sure they are always up to date with their mandatory paperwork diary.

Two-way communication enabled by the in-cabin technology ensures driver health and safety is constantly monitored and empowers drivers to stay in contact with the back-office staff at ERH. The availability of communication gives the business peace of mind, ensuring that staff can get in touch with drivers who are never far from help if there is a breakdown or other mechanical failure.

In a bid to turn its trucks into a paperless work environment, ERH also turned to Teletrac Navman’s electronic document solution, all delivered from the same device. Drivers can access electronic versions of their permits, instructions and any other paperwork associated with their daily actions through the devices. Documents are uploaded once and distributed to some or all vehicles. The devices ensure version control and act as a unified source of information, eliminating potential confusion that may arise because of discrepancies between paper and electronic documents.

We were required to use a lot of paper related to the permits that we operate under. Tracking it all was impossible when you have updates and hard copies sitting in trucks or folders. The solution has been a revelation. Our Compliance Manager can update documents in real time, upload them, and get the data straight to the trucks.

“Now if there are any roadside checks by regulatory authorities, we’re confident that our drivers have got the correct documents, all the time.”

All vehicles are also equipped with a speed management solution, which combines GPS, company-defined thresholds, and sign-posted speed notices to notify drivers when they exceed limits via visual and audible feedback to the driver and real-time alerts for the back-office team. “The technology helps our drivers to stay safe by providing warnings before there’s a compliance breach”, says Rupert. “It also reduces any additional stress on our engines and increases fuel efficiency”.

Equipped with Teletrac Navman’s transport management solution, Rupert and his team has a big picture of the entire operation while it’s out on the road. A real-time flow of data to the back-office provides the information the business needs to run smoothly, analyse bad habits before they become trends, organise preventative vehicle maintenance and discover new efficiencies - a key goal for ERH as it tries to continually improve operations.

To take further advantage of the GPS-enabled telematics and vehicle tracking, ERH implemented geofencing. By drawing virtual boundaries around the locations that drivers deliver to, the exact time of arrival is automatically recorded. When ERH’s customers request delivery reports, the team can run a detailed timesheet showing delivery and departure times with little input from drivers and minimal administration time.

With Transport Certification Australia type-approved in-vehicle units installed, ERH now complies with the Intelligent Access Program (IAP) requirements and permits, giving it access to the road network at higher mass limits. These approved telematics devices provide the assurance needed by road managers that ERH is compliant with its permits and limits to provide productivity gains. Participation in the IAP has offered significant benefits to ERH, allowing trucks to carry more weight without risk of compliance issues. The increased weight allowance decreases the number of deliveries drivers are required to make, cutting down on emissions and truck wear and tear.

We’re always striving to improve ourselves and our business. We want to do things bet­ter. Teletrac Navman solutions are helping us to improve our processes, increase efficiency, and cut down on the time that we spend on admin. Not to mention keeping our drivers safe and helping them manage fatigue out on the road.

About ERH Refrigerated Transport

ERH Refrigerated Transport is an established transport provider based in Melbourne. ERH delivers locally and interstate daily, mainly covering the eastern seaboard of Australia delivering time and temperature sensitive freight, on time every time. The fleet consists of late model Euro 6 prime movers, coupled to the latest in steerable, quad axle fridge pans, carrying up to 56 pallet spaces and the versatility to carry ambient, chiller or frozen goods.