A company with a total of 90 traction units, Phone Express describes itself as both a transporter and a transport organiser. Its primary business is the immediate emergency transport of parcels and pallets in the shortest time possible. In addition, Phone Express also offers a transportation service for fragile goods requiring the highest possible degree of safety and care. Thanks to its fleet of articulated vehicles, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and light commercial vehicles, the company is able to handle 75% of its own transport needs. The other 25% is entrusted to expert partners who carry out their assignments in strict accordance with the specifications. As a result, Phone Express can offer its services across all of Europe.
According to Development Director Emmanuel Leguay, Phone Express is above all an emergency transporter offering the highest possible level of transport safety. The company’s services differ from those provided by express parcel services not only in terms of the size of parcels and loads handled, which are bigger, but also with respect to the need to guarantee both the integrity of the goods at all times and their arrival at their destination within a tight deadline.
Having received bids from three leading suppliers of on-board telematics systems, Phone Express selected Qualcomm to equip its fleet of HGVs and commercial vehicles with the OmniExpress mobile communications solution complete with tactile keyboard and also to equip all of its articulated vehicles with the fleet management solutions TrailerTRACS and the recently launched Trailer Tracks 200.
OmniExpress is an all-in mobile communications solution, with parameters that can be geared to the type of vehicle. OmniExpress transmits driver information, social data, service times, vehicle data, the number of kilometres driven, vehicle speed, consumption, assignment data, loading and/or delivery requirements, stocks, etc. The keyboard version also permits an exchange of information and messages with the driver, minimising the number of telephone conversations with the dispatch office. Trailer Tracks 200 is an innovative, compact solution with a rugged design. Selected by Phone Express for its articulated vehicles which are used exclusively to transport fragile loads, Trailer Tracks 200 is the only solution currently on the market that can work autonomously with the trailer unlinked for up to 30 days thanks to its own battery. This system enables geolocalisation and automatic management of the trailers, whether they are linked or unlinked, moving or parked.
Phone Express drew up detailed specifications for the contract. The basic geolocalisation system adopted by the company initially proved less than useful, while Phone Express needed a solution that would allow communication between the dispatch office and the drivers. Furthermore, because Phone Express has numerous repeat and/or regular assignments, it was also important to mark out routes almost automatically, which is precisely the task of the OmniExpress geofencing functionality. Above all, however, Phone Express was seeking to leverage its operating efficiency with a solution that shows its drivers’ driving times precisely and guarantees compliance with social regulations.
Phone Express also wants to work with a road haulage specialist who is capable of collecting and transmitting data reliably in line with all the latest rules and regulations. “The accuracy of the data – all of the information about fuel consumption and eco-driving, for example – is very important,” emphasises Mr Leguay.
As a result, Phone Express is now able to precisely assess the performance of its varied fleet of vehicles, which is useful information enabling the company to retain only the best performers when renewing the fleet.
Finally, Phone Express wanted a system that would remove the need for its dispatchers to check and validate the drivers’ available driving time by performing these tasks automatically.
However, Qualcomm won the Phone Express contract based on other factors as well. Emmanuel Leguay specifically mentions the professionalism of everyone he spoke to at Qualcomm and above all the full-service package on offer “which is truly unique on today’s market”. The package includes no surprises and no additional charges, which is key for implementation, support and training.
According to Mr Leguay, Qualcomm solutions have completely transformed the way in which Phone Express manages its fleet and its drivers. Information exchanges and reports are now entirely transparent. “It’s a bit like having a time gauge for every driver, enabling our dispatchers to distribute the workload evenly and take immediate decisions,” explains Leguay. Going far beyond on-board telematics solutions, these are genuine decision-support tools, which greatly enhance the comfort and efficiency of the business.
Furthermore, thanks to the immediate optimisation of operational capacity in the space of only a few months, Phone Express already knows that it will very quickly recoup the cost of the solutions fitted at the beginning of this year.