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JCA Couriers in the UK increase efficiency by 15% with DataTrak
30 June 2010
As an operator within a highly competitive and time-sensitive business environment, optimised fleet management and vehicle and driver control are business-critical issues for JCA Couriers. In order to maximise its efficiency in operation, the company decided to seek a single solution which would satisfy a number of key criteria:
- Real-time vehicle tracking to enable JCA Couriers know the whereabouts of its vehicles at any given time.
- Collection scheduling to provide the company with a system which would facilitate collections by the nearest vehicle at any given time.
- Load transfers to ensure transferring of loads in transit from one vehicle to another can result in significant efficiency gains and mileage savings, depending upon planned routing/destinations at the time. The company therefore wanted a dynamic solution which would enable its controllers to identify wherever such opportunities may exist.
- Vehicle utilisation and man power management: In addition to streamlining collection and load transfer routines, a key requirement of the system was to provide the ability to minimise off-job and idle time in order to maximise vehicle utilisation and help reduce overtime.
- Private usage of company vehicles: As with any out-based vehicle fleet, there is a possibility that JCA Courier vehicles may be used privately by its employees. In addition to representing a cost for the firm, this also leaves employees exposed to personal tax liabilities. JCA Couriers therefore sought a solution which would enable private mileage to be monitored, so that a private usage scheme could be implemented to the benefit of all.
How MiX Telematics helped:
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The solution chosen by JCA Couriers is MiX Telematic's DataTrak, a cost-effective and robust real-time tracking system. Each JCA Couriers vehicle is fitted with a DataTrak Locator unit, which determines it position using GPS (Global Positioning System) and transmits this information to the DataTrak control centre via GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) at regular intervals.
This data is then reported to JCA Couriers by way of DataTrak Online, a 24/7 web-based service which delivers real-time vehicle tracking maps and bespoke usage reports direct to the company's control room. |
Results Obtained
JCA Couriers reports that DataTrak has resulted in an overall 15 percent efficiency gain and as such is firmly established as part of the firm's daily routine.
"The savings we realised were immediate, significant and have been sustained from day one," comments the company's Financial Manager, Adrian Hume. "DataTrak is a straightforward and easy-to-use system which provides exactly the depth-of-insight our controllers need to run the fleet as efficiently as possible. It therefore meets our needs precisely and we are consequently delighted with the results.
| "Moreover, our experience shows DataTrak to be a 'fit and forget' item which provides dependable performance service day-in, day-out. Without having to concern ourselves about the reliability of the technology underpinning our operations, DataTrak helps us get on with the job and concentrate on providing our customers with excellent service – which for any courier company is precisely where the focus needs to be." |  |
About the JCA Couriers
Founded in 1988 as a two-man operation, JCA Couriers has developed over the past two decades into one of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire's leading independent courier companies. With a core fleet of 13 vans, supplemented by sub-contractors and third-party logistics partners as required, JCA Couriers offers a national and international parcel delivery service. Today, around 50 percent of the company's business is with blue-chip clients, with smaller firms accounting for approximately 40 percent and the general public the remainder.
