Global logistics software group, WiseTech Global acquires Australasian land transport solution provider, CMS

14 August 2017 WiseTech Global today announced the acquisition of CMS Transport Systems (CMS), a leading provider of integrated road transport and logistics management systems across Australia and New Zealand.

CMS provides its flagship Transport Management System (TMS), Freight 2020, to over 130 corporations including ABC Transport, SRT Logistics, McColls Transport, Richers Transport, Cahill Transport, Secon Freight Logistics, K&S Group, Greyhound Freight, John L Pierce Transport and many large road and freight transport houses in Australia and New Zealand.

WiseTech Global CEO, Richard White, said: “With the explosion in e-commerce driving exponential growth in ‘fast mile’ transport volumes, speed and complexity, the mounting margin pressures, regulatory burden and demand for land transport logistics services requires deep integration, automation and order-of-magnitude increases in productivity to address the challenges.”

“WiseTech Global has been investing research and development resources into machine learning, natural language processing, robotic process automation and guided decision tools. We will be working with the talented CMS team and our customers as we progress our Land Transport and integrated Telematics development pipeline for the next generation of road and freight solutions.”

New corporate branding for the company behind Freight2020

CMS Managing Director, Robert Mullins, said: “Joining WiseTech, the market leader with scale and capacity to accelerate innovation, allows us to combine our vision and deliver on a product roadmap utilising CMS’ decades of road freight industry knowledge. Their resources and technology will enable us to take integrated land transport solutions to a new level resulting in a profound and positive impact on our customer base, the Australian road freight industry, and ultimately road freight logistics internationally.”

Remaining under the leadership of Managing Director, Robert Mullins, and General Manager, Grant Walmsley, CMS operations will be integrated within the WiseTech Global group. The CMS team will continue to deliver its flagship product, Freight 2020 in Australia and New Zealand and, over time, WiseTech’s global logistics execution platform, CargoWise One.

WiseTech Global CEO, Richard White said: “As with our targeted acquisitions in Germany, Italy, Brazil and Taiwan earlier this year, and our recent Digerati transaction, bringing CMS into the WiseTech group accelerates our ability to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of logistics solutions for our customers to better manage complexity, growth, costs and regulatory burden. Each new geography and adjacency we acquire adds a valuable point on our strategic map, accelerates the network effects and makes CargoWise One even more compelling to local and global logistics providers and their customers.”

Across 125 countries, CargoWise One enables the execution of highly complex transactions in areas such as freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, shipping, land transport and cross-border compliance and for logistics service providers to manage their operations on one database across multiple users, functions, countries, languages, and currencies.

About WiseTech Global

WiseTech Global is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include over 6,000 of the world’s logistics companies across more than 125 countries. Our flagship product, CargoWise One, forms an integral link in the global supply chain and executes over 34 billion data transactions annually. Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach.

For more information on WiseTech Global and CargoWise One, please visit:

Company website www.wisetechglobal.com
Investor centre www.wisetechglobal.com/investors

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Close to 150 transport business owners, managers, administrators, and specialist consultants attended the inaugural Freight2020 Australia and New Zealand user group conference in March 2017. The enthusiastic response from participants confirmed the arrival of Freight2020 VISION as a major annual transport industry technology event.

Richers Transport, headquartered in Maryborough, Queensland, sent a team of four delegates including Matthew Richers [above] to the inaugural Freight2020 VISION conference in Melbourne

“This has been a great day,” said Sydney-based Allan Thornley, managing director of Shaw’s Darwin Transport, during the lunch break at Freight2020 VISION. Shaw’s are the market-leading freight carriers operating in and out of Darwin and were long-term users of a competitive transport management system until switching to Freight2020. “It’s enlightened us to some of the greater aspects of the [Freight2020] system and taught us a few things we didn’t know.”

Matthew Richers of Richers Transport, Maryborough-headquartered eastern seaboard carriers with more than 200 employees, said, “There are four of us from the company here today and I guess the most exciting thing for us is reconfirming Freight2020 as the right fit for our business. We use Freight2020 in its entire capacity throughout our operations, repairs and maintenance workshop, accounts… It’s been good for myself and the rest of our team to look at Freight2020 Mobility, which we’re implementing in the coming months, as well as the business analytics [Freight2020 BI360 real-time business analytics dashboard], which will be really great for our financial team and director.”

Peter Evenden, managing director of Prospect Refrigerated Transport, the Sydney-based company which carries temperature-sensitive freight for some of Australia’s iconic grocery brands said, “I’m down here in Melbourne having a great time and learning lots.”

Another Sydney-based delegate was Emerson Pierce from John L Pierce Transport (“JLP”), the bulk tanker specialists with 150 trucks and more than 330 employees. “It’s been a very interesting day, learned a lot,” said Emerson. “We’ve taken away a fair bit, so really happy to be here.”

“This is a very exciting time for us”

Siobhan Clifford was one of the delegates representing Mount Noorat Freighters at Freight2020 VISION 2017

Siobhan Clifford, one of a team representing the Victorian-based bulk haulage specialists Mount Noorat Freighters at VISION said, “We’ve had a great day today at the first Freight2020 conference. We’re looking forward to using Freight2020 Mobility in the near future.”

With Freight2020 now one of the fastest-growing Progress OpenEdge-based ERP solutions in the APJ (Australia, Pacific, Japan) region, many delegates attending VISION on behalf of their respective companies were relatively new to the system. Mark Battersby of PK Logistics said, “We are just about to go live with Freight2020 so this is a very exciting time for us. It gives us lots of new opportunities to explore with compliance and safety, possibly mobility, and also our warehouse and transport is going to be integrated, which is very important for us.”

More than 130 transport and logistics companies based in Australia and New Zealand are now using Freight2020 to drive their businesses more efficiently and competitively, a good number of these being represented by delegates making the journey to attend Freight2020 VISION 2017.

Peter Evenden, Emerson Pierce, Allan Thornley, Matthew Richers, Siobhan Clifford, and Mark Battersby were interviewed at Freight2020 VISION for the 2-minute “Freight2020 VISION 2017 Delegate Reviews” video which is now available for viewing on YouTube.

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CMS Transport Systems, the Australian-based developer of the Freight2020 transport management system, has won the ‘Fastest-Growing Partner’ award for the APJ (Asia/Pacific/Japan) region, as announced at the Progress 2015 Global Partner Awards held in February 2016, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Progress recognised CMS for its ‘excellence in adopting OpenEdge (by Progress) as its core development platform for the Freight2020 management system’.

Freight2020 is the market-leading transport software solution in Australia, having set the pace for competitors with advanced features such as full integration, online customer portal, driver mobility using a free-to-download iOS/Android-compatible app, item-level tracking via DIY bar-coded labels, and system-wide management of OHS/WHS/heavy-vehicle compliance.

Craig Law, managing director of Progress Software ANZ (left), with Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems (centre, holding the award), and Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS (right).

“The decision we made to develop Freight2020 in the Progress OpenEdge environment is partly what has given the Freight2020 system its great strengths,” said Rob Mullins, founder and managing director of CMS Transport Systems, and the original architect of Freight2020.

Progress OpenEdge provides Freight2020 users with a database that is very fast, extremely robust, and infinitely scalable. Freight2020 was also one of the first transport management systems in the world to be made available either as a cloud-based, SaaS solution, or on-premise installation.

“With OpenEdge we can rapidly develop and implement new features and enhancements, and make updates whenever needed to reflect any changes in Australian legislation and compliance requirements for OHS/WHS, superannuation, levies, taxation, etc,” Rob said.

While both 2014 and 2015 were record years of growth for CMS Transport Systems with Freight2020, 2016 is already set to exceed all previous years. Many of the largest and most successful organisations in the Australian road freight transport industry in Australia and New Zealand are now using the fully-integrated Freight2020 transport management system.

The “Year over Year Growth APJ 2015” award presented to CMS Transport Systems, Australia, by the global technology company Progress Software.

“Freight2020 combines one of the world’s most advanced technological environments, OpenEdge by Progress Software, with the responsiveness and dependability of localised system development, implementation, training and support by CMS,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems.

“The Australian road freight transport industry is an extremely demanding market for technology solutions due to its extreme business complexity,” Grant said. “Freight2020 streamlines all aspects of operations, maintenance, compliance, administration, and customer service for trucking companies of all sizes, in all freight markets.”

Read the ATN Fully Loaded article on CMS Transport Systems being awarded ‘Fastest-Growing Partner’ by Progress Software 25.02.2016. Click thumbnail to view.

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Examples of boldly branded vehicles in the Desired Transport fleet

Desired Transport was established in 2009 with just one truck and the stated passion for becoming a quality transport service provider. Today the company has offices in Perth and Brisbane, and a versatile fleet of prime movers, trailers, and rigid vehicles carrying containers, general freight and machinery between Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Desired Transport’s 24/7 service offerings include hot shots of general, oversize and dangerous goods loads to anywhere in Australia.

In the latter half of 2015, when Desired Transport started scanning the horizon for a new transport management system, Freight2020 TMS was chosen for evaluation on the strength of its Operations Management module for Container Freight, and the option of fully-integrated Driver Mobility.

“We delivered a live online demonstration of the Freight2020 system and mobile app to the executive team of Desired Transport. Less than two weeks later we were delighted when Desired Transport announced they would adopt our Operations Management system in the cloud, combined with our interactive mobile app for their drivers,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of Freight2020 transport software.

Signing coincided with launch of jump-start capability

Freight2020 Driver Mobility app for iOS and Android devices

At around the same time Desired Transport decided to move into Freight2020, CMS was preparing to launch the new Fast-Track Implementation Pathway for Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management, enabling any new users of the popular container freight management software solution to get up-and-running with their new system much faster than would be expected for any other type of freight management configuration within Freight2020.

Desired Transport would become one of the first examples of CMS’ rapid roll-out proposition in action. It took just a few weeks for Desired Transport to be able to use their new Freight2020 system for managing every aspect of transport operations from quoting and freight booking through to invoicing, and their drivers were soon able to interact with live bookings data, including real-time job allocations and proof-of-delivery, using the Freight2020 mobile app on common mobile devices.

More container transport companies choosing Freight2020 TMS

A growing number of Australian transport and logistics companies with container transport as a big part of their operations are taking advantage of CMS’ new Fast-Track Implementation Pathway for container freight management by deploying Freight2020 Operations Management Container Freight.

Container Freight is one of seven specialised configurations of Freight2020 Operations Management along with Contract Logistics, Earthmoving, Energy Distribution, General Freight, Heavy Haulage, and Livestock Transport. Freight2020 Operations Management combines with all other Freight2020 management modules and interactivity options for a fully-integrated transport software solution.

Advanced features of Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management

1-Stop Voyage and Vessel integration

Coupled with a live interface to 1-Stop Voyage and Vessel data, Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management makes light work of the management of container collection and deliver locations; slot-time management; rating management; management of reefer and general container details; container stage alerts and reminders (de-hire, empty-collect, etc); interlinked journey legs; driver allocations; vehicle allocations; fees, levies, demurrage management; de-hiring; manifesting; invoicing, and much more. As a modular system, extended features and functions can be configured and implemented from the outset or added to your Freight2020 system at any stage down the track.

Freight2020 Driver Mobility can allow drivers to interact with live bookings data by using a common mobile device. Auto-Email Notifications can be configured to distribute proof of pickup, delivery and de-hiring automatically. The custom-branded Online Customer Portal can provide freight customers with real-time track-and-trace and detailed account information, and the Item-Level Tracking option allows the tracking of individual pallet-loads, cartons or items within container freight consignments.

Convenient live demonstrations available

Take an hour or two to evaluate Container Freight Operations Management and any other Freight2020 transport management system modules in your own office at a convenient time with an easy-to-do live demonstration over the web. Even real-time interactivity options like Freight2020 Driver Mobility can be demonstrated online via the screen-sharing of an app-loaded mobile device, or on your own mobile by downloading for the free Freight2020 Driver Mobility app for iOS or Android.

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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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Freight2020 Container Freight software

“Over the years of Freight2020 development and implementations we were noticing that container carriers tend to use common journey legs and zones for their customised calculation of ratings,” said Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems.“For example, all operators in the same capital city will typically pick up from the same port facilities and deliver empty containers to the same set of container storage yards for de-hiring. These general similarities allowed us to offer a much faster implementation pathway for Freight2020 whenever the Container Freight version of Operations Management is central to the new system,” Rob said.

Container Freight Management is one of seven specialised configurations of Freight2020 Operations Management, which include Contract Logistics, Earthmoving, Energy Distribution, General Freight, Heavy Haulage, and Livestock Transport. Freight2020 Operations Management can be combined with other management modules and interactivity options for a fully-integrated transport system.

Advanced features and options for container freight cartage and management of containers

Superbly coupled with a live interface to 1-Stop Voyage and Vessel data, Freight2020 Container Freight Management makes light work of the management of container collection and delivery locations; slot-time management; rating management; container stage alerts and reminders (de-hire, empty-collect, etc); interlinked journey legs; driver allocations; vehicle allocations; fees, levies, demurrage management; de-hiring; manifesting; invoicing, and much more.

As a modular system, advanced features and extended functions can be configured and implemented from the beginning or added to your Freight2020 system at any time down the track.

Freight2020 Driver Mobility can allow drivers to interact with live bookings data by using a common mobile device. Auto-Email Notifications can be configured to issue real-time alerts about container pickup, delivery and de-hiring events automatically. Additionally, the custom-branded Freight2020 Online Customer Portal can provide freight customers with self-service access to real-time track-and-trace and detailed account information.

Customised live demonstrations available

Demonstrations of Freight2020 Container Freight Management can include sample consignment notes and container-related booking information from your own organisation to reflect real-life, everyday scenarios for test-driving the system. The submission of sample paperwork is invited during the pre-demo coordination process.

The demonstration itself can take 1-2 hours depending on the number of modules and optional features being reviewed. There is no obligation and transport and logistics companies can feel free to explore the power of Freight2020 first-hand.

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An iconic presence on highways throughout remote regions of Australia, a heavy vehicle displaying the striking red-and-white livery of K&S Freighters

Profit from K&S operations in New Zealand rose exponentially from $277,000 to $1.48 million with further growth predicted – an encouraging indicator for any Australian transport company looking to expand their own interests and operations outside of Australia.

The main contributor to K&S’ profit growth in dollar terms remained their Australian-based operations, delivering $10.4 million net profit, up from $8 million, notwithstanding that K&S faced the same set of challenges as any company with exposure to slowed manufacturing and mining-related demand.

K&S was originally established in 1945 to support Mt Gambier and Victoria-based businesses, expanding their road freight transport operations into national rail-freight forwarding in 1976. In 1991 K&S became the first B-double combination operator in Victoria.

K&S became a public company in 1998 – growing reach, capacity, and diversity through acquisitions starting with Brisbane-based FH Transport in 2000, adding Stepnell Transport in 2001. K&S’ presence in New Zealand commenced in 2002 with the acquisition of Cochrane’s Transport, followed by McCarthy’s Transport (log haulage) and North Eastern Transport (primary produce haulage).

Acquisitions continued in Australia with the addition of DTM (Melbourne) then Brooke’s Transport (Bunbury) in 2008, and in 2010 came Pacific Transport, and Perth-based Regal Transport Group. K&S acquired Collare Transport in 2012, then in 2014 the very significant acquisition of Scott Corporation was completed via an off-market takeover bid. Scott Corporation comprises four high-profile operating divisions: Bulktrans, Chemtrans, Energytrans, and Hyde Park Tanks. K&S completed the acquisition of the FMCG freight-forwarding specialists Northern Territory Freight Services (NTFS) in March 2015.

K&S Freighters

Increases in revenue not always increasing net profits in transport industry

“Increasing the financial turnover of a transport business by expanding the fleet and diversifying services doesn’t necessarily translate into increased profit – not even when economic conditions are most conducive to growth,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems.

“Inefficient administrative systems, compliance and maintenance oversights, and shortcomings in customer service can undermine the profitability of any transport business,” Grant said.

Optimisation of business systems and processes

K&S reportedly attributed this latest chapter in the company’s success story in part to “new IT solutions to support customer service and operational efficiency and cost reduction initiatives”. CMS added that these new solutions included the progressive implementation of Freight2020 transport software modules for Operations Management and Warehouse Management.

“K&S was using a well-known competitive transport management software solution before making the switch to Freight2020. Following a very extensive period of in-house testing and evaluation by K&S, Freight2020 was determined to be the best fit for the group’s needs going forward,” said Grant.

Chemtrans, well-known specialists in bulk liquid transportation including dangerous and explosive goods, is one of four businesses within Scott Corporation, acquired by K&S in 2014

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Still image from the animated home page header of the new TransportSystems.com.au website for Freight2020

The new website is designed to illustrate the modular nature of Freight2020 and the power of fully-integrated modules working together. The creative development and technical production of the new website took more than nine months to complete. The new website pages are Google-friendly and responsive across different desktop displays and mobile devices.

Perfect 20/20 vision for businesses

“There was nothing much wrong with our previous website. It just failed to convey the excitement surrounding Freight2020, and where the system stands in terms of capabilities and performance,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems. “The computer-generated animation on our new home page is a visual metaphor for the way Freight2020 allows managers to enjoy perfect twenty-twenty vision and a 360-degree view of their entire business in real-time.”

“It’s also a lot easier to understand the depth and breadth of Freight2020 now that we have images to represent each module and interactive feature within the system. For example, Freight2020 Operations Management is available in eight different configurations: General Freight, Container Freight, Contract Logistics, Earthmoving, Energy Distribution, Heavy Haulage, and Livestock. Some businesses may need only one of these to suit the way they’re doing business, others two or more. Operations Management is where revenue is generated so it’s important to get the right fit in a transport management system. Businesses shouldn’t need to change just to fit their software.”

Easier to appreciate the Freight2020 system

Freight2020 Operations Management is one of five management modules including Financial Accounting Management, Fleet Maintenance Management, Human Capital Management for compliance, payroll and HR management including subcontractors, and Warehouse Management. Then there are system-wide interactivity options such as the custom-branded Online Customer Portal, Auto-Email Notifications, Driver Mobility, and Item-Level Tracking. Any configurations of Freight2020 can be implemented as a perpetual license or pay-by-the-month cloud-based (SaaS) subscription, and the system can integrate with popular third-party solutions. With our new website, it’s easier to appreciate how data captured into any part of the Freight2020 system is automatically updated and shared throughout the system in real-time. Everyone has the most up-to-date version of information at any moment. The business runs more efficiently with a high level of automation. Customers are kept informed automatically. The business is more profitable and compliant on every level because of the tighter controls and elimination of common errors.

Partnership in multi-channel marketing

The successful development of the new website for Freight2020 is the result of a long-standing collaborative relationship between CMS and the company’s partner in multi-channel marketing, Ginormous, represented by project manager, Melanie Williamson. “We were really pleased to deliver CMS with a new website which is truly reflective of the power and sophistication of their Freight2020 transport management system,” Melanie said of the TransportSystems.com.au B2B website design, copywriting, and production.

“CMS is not just one of the most advanced technology companies in Australia, but the whole world, and it is our privilege to be able to contribute towards their success. We created the new Freight2020 website in WordPress for visual wow-factor, combined with user-friendliness and device responsivity. It is a fairly large-scale website with numerous metaphoric images, and the latest plug-in technology for delivering touch-friendly navigation throughout, but all the hard work has been worth it. The website is an engaging showcase for Freight2020 and CMS, and we have seen a significant increase in the number of inbound enquiries from people wanting to know more about Freight2020 since the new website was launched.”

Focus on the people behind the system

“Another great attribute of the new Freight2020 website is the focus on the people behind the system,” said Melanie. “CMS possesses outstanding strengths in development, training, implementation and support. As a company, CMS is all about empowering Australian road freight transport and logistics businesses, and their technical experts and business-transition consultants are individually and collectively dedicated to achieving this mission.”

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The new video, titled The Four Deadly Sins of Transport Management (and how to avoid them), runs for less than two minutes but manages to highlight the four most common causes of revenue leakage in transport and logistics operations.

Click image to view “The Four Deadly Sins of Transport Management”

Lost bookings, duplications, missing paperwork, and rating errors – these are just four of the problems caused by using outdated, patched-together systems which can erode margins and cause frustration to the transport business and its customers.

The key messages of the video are that Freight2020 eliminates risk to the business from the four deadly sins of transport management, and this is just the start of what Freight2020 can do for a transport business. With the fully integrated Freight2020 transport management system, the business can become more efficient, more competitive, and more profitable. All it takes is a live demonstration to find out how Freight2020 can transform almost every aspect of your business.

Produced for CMS Transport Systems by multi-channel marketing partners Ginormous, The Four Deadly Sins of Transport Management is an example of the new type of multi-media productions called “explainer videos”, according to Ginormous project manager, Melanie Williamson. “Explainer videos typically run for about one or two minutes. They can tell big stories in bite-sized instalments. Viewers don’t need to commit too much time, or fear they’ll get bored,” Melanie said. “An entertaining, compelling video production will hold attention right through to the end. A call-to-action at the end tells people what to do if they’d like to know more. CMS has already received a number of requests for Freight2020 demonstrations directly from people who just viewed this video.”

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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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