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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The Freight2020 Mobile App is quickly accessible and easily utilised by drivers from any location on the road, or on-site with any freight customer, using any iPhone or iPad device, and soon also Android devices.

No need for specialised SOG hardware

“Until now, for a freight company to offer real-time electronic proof-of-delivery, each driver would need to carry a specialised device. The cost of this dedicated mobility hardware is prohibitive for many smaller organisations, and so with the competitive offer of sign-on-glass capabilities there were haves, and have-nots, with a wide gap in between,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems.

“By building on the touchscreen and location-finding capabilities of common mobile devices, CMS was able to develop an app that will capture and transmit the receiver’s on-screen signature for real-time proof-of-delivery, and handle many more live interactions between drivers and bookings, payroll, fleet maintenance, and the customer. The app is extremely sophisticated yet also very fast and easy to use.”

Whilst the delivery of affordable SOG is headlining the launch of the new Freight2020 Mobile App, the app is also allowing drivers to interact with live bookings data, and helping to manage the administration of drivers and vehicles over the entire shift – from the driver’s login for start of duty hours and completion of compulsory vehicle safety and operational performance checklists, to their logout at each shift-end.

Real-time logging of driver duty hours and vehicle condition reports

“Getting started with the Freight2020 Mobile App is quick and easy,” Grant Walmsley continued. “We designed the user interface with the driver’s convenience in mind. The app is so simple and efficient to use that it only takes one second for any driver to login for the start of their shift. The driver’s live login details are integrated to human resources and operations management within Freight2020, so the system is instantly updated to show that the driver has started duty hours from a specific location.”

“The app then requires the driver to complete a vehicle fault and safety checklist before setting out on their journey. We made this procedure very fast and user-friendly for the drivers too. Details of any fault can be reported in notes, and any photographs are uploaded easily. This information is integrated to fleet maintenance management within Freight2020, so that workshop scheduling and budgeting for repairs or parts can be done in the first instance. Where vehicle safety or performance could become at risk, issues can be addressed before they become serious or even more costly,” Grant said.

Interaction with bookings including track-and-trace, sign-on-glass and automatic POD notifications

Once the driver has completed the Freight2020 Mobile App’s shift-start requirements, live booking data is available to the driver on-screen, with options for viewing all manifests for the current shift, the current week, or all-time. One touch of any manifest heading opens the detailed freight booking screen, where all of the up-to-the-minute information about each booking is available to the driver.

The driver can interact with the Freight2020 system booking data in real-time via pickup and delivery routines which include capturing proof-of-delivery with a signature written on the screen, just as with the more costly specialised hardware for sign-on-glass. POD evidence is then available throughout the Freight2020 system, from where notifications to freight customers can be distributed automatically.

Updates to track-and-trace information are made available in real-time for instant online viewing by freight customers. Advanced features such as real-time driver location tracking, and location maps for the driver, are managed transparently by the Freight2020 Mobile App working with the drivers’ mobile device.

“Each driver logs out of the Freight2020 Mobile App at the end of their shift, and end-of-shift details are made instantly available throughout the Freight2020 system, for operations management and payroll calculations,” Grant continued. “Between the core Freight2020 transport management system and the Freight2020 mobile app, CMS has provided a complete end-to-end solution for freight services delivery, operations management, administration and customer service. And as the Freight2020 Mobile App is free to download, with no specialised hardware required, implementation is extremely cost-effective,” Grant said.

Free download and easy implementation

The Freight2020 Mobile App is available as a free download from iTunes. Anyone with an iPhone or iPad can explore the Freight2020 Mobile App’s features and functions using the “Trial Driver” setting and its pre-installed demo data to simulate interactions with checklists and bookings from the driver’s perspective. An Android version of the Freight2020 Mobile App is already being developed by CMS.

Organisations already using the Freight2020 transport management system can take full advantage of the Freight2020 Mobile App immediately, and if using sub-contractors, they can have sub-contractors download and use the Freight2020 Mobile App to cover the ‘last mile’ with onforwarding.

Always a place for dedicated mobility solutions in transport industry

“There will always be a place for dedicated mobility solutions in the road transport industry, specialised hardware and software, I believe. Driver fatigue management is just one area where at present only dedicated devices and software can offer the highest degree of control. The Freight2020 Mobile App is not designed to compete with these systems as such, but to extend many of the advantages gained by using mobility solutions to smaller organisations, for little or no investment in hardware. Our app is helping to bridge this need.”

CMS credits their long-standing Freight2020 customer Asixa with inspiring the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App, and partnering in the development process including live on-the-road testing within their fleet over the period leading up to the release of the finalised app technology. “Asixa is a forward-thinking organisation and their commitment to excellence in freight services was of immense assistance in focusing and driving the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App by CMS,” said Grant.

For more information about the Freight2020 Mobile App for the Freight2020 transport management system, call Freight2020 representative Peter Romana on 03 9018 7080 (direct) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

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Asixa, long-time users of the Freight2020 transport management system, was one of many carriers in their size-category to have been deterred from advancing into sign-on-glass (SOG) for electronic proof-of-delivery (POD), as offered by larger operators, because of the cost of specialised hardware.

“Freight2020 readily combines with any third-party mobility solution, and CMS often partners with mobility specialists for the provision of end-to-end systems – Freight2020 serving as the master solution. Yet many Freight2020 users with smaller-sized fleets would report that the investment needed to obtain specialised mobile devices – even with leasing or bundled pay-as-you-go schemes – was something they couldn’t absorb across the relative scale of their operations,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of Freight2020.

Asixa challenges CMS research and development

“Asixa expressed these same findings following evaluation of available hardware-based mobility systems. Yet rather than accepting limitation as the status quo, Asixa persisted in the expectation that CMS would be able to develop a mobile integration for Freight2020 that could provide sign-on-glass and other key capabilities without need for dedicated hardware. It so happened that CMS was entering into mobile app development about two years ago, when Asixa first challenged the CMS research and development unit to produce an affordable mobility solution for Freight2020,” Grant said.

Starting with commonly available mobile devices

“It was logical to start with commonly available hardware – smartphones and tablets – using their native touch-screen and locational capabilities as leverage. However, it was a long road between the dawn of this realisation and the launch of a fully-integrated sign-on-glass app that would work on all common devices. It would not have been possible for CMS to build an app to fit the needs of most small to medium-sized freight business operators, and benefit their drivers and customers, without a switched-on carrier like Asixa partnering with CMS in the commitment of time and effort needed to progress through the stages of specification, development, road-testing, and integration-testing with the core Freight2020 system. The contributions made by Asixa, in the first place encouraging CMS to rise to the challenge in development, then as partners in the process of development to release, have been vital to the successful release of the Freight2020 Mobile App by CMS,” said Grant.

New Freight2020 Mobile App released thanks to joint effort

Now, thanks to the joint efforts of both CMS and Asixa, virtually any small to mid-sized freight operator in Australia can become more competitive and efficient in their respective markets by offering advanced mobility features like sign-on-glass, real-time interactivity with freight bookings, and automatic POD notifications to customers, through use of the free Freight2020 Mobile App.

Justifiably proud of Asixa’s role in the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App, Asixa chief executive Simone Turner said, “Customer service is one area we’ve really cultivated at Asixa, and I believe freight providers can’t continue to improve their customer service if they’re not investing in digital technology. This new software will deliver a service that only large logistics companies with significant budgets for tracking software and specialist hand-held devices could deliver in the past.”

Asixa have also produced their own video about their key role in instigating and working towards the successful development of the Freight2020 Mobile App.

For more information about the Freight2020 Mobile App, contact Peter Romana on 03 9018 7080 (direct) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

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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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