BOEKESTIJN: “MCP 200: MAJOR ASSET FOR US, BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR OUR DRIVERS”
When Boekestijn Transport Services began its operations in 1994, the firm based in the Noord-Brabant village of Mill had only three trucks. Its fleet now has about 110 vehicles, and the company has made a name for itself as a Europe-wide service provider. “We are also an IT-driven company, which keeps abreast of all the latest developments in that regard,” says Managing Director Arno Boekestijn. “From the very start, we used a TMS we had developed in house.” Nowadays, Boekestijn Transport Services regularly calls on Qualcomm to provide its systems. “The new MCP 200 on-board computer is without a doubt a tremendous asset.”
Having focused initially on Eastern Europe, Boekestijn Transport Services, which currently employs a staff of just under 150, has a full-service office in Poland and a sales office in Macedonia. “Over the past five years, EU-level developments have resulted in the addition of a growing list of destinations in Western Europe,” explains Boekestijn. “Consequently, we now provide our services throughout the whole of Europe.”
At the touch of a button
Even before the GSM era, Boekestijn Transport Services dedicated a tremendous amount of time and energy to transport management. “You can probably guess how vital it is to be able to communicate easily and effectively with your drivers in Eastern Europe,” says Boekestijn. Each of the firm’s vehicles is equipped with Qualcomm’s EutelTRACS. “We switched to Qualcomm’s new generation of satellite communication several years ago. This system enables you to contact drivers at the touch of a button. Of course, there are myriad reasons to keep abreast of the latest IT developments. We want to optimise our journey scheduling and be able to see where our vehicles are located at any given moment. We also have to closely monitor the state of maintenance of our fleet, want a better understanding of our drivers’ driving behaviour and want to be able to digitally export their tachometer data. In short, we’re talking about a substantial body of relevant data that contributes to determining our success.”
Durable by design
At the start of this year, Boekestijn initiated the implementation of Qualcomm’s new MCP 200 on-board computer. “It has since been installed in eight of our vehicles. Our initial impressions are extremely positive,” says Boekestijn. “This would be the case even if we were to consider only the additional functionalities we now have at our disposal. The document scanner is a good example, which enables us to have a digital waybill just five minutes after the cargo has been unloaded, meaning we can send the invoice to our client straight away.” Boekestijn is also full of praise for the integrated truck navigation feature and is highly enthusiastic about the multiple language functions. “What else would a company that employs drivers from the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Moldova and many other countries want? Our drivers receive messages from us in their own language.” Boekestijn Transport Services uses special macros for messaging. “This gives each type of message a recognisable structure.”
Boekestijn also lauds the advantages the MCP 200 offers his firm’s drivers. “For them, the on board computer is like a breath of fresh air. It is user friendly, has an optimised graphical user interface and is durable by design,” says the Managing Director with a smile. While Boekestijn uses Qualcomm’s FleetVisor web portal, it also operates its own system at the same time. “This enables us to archive certain data for a longer period, including our drivers’ driving behaviour data. To ensure effective monitoring of our drivers, we require datasets for each of them, made possible using a local application known as Track-it.” Qualcomm’s TripTRACS program is used to take care of remuneration.
Wish list
According to Boekestijn, the IT story is far from over. “We will definitely be implementing additional measures. In this, we benefit tremendously from our relationship with Qualcomm. Not only is Qualcomm a pioneering innovator, it listens to its clients attentively and is able to create tailor-made solutions.” Boekestijn’s wish list is still extensive: “In addition to high-value items, we transport substantial volumes of pharmaceutical products and temperature-controlled substances for the food industry. Accordingly, we have to be able to remotely monitor our refrigeration systems, even if the systems are installed in our trailers. Regardless, we feel it’s absolutely vital to have an effective tracking and tracing system in place for our trailers. We are currently consulting with Qualcomm on this point.”