Collard Group skips forward with Truckfile software

Collard Group skips forward with Truckfile

Waste management specialist Collard Group has revolutionised its workshop and fleet management, with the help of industry-leading digital systems from Truckfile.

The Hampshire-based operator is now using Truckfile packages to keep its fleet of 140 trucks and 110 vans safe and compliant, and to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of its three in-house maintenance sites – which are soon to be joined by a fourth.

For Collard Group’s Transport Manager Lee Troddyn, the benefits are clear. “Probably the most outstanding advantage for me has been the way Truckfile gives me a broad, yet finely detailed overview of everything that’s going on with our vehicles and in our workshops,” he said. “The information is so easily accessible and I have a level of visibility that I could never have imagined previously, over aspects such as vehicle defects, rectification work, and compliance. The fact that our compliance score has remained very high throughout the challenges of the past 18 months just goes to show what a great team we have here.”

Truckfile’s system means that all vehicle safety checks, workshop inspections and any maintenance or repair activities carried out, from start to finish, are recorded electronically. Details are stored securely and permanently in computer files, which remain easily accessible, so there’s no need to keep track of endless sheets of paper. Truckfile is also a validated IT systems provider for the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme

“Before installing Truckfile our record-keeping was all paper-based – very old-school,” recalled Mr Troddyn. “We felt it was time to take advantage of the benefits technology can bring, and ran a trial with two rival suppliers of computerised management packages. The results left us in no doubt – while the other system was difficult to use and very rigid, we found Truckfile simple and user-friendly from day one.

“Compared to the way we used to do things, the change is like night and day. From my desktop I can now click a mouse and see every piece of information I need for any vehicle.

“Keeping tabs on our workshops is far easier too,” he continued. “This is especially advantageous in the case of our busy Eversley site, which has five bays and is open 24 hours a day.

“Meanwhile our technicians find the Truckfile hand-held tablets very intuitive to handle. Using the system has speeded up and simplified the process of completing vehicle inspections, and reduced the risk of human error in recording to almost zero.

“Importantly, all of this has been achieved with minimal upheaval, thanks to excellent support from the Truckfile team who have guided us through the installation and implementation process. I cannot praise their customer service highly enough.”

Collard Group’s fleet comprises skip loaders, tippers and ‘roll-on, roll-off’ rigids and concrete mixers, ranging from 7.5 to 32 tonnes gvw, as well as tractor units that work with tipping, movable floor and low-loader trailers. Two of these are STGO heavy haulage units rated for work at gross train weights of 80 and 150 tonnes, respectively. The line-up is dominated by Volvo.

Lee Troddyn, Collard Group

With more than 25 years in the business, Collard Group is one of the leading waste management and demolition specialists in the South of England. Trucks work from headquarters at Eversley, near Hook, as well as a network of five other sites across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

The company operates proudly under an ethos of sustainability, and works to a zero-to-landfill target. Services offered to both commercial and domestic customers include demolition, earthworks, skip hire, haulage, waste management and recycling, aggregates and, most recently, sustainable ready-mixed concrete produced using recycled construction and demolition waste.

Truckfile was developed by Magic Internet Technologies, of Redditch, Worcestershire. The company was formed in 2006 to create an innovative and user-friendly fleet and workshop management system for the commercial vehicle and transport sectors. Following the launch of its Electronic Inspection System – later rebranded as Truckfile – it has worked closely with customers across the UK and Europe to develop its market-leading package of solutions covering the needs of fleet operators and workshops alike.

With well over 200,000 individual vehicle records stored for more than 24,000 users, Truckfile is the largest document store of its kind in the marketplace. Customers can access the system from any internet-connected device, with no need for additional investment in servers or extra hardware. All documents are available around the clock and are securely protected against loss or damage.

Truckfile’s suite of workshop and fleet management products are already the go-to tool for many fleet operators, independent workshops and even franchised dealers of major commercial vehicle manufacturers. Data from every point on every vehicle’s inspection and maintenance history builds to offer a detailed insight into how it’s performing, and when and where intervention is likely to be required. Not just faults, but advisories too can be combined to give transport operators or workshop managers a full overview of the current state of a truck’s health – reducing vehicle downtime by allowing increasingly accurate predictions to be made about any issues approaching on the horizon, so appropriate workshop time-slots can be booked and the correct parts picked in advance.