1,000 Calls: Less is More in a Truck Driver’s Cab
Goodbye hardware, hello software.
Editor’s note: At Vector, we spend our days talking to trucking companies steering through a fast-changing industry. This story is part of a series, ‘1,000 Calls,’ where our team breaks down lessons learned along the way. This week: an existential look at the machines in a driver’s cab.
New rule of thumb for trucking companies in 2019: For tasks that can be completed using either software or hardware, choose software.
Why? Technology is supposed to make life easier, not overwhelm or require constant maintenance. Using only the necessary machines — uploaded with smart software — will enable your drivers to focus on driving, and your administrative team, to concentrate on efficiency.
The main difference is that hardware is physical — things like in-cab scanners, fleet management devices, GPS trackers, external cameras, and additional display monitors. By definition, this equipment often requires considerable up-front investment and is always subject to wear and tear, requiring maintenance and repair.
By minimizing the hardware your business is using, you are ultimately less vulnerable to operational disruptions. Trucking software, such as Vector, Lytx’s DriveCam, GasBuddy, and uShip Mobile, can be downloaded onto your drivers’ devices. Once installed, apps can be added, removed or upgraded at little to no cost to the user.
For most trucking companies, only two pieces of hardware are absolutely necessary inside the cab:
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD): U.S. regulations mandate an ELD in every cab, so at least for now, this is necessary hardware.
- A Smartphone: Any model or make that has a camera will do. Drivers can load their smartphones with software (mobile apps) that can complete other necessary tasks, including dispatch, routing, document management, and communication. Most smartphones last several years, staying compatible and adaptable to various apps.
Smarter Scanning
Getting delivery documents from the point of delivery back to home office — and fast—is a prime example of how handy a smartphone can be for both drivers and fleet operators.
At Vector, we regularly hear from drivers who are frustrated with the clunky scanning machines in their cabs. These physical, in-cab scanners are vulnerable to wear and tear just like office scanners, copiers and printers.
They require maintenance from technicians and regular replacement, often by a manufacturer. Once the hardware gets old, the vendor also may no longer maintain or support the product, so getting fixes, repairs or customizations can be difficult.
The Upshot: Outdated hardware results in downtime, which results in lost or delayed business operations.
A smartphone is a cheaper and more effective replacement for an in-cab scanner. Any smartphone with a camera can “scan” a driver’s documents — by taking a simple photo in a mobile app that automatically recognizes common industry documents — and sends them to their destination in a high-resolution, high-compression digital format.
Software is much easier to upgrade, and also comes at no cost to the user. Updates are automatically pushed out, and require no down time or manual labor.
While most drivers carry smart devices with them, some longtime drivers don’t. As a solution, many businesses find that it actually is cost-effective to provide drivers with simple smartphones or tablets.
Even the earliest models of smartphones are able to photograph and upload documents. Vector’s app LoadDocs is available on any model or make of smartphone, and is designed to take up minimal data usage, since all the documents are stored in a remote cloud system (AWS).
Businesses across all industries are moving towards mobile, online systems and the trucking industry is no exception. With this in mind, decision about tech in trucks should follow. Replace your hardware with software, and you will be nimble for years to come!
