Mark Armstrong of Progress, newly appointed as the vice-president and managing director of international operations for the APJ region, in addition to EMEA, wowed delegates at the Freight2020 VISION 2017 AU/NZ user group conference in Melbourne by contextualising the impact of revolutionary developments in technology for the Australian road freight transport industry.

Mark Armstrong, Vice President and Managing Director International, (EMEA & APJ), Progress

Introduced by Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems, who spoke of the long-established partnership between CMS and Progress as the global giant behind Freight2020’s OpenEdge development environment, the charismatic and articulate Mark Armstrong soon filled the room with a sense of excitement as the future of everyday technology in the transport industry was revealed through Mark’s presentation.

Concepts like artificial intelligence are no longer far-fetched with technology developing at an ever-increasing rate. The explosion of user interactivity with billions of smart devices being used around the world, massive increases in computing power and the amount of data being generated, rapidly-escalating cloud adoption, digital automation, connectivity, and the dawning reality of what is now called the “Internet of Things” (IoT) – such was the mind-stretching sweep of topics that were explained and put into day-to-day business context for the owners and managers of transport and logistics businesses in Australia and New Zealand who were present at VISION.

Progress is known as a breakthrough technology company and with the recent acquisition of DataRPM, which focuses on predictive maintenance solutions for the industrial IoT, Progress has added to its technology arsenal the capability to apply “machine learning” – delivering improved prediction quality and accuracy in significantly less time.

Example: moving beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance

“CMS Transport Systems will be able to apply this technology to the growing amount of data collected by sensors so their customers can move beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance. That involves using machine learning to reveal early signs of impending failure so repairs can be made before a breakdown,” said Mark during a recent interview with Stephen Withers for an article published in ITWire magazine.

“In the transport industry, that can make the difference between replacing a part before a vehicle sets out on a long trip, and a breakdown on the road, which makes on-time delivery less likely, and in some cases can result in the loss of a perishable load,” Mark told ITWire.

Strength of partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress

While Freight2020 VISION conference delegates were absorbing the profound implications of SciFi-type advancements which would impact their businesses sooner rather than later, Rob Mullins reflected on the strength and longevity of the partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress.

“I couldn’t be happier with our original decision to partner with Progress by developing Freight2020 in Progress OpenEdge. Progress invests at the leading edge of technology on a global scale, which enables CMS to empower Freight2020 users with capabilities and efficiencies that only the very largest companies could previously afford. For smaller companies, such as the typical mid-sized transport business, Progress helps us to help them equalise the playing field and contend along with their larger competitors,” Rob said.

CLICK IMAGES TO ZOOM: sample slides from the presentation at Freight2020 VISION 2017 by Mark Armstrong, Progress

FREIGHT2020 FLEET MANAGEMENT

FREIGHT2020 BI360

Progress was the principal partner in the Freight2020 VISION 2017 event

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Always setting the pace of technology development for the management of road freight transport businesses, Freight2020 became one of the first transport management systems in the world to offer real-time driver interactivity with live freight bookings via a free mobile app with the release of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch in 2014.

Since then, Freight2020 Driver Mobility has been adopted by a large number of Australian trucking companies, starting with one of Victoria’s freight leaders, Asixa, the company which produced a corporate video on its instrumental role in the development and road-testing of the app, and the benefits of being able to do away with paper consignment notes and slow notification systems.

Free download from Google Play

CMS Transport Systems, the long-established Australian technology company behind the Freight2020 transport management system, recently released an Android version of Freight2020 Driver Mobility and this new app is now available as a free download from the Google Play store.

The features of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for Android are just as powerful and user-friendly as Freight2020 Driver Mobility for iOS app including driver shift logging and vehicle safety and condition checks, driver booking allocations, live interaction with pick-ups and deliveries, sign-on-glass proof of delivery, customised instant automatic email notifications and updating of online track-and-trace information, full integration with the Freight2020 transport management system, and much more.

You don’t need to be a current Freight2020 user to explore the power of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for free, as CMS offers an unlimited demo with trial data download and instructions for evaluation purposes. Simply complete a Freight2020 Driver Mobility test-drive request for instructions on how to download and unlock the trial data, or book a free personalised demonstration.

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Patience Bulk Haulage

Freight2020 replacing popular horizontal solution

Freight2020 was originally short-listed for consideration by Patience Bulk Haulage in 2009. At the time, however, PBH decided to invest in SAP Business One, a horizontal solution put forward by a consultant, along with customisation services which promised to fulfil PBH’s requirements.

“Of course we were disappointed to miss out on this earlier opportunity for Freight2020 at Patience Bulk Haulage,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, “but whenever a transport company chooses a horizontal solution like SAP Business One above a fully-integrated vertical system like Freight2020, we can find this decision being reconsidered before too long.”

Grant Walmsley explained the essential differences in efficiency and economy between a privately-developed or internally-developed TMS, as still being maintained by some transport businesses, and Freight2020.

“There are so many complex business processes and calculations which are specific to the Australian road freight transport industry. Horizontal solutions can’t perform any of these functions out-of-the-box, and this is where consultants become central to the value equation. The customisation of a generic solution to suit an individual business is a time-consuming and costly exercise. The need for further development, refinement, and updating in response to changes in legislation and industry-specific requirements is never-ending. These problems – commonly associated with all forms of horizontal solution development – may not become apparent during the decision-making process, nor even in the first few stages of the exercise once custom development is underway,” Grant said.

Patience Bulk Haulage are based in WA

Transport companies can focus on their core business activities

In direct contrast to a custom-developed solution, Freight2020 transport software comes ready for immediate implementation. Users can choose from 15 fully-integrated management modules which are specifically tailored for Australian road freight transport and logistics businesses, and each kind of freight specialisation. Each module is configurable to suit the operational and administrative requirements of any individual business. Whenever new features are added to Freight2020, or the system is adjusted for changes to legislation or compliance requirements, updates are immediately rolled-out to all Freight2020 users.

Access to breakthrough technology such as Freight2020 Driver Mobility and the custom-branded Online Customer Portal is also immediate for Freight2020 users – there’s no need to continually ‘reinvent the wheel’ just to keep pace with Freight2020.

“There are huge economies of scale in the continuous improvement of a commercialised vertical solution, like Freight2020, compared to all forms of self-funded bespoke development,” said Grant. “With Freight2020, the transport company can focus on its core business activities, without the constant distraction and drain on resources caused by having to maintain a separate IT agenda.”

Competitive edge of Freight2020

Location of Geraldton in WA

When the time came for Patience Bulk Haulage to prepare for moving away from SAP Business One, management took an extremely rigorous approach to determining their next steps forward.

“CMS was very confident that Freight2020 would be a great fit for the needs of PBH, so I flew from Melbourne to Perth, then drove five hours to Geraldton to meet with PBH and demonstrate the system. PBH gave Freight2020 an extremely thorough evaluation – rating it against a number of competitive options in direct performance comparisons. Freight2020 proved itself once again as the strongest and best-supported transport management system available in Australia,” said Grant.

Patience Bulk Haulage is now using the Freight2020 modules Operations Management, Fleet Maintenance Management, Payroll Management, and Financial Accounting Management.

Growing Freight2020 user community in WA

“A growing number of Western Australia-based transport operators have made the switch to Freight2020. Among them are major companies such as Coastal Midwest Transport, Hampton Transport Services, JKL Logistics, Ontraq Haulage, Road Trains of Australia, WA-based divisions of the K&S group, and most recently, of course, Patience Bulk Haulage,” Grant said. “Although CMS is yet to base a Freight2020 implementation and training team in WA full-time, our Melbourne-based implementation and training consultants have successfully completed implementations not just in the city of Perth but also very remote locations like Geraldton, where Patience is headquartered.”

Transport companies interested in evaluating Freight2020 can book an obligation-free demonstration from anywhere in Australia by calling the demonstrations coordinator directly on 03 9018 7080 or emailing info@transportsystems.com.au.

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Peter Colbert was found guilty of manslaughter following the death of Robert Brimson. Mr Brimson was the driver of a Colbert Transport truck named “The Big Girl”, a 1994 Mitsubishi taut-liner with more than 800,000km on the odometer when the brakes failed in heavy traffic. Mr Brimson saved lives by managing to steer the careening truck clear of banked passenger vehicles, but was himself subsequently killed when the truck left the road and slammed into a pole.

Truck driver’s last moments captured on camera

ABC News report 21 August 2015

The terror and gravity of Mr Brimson’s last moments were captured on a dashboard-mounted camera. According to ABC News reports, Mr Brimson’s last words were, “Oh [expletive] brakes… Where am I gonna [expletive] go… I’ve got nowhere to [expletive] go,” leaving little room for conjecture as to the cause of the accident, or the risk posed to public safety while the stricken driver was forced to make desperate, split-second decisions to avoid colliding with other vehicles.

Mr Colbert denied knowledge of The Big Girl having shown any indications of a significant brake problem before the accident. The jury would decide otherwise, however, following testimony from Colbert Transport’s bookkeeper, and other drivers employed by the company. It was determined that Mr Colbert failed to have the doomed truck checked by a mechanic after knowing that brake fluid leaking from the vehicle had caught fire about one month prior to the fatal crash. Also, reports of an air leak in the truck’s braking system were found to have been made to Mr Colbert in the days just before Mr Brimson lost his life after only 10 days in the job as a driver for Colbert Transport.

Lapses and oversights allowed to prevail

Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, the Melbourne-based developers of Australia’s leading transport management system, Freight2020, responded to news of the trial and sentencing of Peter Colbert by saying: “Although the culpable actions and attitudes of this particular trucking company owner contributed towards the severity of the sentence handed down in this tragic instance, even inadvertent failures, such as overlooking a vehicle fault report or license expiry can have drastic consequences, reaching far beyond those directly accountable. Any manual or half-baked transport management system can easily allow human lapses and oversights to prevail.”

Freight2020 Driver Mobility vehicle safety checklist on common mobile device

With Freight2020, vehicle safety and maintenance issues can be very tightly controlled, and there is strict and comprehensive monitoring of a plethora of vital compliance issues.

Using Freight2020 Driver Mobility on a common smartphone, the driver is required to complete a vehicle fault and safety equipment checklist at the start of their shift, capturing photographic evidence where the issue is visible. Any issues are immediately flagged to those concerned with Fleet Maintenance Management, and the details are immediately available throughout the system.

Freight2020 also guards against breaches of compliance in operations management – alerting users if a certain truck without DG-certification is about to be booked to carry dangerous goods, or if a driver who has not undergone a specific site induction is about to be sent to the site for pickup or delivery. These are just some examples of how Freight2020 helps govern compliance business-wide, reducing risk to the organisation, their customers and employees, and everyone using the roads.

Compliance made easy through automation

“For companies already using Freight2020, compliance is not just an over-arching responsibility and consideration, but an integral part of day-to-day business processes. Compliance is made easy through intelligent automation, every step of the way,” Grant said. “The best way to appreciate the compliance-related advantages of Freight2020 is through a live demonstration where we simulate real-life everyday situations that are specific to the transport business.”

Read the full story online in ABC News reports:

5 Dec 2014: Bail refused for truck company operator charged with manslaughter of employee
11 Jun 2015: Trucking company boss Peter Colbert ignored warnings about brake failure that led to driver’s death, court hears
12 Jun 2015: Colbert Transport truck caught fire a month before crash killed driver, Adelaide court told
16 Jun 2015: Trucking company boss Peter Colbert denies manslaughter charge, knowledge of brake issues
17 Jun 2015: Trucking company boss Peter Colbert found guilty of manslaughter after brake failure which led to death of Robert Brimson
21 Aug 2015: Trucking boss Peter Colbert jailed for more than 12 years over driver Robert Brimson’s death

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“The new Events & Notifications within Freight2020 can take real-time updating of track-and-trace information, and automatically advise freight customers of events by email. When combined with the Freight2020 mobile app, proof-of-delivery can be distributed automatically as well,” Rob said.

With SMS notifications costing around 20 cents each, the ability to transmit more detailed and targeted event notifications at no cost via email – with an attached copy of the actual POD where available – can generate significant savings in time and costs, and increased customer satisfaction, starting from the moment of changeover from basic SMS notifications to the fully-customisable email functionality.

“In developing this enhancement for Freight2020, we wanted to increase the power and flexibility of automatic notifications far beyond what had ever been possible with traditional SMS-based systems. There is no comparison between the two methods. This is why email has inevitably proliferated,” said Rob.

Automatic notification types and recipients determined by user

“Our team of research and development technicians optimised every aspect of event-tracking for freight managers and their customers, increasing real-time online track-and-trace visibility, and creating automatic notifications that can be set for email distribution to specific parties on the customer side, and any third parties involved in freight bookings and management,” Rob explained. “It’s entirely up to the user to nominate who gets auto-notified, and what information is to be included in each notification. These features are very helpful to any party with an interest in the progress of freight booking pickup, transit, and delivery events. People no longer need to login to the user organisation’s Freight2020 web portal whenever they want to get an update on events in real-time.”

“We also designed the Events & Notifications system within Freight2020 to handle the many variables and anomalies that may arise in everyday freight management situations. For example, the system can easily adapt when freight booking pickups and deliveries are occurring at two disparate locations.”

Successfully tested by Asixa prior to official release

Victoria-based freight company Asixa, long-established users of the fully-integrated Freight2020 transport management system, and early adopters of the newly-developed Freight2020 mobile app, tested the new Events & Notifications system enhancement for one month prior to its official release.

“Our experience with Asixa has indicated that Freight2020 could potentially retire the need for paperwork altogether. With integration of live booking interactions via mobility, and automatic event notifications delivered by Freight2020, the benefits in cost-savings and reduced environmental impact across the transport industry are profound,” Rob said. Read more about Asixa and their deployment of the Freight2020 mobile app combined with Freight2020 Events & Notifications here.

Available now as free enhancement for Freight2020 users

SaaS or cloud-based users of Freight2020 can already access the new Events & Notifications feature within their system. For any organisation using Freight2020 as their on-premise transport management system, the new Events & Notifications feature will be included for free with their next upgrade. For more informationn about upgrading to take advantage of ‘Events & Notifications’, or to experience a live demonstration of the Freight2020 Events & Notification capabilities in action, call Freight2020 representative Peter Romana on 03 9018 7080 (direct) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

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