AGM Telematics tracking system for JJ Bartlett

Haulage operator reports 10 years of bottom-line savings with vehicle-tracking system

JJ Bartlett, the Coventry-based bulk and general haulage operators, report 10 years of bottom-line savings since fitting their first vehicle-tracking system from the telematics and fleet-management specialists AGM Telematics.
 
Now, all 30 of the company’s vehicles are fitted with the advanced routeMASTER tracking technology and, according to JJ Bartlett, it is an integral part of the business.
 
‘We started in 1966 on local quarry work and over the years have diversified into nationwide and European bulk tipper and general haulage services,’ said Joe Bartlett.

‘Ten years ago we realized the need for a more efficient way to keep tabs on our vehicles and that’s when we met AGM. We kicked off with a couple of vehicles and saw the immediate benefits of remote-controlled tracking, so it made perfect sense to equip the entire fleet.’

Many of Bartlett’s employees have been with the company for several decades and, as such, are very much of the ‘old school’. According to Mr Bartlett, there is not much you can teach the drivers about the trade, but the modern technology provided by AGM’s tracking system has been embraced by all the drivers – young and old.

routeMASTER is a cloud-based modular toolset, created by AGM, which comprises three components: Planner, Dispatch and Tracking. Each module can be used individually or together to provide an end-to-end logistics back-office solution.
 
The entire routeMASTER platform is built on the latest ‘Here’ premium mapping platform with maps updated automatically every quarter, while all software updates are free for the life of the system.  

‘It’s often a great help when avoiding traffic jams or trying to locate new or remote locations,’ said Mr Bartlett. ‘Some of our drivers prefer not to use a Sat Nav, so we can simply see their location on the online map and call them up with directions. Also, we can call ahead to customers with pretty accurate ETAs, which, of course, is a great benefit.’
 
JJ Bartlett have also conquered the pitfalls of unknowingly straying into the London Congestion Zone and being landed with fines for unpaid charges.
 
‘It works a bit like a geofence,’ explained Mr Bartlett. ‘If a driver should enter the zone for some reason, we know about it immediately and can pay the fee before it turns into a penalty fine.

‘Furthermore, if we ever have a dispute regarding the time when a driver has arrived at a delivery point, we can refer the customer to the online record for the vehicle in question and the dispute is immediately resolved. Again, we avoid issues this way and it saves time and expense.’

Mr Bartlett concluded: ‘The system is actually very simple to use and, to be frank, I don’t know how a business like ours would manage without it. Being able to advise our drivers of any problems, such as long idling periods or harsh acceleration, is not ‘big brother’ but a useful tool to help with performance reviews and driver training.

‘Ultimately, it helps with fleet efficiency and over the last 10 years has no doubt helped the bottom line too.’