Apps for last mile logistics | routing and dispatch

Apps for last mile logistics

Call Toll Free for Details 866.270.0541
You are here: Home / Archives for LCR-II meters

goRoam New Features – 2018.12 Release

by 2 Comments

goRoam New Features – POD Release 2018.12

The goRoam mobile app for fuels, lubricants and chemicals delivery has gone through a major update in the second half of 2018.  For hosted customers, we will upgrade your managed devices once you have trained your drivers. On-premise installations should update all mobile devices to the latest version of the 2018.10 release before updating your server and rolling out this version.

Note that all features are available on both iOS and Android versions, with the exception of Commercial Truck routes (Android only)

goRoam New Features

  • Commercial truck route navigation

    – Our Android version of goRoam supports full North American and Canadian commercial truck routes using integrated CoPilot® navigation. You can configure truck profiles with the height, weight, length, axle weight, and HazMat restrictions of each of your delivery vehicles so drivers can navigate with efficient and compliant commercial routes. Stay tuned for iOS commercial route capability.

  • Compartment verification

    – Comply with supplier mandates and stop contamination before it happens. When delivering from compartments, you can configure a truck to require a barcode scan/match of the compartment, the product, and the asset(tank).

  • Out of band delivery alerts

    – This is a great reason to have LCR integration. An automatic, system-generated email will be sent if a driver creates a sale in the LCR® meter outside of a goRoam inventory transaction (delivery, hose flush, etc.). The GPS coordinates, sale number, and total gallons are recorded and sent as an email. This audit happens behind the scenes so dispatchers can see when and where drivers are pumping product outside of a customer delivery.

  • LCR-600 register support

    – In addition to the LCR-II electronic register, we now also support the LCR-600.

  • Configurable asset readings

    – Think about how much it costs for a truck to make it to the point of delivery. Make the most of being there when delivering to tanks, vehicles or equipment. Drivers can record custom readings for any asset. For example, DEF, engine hours and grease for equipment and vehicles are recorded along with the delivered gallons.  You can record any value for tanks, vehicles, and equipment, and then review them in a report. How many bottles of DEF did that asset use last month?  How many gallons per mile/hour did that engine consume? Find out now.

  • PIN codes for drivers to deliver out of sequence

    – If a driver needs to complete orders out of sequence on a trip, but you don’t want to allow this on a regular basis, you can require a one-time PIN code approved by a dispatcher for each order they want to deliver out of sequence. PIN codes force drivers to complete stops in your dispatched sequence while giving them the flexibility to react to unforeseen issues in the field.

  • PIN codes for drivers to manually deliver

    – When a truck has electronic meters and the driver wants to go in manual mode to enter gallons from the meter, you can require them to get a one-time PIN code to proceed. The idea of PIN codes arose from the need for flexibility and control – you can have both. Look for more PIN code features in the future.

  • Categories when taking pictures

    – Set up categories and require a description when taking pictures, so you know which pictures are BOLs, receipts, etc.

  • Rejected orders email

    – If a driver rejects an order; we have an updated email handler to notify a dispatch group. You can easily set up custom rejection reasons such as – “missed the delivery window,” “customer closed,” “inclement weather.”

  • Capture GPS on assets when filling

    – goRoam records and update for an asset’s GPS location when filling so that you find assets on a map. Find that lost tank or another portable asset. Share filling detail with customers.

  • Self-contained NEMA enclosure for meter support on trailers

    – We have developed a new enclosure and mounting system that allows installing LCR meter integration on trailers. Our new enclosure keeps the meter integration with the trailer, not the truck.

Usability

  • Streamlined workflow – The number of steps required to complete most operations is reduced. It now takes a little less time to start a trip, complete orders, capture meter values for manual delivery, setup and more.
  • Scan to configure – Do you ever need to configure a spare handheld for a truck but can’t remember the meter address or server URL? Don’t worry! A 2D barcode is all that is needed to configure a handheld device. Scanning a barcode will pair to the truck’s Wi-Fi, connect to the server and company code.  This new quick configuration option makes it easy to pair a new handheld or move devices between trucks so you can get back on the road.
  • Pre-trip settings check – Before the driver starts a trip, the app runs through a series of checks to confirm connectivity to the server, meter, and printer BEFORE the truck leaves the yard. This prevents drivers from leaving the depot without a working device, printer or truck setup.
  • Easier settings and diagnostics – the settings screen has been streamlined to make it easier to check the configuration and run diagnostics.

In addition to these updates, we have a significant release scheduled for early 2019 that includes:

  • Web-based dispatch status board – We are moving the trip status board to a web browser so it looks good on a desktop, tablet or mobile device. It shows the status of trips by date and depot. The web-based status board is perfect for dispatch and customer service to see the status of trips. Put it on a large interactive touch screen monitor in the office!
  • In-app chat – Chat from within goRoam and the Mob mechanism for drivers to chat with dispatchers or dispatchers to chat with drivers. Now dispatchers can communicate with multiple drivers at once, there will be a record of all conversations and without the need for phone calls and drivers lining up in the office.

Lubricants distribution software for iOS

by Leave a Comment

The goRoam Lubricants distribution software for iOS app for lubricants delivery has all the capabilities of our Android app for bulk and packaged lubes distribution, including barcode scanning, electronic signature capture, wireless dispatch and LCR-II meter integration.

goRoam iOS app – start trip for lubricants delivery

goRoam iOS app – list of orders and stops for lubricants distribution

goRoam iOS app – signature capture for lubes delivery

Lubricants distributors are looking to iOS for a few reasons.  One of the top 3 lubes manufacturers released a contamination app that only runs on iOS.  In addition, many distributors are providing drivers with company iPhones for phone, email and texting.

Whether you use the iOS or the Android version of goRoam, it makes a statement on customer service when drivers do everything electronically and then hand the iPhone to the customer for their electronic signature, printed and emailed delivery receipt for Proof of Delivery (POD).

Key capabilities of the goRoam iOS app include:

  • Barcode scanning of tanks to confirm the product compatibility, which eliminates the chance of contamination or cross-fills.
  • Wireless dispatch – drivers get and send realtime updates on orders, loads, GPS, inventory, etc.
  • Electronic dispatch and integration with route optimization services like Ortec’s ORD and OIR
  • Electronic signature capture – customers sign the iOS device
  • Realtime inventory tracking of the truck and/or trailer
  • Workflow specific to bulk and package product delivery.
  • Bulk delivery with LCR-II meter integration or mechanical mode without meter control, but still using barcode scanning and validation
  • Mobile iOS receipt printing to 4″ thermal printers like the Zebra ZQ520 or QL Series
  • Mapping and directions (including real time traffic) using the native mapping app.  On iOS, we use Apple Maps.  On Android, goRoam uses Google Maps.
  • Store and forward, so the app keeps working even if you are out of wifi or cellular range
  • Super fast and easy to use.  Quick driver learning curve.

In addition to the features listed above, our Q3 2018 release will include:

  • Commercial truck routes with restrictions for height, length, max weight, weight per axle and HazMat (e.g. explosives, flammable, inhalants, caustic).
  • 2-way driver messaging.  Driver chat with dispatchers.

The Lubricants distribution software for  iOS app has all the features of our Android app.

If you are trying to decide whether to use iOS or Android, you should consider the following factors:

  • Our Android device has wifi tuning specific to truck hotspots and metered delivery.  We’ve worked with our device manufacturer to configure the device to not roam or search for different AP’s (Access Points), change the wifi drop threshold, reduce the channel search and times to aggressively reconnect to the truck network, manage the power settings to maintain high connectivity, etc.  iOS devices do NOT support changing fine grained wifi setting like you may use in a warehouse or industrial setting.
  • Android has a built-in barcode scanner. If you scan a lot of assets (tanks, vehicles, equipment), the built-in barcode scanner is easier to use because we have a pistol grip that helps aim the scanner.
  • Android has a higher degree of ruggedness – designed to work in harsh conditions like rain or snow.
  • iOS is a great solution for lubricants distribution where you don’t scan a lot of assets. You may only scan 3-4 tanks per delivery with lubricants where with fleet fueling (wet hosing), you may scan 100 assets per customer.
  • iOS is great if you want to support manufacturer’s iOS apps for cross-filling or contamination tracking, and they only run on iOS.
  • iOS is great if you have a mixed fleet and want to do lubricants distribution software with iOS and fuels distribution with Android.

New video for Android mobile metered delivery

by Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since we’ve posted, but that doesn’t mean we havent been busy!  We’ve been actively rolling out our Android app for metered delivery and wanted to post a quick video to show how fast and easy it is for fdrivers to make deliveries.

The app works the same for metered lubricants and supports electronic as well as mechanical meters.  You can even use a truck that has a combination of electronic and mechanical meters.

The driver selects a product to deliver and picks the meter they are using. The driver scans a barcode and goRoam validates the product (to prevent cross pumping/contanimation).  Once validated, we wirelessly open the LCR solenoid (valve) to allow the driver to pump.  The driver sees the meter values in realtime on their Android device – no more going back and forth to the truck to record meter values.

The driver can take a picture of assets or BOL’s (Bill of Lading) to attach to the order.  They can add products or services such as demurrage or splits, and get an electronic signature from the customer…just like FedEx or UPS.

Once complete, goRoam can print a receipt and/or email a PDF receipt so the customer has an electronic document of all assets fueled and their quantities within a couple of minutes of completing the delivery!

 

Load Builder for Dispatching

by Leave a Comment

Load builderAt the request of our lubes distributor customers, we have added LoadBuilding into our dispatch capability for the MobileHub.  LoadBuilding enables a dispatcher to create a trip and drag orders onto the trip. As orders are added to the trip, a window shows the total quantity on the trip for each product, across all orders.  Multiple trips can be added to the view so orders can easily be dragged between trips to quickly see the impact of the load on each trip (route).

Loadbuilding is used by companies that do not have route optimization systems like Ortec OTD or RedPrairie’s TMS. Those systems take a set of orders and automatically build routes, with each route having a set of orders that are within the constraints of each vehicle.

Companies who have just a few vehicles at each depot have dispatchers who know what the vehicle capacity constraints are. For example, a lubes dispatcher may know their combo trucks can have 1 – 10 totes of 500 gallons each. They want to build a trip and as they drag orders onto the trip, see the total of each product.  In this case, they have 3 orders with 200, 250 and 100 gallons of 5w-20 oil.  The dispatcher would easily see the total is 550 gals, which is more than one tote.  They could decide to add more orders to fill 2 totes, or see if they can add the 100 gal order to a different trip.

Load building can be used by package delivery companies as well, as they will see the total by product on each trip.

On-site Fleet Fueling Driver Metrics Reports

by Leave a Comment

scr_001

Do you know who your best on-site fleet fueling drivers are?  Do you know based on actual metrics, or based on gut feeling?

If you want hard facts on who your best drivers are, you need to automatically collect metrics such as:

  • Gallons delivered
  • Average Minutes/Vehicle
  • Average Gallons/Vehicle

BizSpeed’s goRoam for Metered Delivery automatically collects metrics such as when the driver started a delivery, when they stopped and gallons pumped through bulk meters.  Our customers have access to metric reports and can schedule them to be emailed daily, weekly or monthly so you get direct visibility into your drivers.

The ability to operate your fleet fueling, bulk lubricants or wet hosing business based on facts and metrics is what enables you to drive operational efficiency.  These metrics are available in real-time, without the need to ask someone to collect, input and analyze data.

As you can see from the report shown above, John Jones makes the most deliveries and is also the most efficient. He delivers more fuel than average but is a minute per vehicle more efficient. Steve Philips is also efficient. While his delivery times are longer, he delivers 80% more per vehicle than the average.

We can show average time and gallons including setup, customer signature, etc. as well as without the setup.

If you’d like to see how we can help you automate your metered and non-metered deliveries, please contact us.

Why on-site fleet fueling?

by 1 Comment

Semi Truck FleetImagine you arrived at the dispatch office this morning and all your vehicles were fueled before drivers arrived.  On your desk was a printed receipt with gallons fueled and odometer reading for each vehicle and you saved $.10/gal over pump prices.  If that sounds like it might interest you, keep reading because on-site or mobile fleet fueling can drive savings directly to your bottom line.

Fuel costs are an assumed operating expense, but many companies only look at their monthly fuel bill and try to figure out how to get drivers to use less or pay less at the pump.  They don’t consider the total cost of fueling and fuel management.

If your drivers fuel their own vehicles then you pay for the time and mileage for a driver to get to the pump and to pump fuel into their vehicle. That’s time the driver is NOT spending delivering your products or service.  You’re trusting the driver to accurately record the gallons, the odometer reading and NOT wait or linger at the pump.

Compare this to on-site fleet fueling.

  • The fleet fueling driver arrives at your facility and pulls up to the first vehicle.
  • He scans the vehicle’s barcode which confirms the type of product the vehicle uses (dyed diesel, clear diesel or gas).  The handheld prevents him from putting in the wrong product.
  • He records the odometer reading of the vehicle.
  • He fuels the vehicle and his handheld wirelessly reads the fuel truck’s meter – no back and forth to his truck and no writing meter readings on paper.
  • He quickly moves to the next vehicle and scans it’s barcode, following the same procedure.
  • When all vehicles have been fueled, he gets your signature on the handheld and prints a legible receipt with the details for each vehicle:  truck ID, gallons, odometer and product.
  • You receive a weekly, monthly or quarterly report and electronic file of fuel usage by vehicle.

‘Okay, I see there’s benefits but what is the ROI with on-site fueling?’.  Let’s assume you use an average of 20 gals/day per vehicle and your fuel is $4/gal.

  • Driver time savings – you’re paying your driver to fuel your vehicles, not deliver your products. If it takes 15 minutes per vehicle and your driver’s loaded cost is $25/hr, you paid $6.25 on top of your fuel cost.  You paid an extra $.31/gal on top of the pump/rack price.
  • Mileage – the loaded cost per mile averages $2.50-3.00/mile (vehicle, labor, fuel, etc.).  If you drive an extra 3 miles to fuel you vehicle, you paid $9 in transportation costs.   You paid an extra $.45/gal in transportation costs.
  • Environmental – if you use an on-site storage tank and have your drivers fuel at your facility, you now have the environmental liability of the storage tank.  Additionally, if your drivers spill while fueling then you have the environmental reporting responsibility and have to ensure your drivers know what to do for HazMat.
  • Better fuel control– fuel is an expensive commodity. Drivers can pump into their own vehicles/containers, not turn in fueling receipts or report inaccurately to improve their metrics like miles per gallon. Taking the driver out of the equation reduces theft and improves accuracy.
  • Fuel price management – as specialists in fueling and fuel management, on-site fueling companies can leverage purchasing, pricing and hedging across multiple customers to provide savings and price predictability.
  • Tax savings – for equipment or vehicles that stay in your yard, you can eliminate road taxes by getting detailed fueling reports on a per asset basis.  This is especially helpful in areas like refineries or food distribution (refrigerated trailers) where there may be a large number of vehicles or trailers that never go on the road.

If you have a vehicle fleet that returns to the yard on a daily basis, you’re a good candidate for on-site fueling. Examples include:

  • Food service distribution
  • Armored car service
  • Beverage distribution
  • School buses
  • Furniture delivery
  • Lumber delivery
  • Special needs and senior transport service
  • Local delivery companies

If you’re interested in on-site fueling, you should look for companies that automate the process with wireless handhelds so they can read meters electronically. This eliminates hand written errors, calculation errors and provides you with the confidence to know your fueling records are accurate for proof of delivery.

The best run on-site fueling companies use BizSpeed’s goRoam.BulkDelivery handheld system. Contact us to find an on-site fueling provider near you.

Updates to Bulk and Metered Delivery Software

by Leave a Comment

fleet fueling metered delivery handheldWe have started beta testing the update to our goRoam.BulkDelivery software for bulk, packaged and metered delivery. This is a significant upgrade as we have integrated into our current goRoam mobile application framework. It streamlines operations for delivery drivers and provides workflow specific to the type of product delivered.  We’ve tested extensively in-house and are in the process testing on-site with existing customers.  Key features of the update include:

  • Integration into the goRoam mobile app based on Microsoft’s SmartClient framework. This provides strong inter-module integration, so bulk deliveries are integrated with inspections (additional module).
  • Upgrades to the current version of SQL Server CE on the mobile device for faster data access, such as looking up customer assets.
  • Significantly enhanced inventory management on bulk trucks.  We support tracking retained products and pump-offs so you can better understand and match inventory versus strictly delivered product.
  • More metrics – we now track how long each asset takes to fuel so you can get better driver metrics at a detail versus aggregate (avg time per asset to fuel).
  • Improved workflow and user interface, including use of finger friendly controls. We have eliminated the need to do horizontal scrolling, so a driver can see everything on one page or can scroll with fingers or the keypad keys.
  • Faster meter integration with LCR-II registers and better visual indicators on meter status.
  • Streamlined workflow so drivers see forms based on the line item they are delivering. For packaged delivery, they see packaged specific data. For bulk products, we differentiate between metered and non-metered as well as the type of asset being filled.  For example, on tanks we show tank readings and can force the readings. On vehicles/engines we support odometer or hour readings.
  • Simultaneous dual meter pumping – drivers can pump from two LCR-II or other meters at the same time.
  • Better background synchronization – we use a full queuing system that detects network connectivity and syncs automatically when a device is connected via cellular, wifi or cradle.

The updated module will be available by the end of June 2011.

 

main menu fleet fueling handheld Route list with easy to view summary of each stop - handheld Post-trip tracking of retained product and pump-off handheld
Main menu Route list with easy to view summary of each stop Post-trip tracking of retained product and pump-off

Newsletter 1Q2010

by Leave a Comment

bizspeed logo 2008-small Newsletter 1Q2010
In this issue…

  • goRoam.BulkDelivery – mobile meter integration
  • goRoam.MobileHub – mapping and geographic enhancements
  • goRoam.Inspections – significant updates for inspections & surveys
  • Coming soon – upgraded dispatch board!
  • Training – developing reports in SQL Server Reporting Services
  • How to – customer comments and backorder notification emails
  • Wireless tank monitoring – fast payback, low cost pilot

Mobile meter integration – wireless with LCR-II meters

LCR-II meter If you deliver bulk products and use metered delivery, you’ll want to see our handheld updates for meters.  We’ve worked closely with Liquid Controls to design a robust, reliable and easy to maintain wireless meter solution.

Your fleet maintenance can quickly install and easily maintain the truck components.  Your customers will appreciate the confidence in knowing you are fully electronic with no errors from hand entry or re-keying.  Customers can get metered Proof of Delivery by asset in near real-time.

Your drivers will appreciate easy and fast barcode scanning for fleet fueling or tank filling.  They can view the register counter on the handheld at the end of the hose reel so they know how much is delivered.   Register data is automatically recorded for truly paperless delivery.

As an owner/manager, you’ll appreciate real-time wireless delivery updates, inventory control and reliable operational data to manage your business.

This is a simple, straight-forward upgrade for existing goRoam customers or an easy installation for new customers.

We’re in the process of installing videos on the website to demonstrate metered delivery. If you want to be notified when they are available, please contact us.

Mapping and geographic enhancements

customer map A key step in managing service and delivery organizations is knowing where your customers are.  In addition to our batch customer geocoding tools, MobileHub can geocode individual customers, view them on a map or view groups of customers on a map.

goRoam.MobileHub users  can simply load the customer edit form and click the ‘geocode me’ button to geocode a  customer’s address.  As always, you can enter detailed routing and tags for a customer. You can then use these attributes to view groups of customers on a map.  Read more…

Inspections and surveys updates

updated dispatch and schedule board Vehicle inspections, asset inspections, customer surveys, smart meter installations, safety audits – are all examples of our how our customers use the inspections and surveys module.  We’ve added features to address some important demands:

  • Completely new dispatch board that allows simultaneously showing dispatch schedules for users, roles/groups, assets (ex. trucks) and trips.
  • Integration with other mobile modules to dynamically populate surveys from current forms.  For example, if you are making a delivery and the driver needs to create a survey for that order, the survey can be pre-populated with fields from that order such as customer name, address, order number, etc.
  • Easy batching of dispatches. For customers who create 100’s of dispatches at a time for users, you can specify that only the next X number will be auto-sync’d. For AMR installations, customer canvassing or other large scale inspections, this is a huge benefit to mobile users as well as dispatchers.
  • Survey printing using HTML templates to any supported printer such as the Zebra RW420 or Intermec PB41, PB42 or PB52. You can easily add and edit your own print templates.
  • Improved barcode scanning support with customer specified lookups such as assets.
  • Execute server tasks when surveys are saved so you can selectively take actions such as creating work orders or sending emails with survey results.Read more…

Training – developing reports in SQL Server Reporting Services

Whether you are a hosted customer or an on-site installation, you may have wondered how you can add your own reports.  We recently developed a training class for customers to learn how to build SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) reports, add them to the reporting server and use the MobileHub data model.

This is a great class for report development and shows how you can use SSRS to report against other databases too, such Oracle, MySQL or SQL Server instances.  We can tailor the class to your needs and include reporting against multiple databases at once, so you can integrate things like GEOTAB GPS with MobileHub delivery data.  For more information, contact us.

How to – customer comments and backorder notification emails

There are a number of notification options for pickup and delivery customers, including automatically sending emails when orders are completed in the field. The most common scenario is to automatically send an email to a bulk distribution group if a driver enters a customer comment.

An example would be the driver entering ‘tank ok no delivery per dave’ when a customer did not take a delivery. This would alert dispatch and accounting to handle the order appropriately without having to track down the driver or wait for paperwork.

To setup email notifications, use the following Company config setup parameters.

Setting Value Description
email_customercomments 0=off, 1=on emails customer comments with the order number, salesman, driver, trip and customer.
email_eventlog 0=off, 1=on emails any event log entry the driver records.  Event logs are typically things like ‘waiting on signature’, ‘waiting on dock’, etc.
email_possiblefuelorderbacklog 0=off, 1=on emails any order that has a delivered qty =0 for bulk or < order-qty for packages.
fuel_delivery_notification_list semi-colon separated list of emails contains the list of recipients to receive bulk product notifications.
eventlog_notification_list semi-colon separated list of emails contains the list of recipients to receive eventlog entries.  EventLog categories are defined by you.

Wireless Tank Monitoring – fast payback, low cost pilot

Tank monitoring is something everyone should do for customer service (to prevent run outs) as well as distribution management (reduce unnecessary trips).  We understand that many customers don’t fully implement tank monitoring due to cost.

We have been working with i3G, a wireless tank monitoring company,  to integrate tank monitoring into our forecasting and dispatch.  i3G has a low cost, high quality tank monitoring solution. Depending on your configuration, i3G may be 1/3 to 1/2 as much to monitor tanks. This means you can monitor more tanks, including lower volume units. i3G provides inventory updates via cellular or on-site wireless. With on-site wireless, you can specify tank readings at frequent intervals during the day, which is especially helpful with high volume tanks.

We’ve worked with i3G to offer a low cost pilot so our customers can test tank monitoring quickly and easily on a small set of tanks.  Pick your toughest tanks and let’s pilot! For more information, contact us.

Petroliance Uses goRoam Wireless Fleet Management with RedPrairie FleetCtl

by Leave a Comment

BizSpeed and RedPrairie worked together to deliver the goRoam mobile solution at Petroliance, and East Coast fuels and lubes distributor.  Petroliance uses RedPrairie’s FleetCtl  for scheduling and route optimization.  FleetCtl is integrated with BizSpeed’s goRoam mobile solution for a complete wireless delivery system.  Optimized orders are pushed wirelessly to drivers and once delivered, returned to the dispatcher electronically in near real-time. 

We are rolling out Liquid Controls LCR-II meter integration which captures exact amounts of product delivered for fleet fueling and sends updates wirelessly to the goRoam server.

The complete press release is available at Business Wire  (here).

Bizspeed