UNA-L: Since introducing Tachogram, we’ve had no data download violations
The work of freight carriers is challenging – from planning and monitoring the supply chain process to complying with international work and rest time regulations, which are constantly changing. Managing tachograph data and downloading it regularly is just one of the things to do to avoid significant fines. This process can be made easier by various fleet management solutions and dedicated tools designed to facilitate the digital tachograph data download and analysis. Their role in business management is growing, and this has also been the case with the Latvian freight carrier UNA-L, which has been using the Tachogram digital tachograph data download and analysis solution to manage its fleet for several years.
UNA-L specializes in cargo transportation throughout the European Union and the United Kingdom, providing, for example, transportation of construction panels to Sweden, where they are used in the construction of high-rise buildings. The company has more than 10 years of experience in the industry and currently has 60 drivers and 40 trucks under its supervision.
Tracking market trends and improving digital tachograph data management
UNA-L manages a relatively large fleet, so it's essential for the company to be as efficient as possible. To achieve this, the management team keeps track of market trends and introduces new technologies.
When talking about the search for a tachograph data management solution, UNA-L board member Edgars Lagzdiņš recalls:
"Years ago, tachograph data had to be downloaded by hopping from one vehicle to another. It was cumbersome, often impossible."
"For example, if the vehicle was en route, for the entire year, the tachograph data was not available to us in any way. If the vehicle wasn't near, we couldn't monitor the driver's actions. This, in turn, often resulted in huge fines for the company and led to other unpleasant situations." He also adds that at that time it was common for drivers to forget to download information from the digital tachograph.
After looking for ways to track vehicles’ location and fuel consumption, UNA-L started cooperation with Mapon, a local fleet management solution provider, which created Tachogram – a specialized solution for digital tachograph data management and analysis – seven years ago. UNA-L was one of the first companies to learn about this and, given their positive experience with Mapon, about four years ago they started using Tachogram to manage and analyze the tachograph data of its entire fleet.
Easy to use for management, accounting, and drivers
The experience of Edgars Lagzdiņš shows that using Tachogram on a daily basis is very convenient. "The whole data management process is fully automated – once every two weeks or every month, driver data is uploaded to a common cloud, and information about our drivers' activities is available for management to view anywhere, anytime.
Tachogram data is also actively used by accounting to view reports that provide the necessary information for calculating employees' wages and travel allowances,"
says the company representative.
Additionally, it’s important to note that this solution helps not only the company’s managers and accountants but also the drivers. As Edgars Lagzdiņš points out, Tachogram relieves the company of worrying about downloading data on time.
Violation analysis – a tool for educating drivers
During daily work, UNA-L pays the most attention to complying with international driving and rest time regulations, as well as analyzing the driving habits of their drivers. "In order to get the most accurate information about driver behaviour, we use the functionalities of Tachogram, as well as data from Mapon Expert tracking devices, which provide us with an accurate overview of work and rest periods, routes travelled, countries crossed and other relevant indicators. This gives us
the opportunity to educate drivers about safe and responsible driving, to ease wage and travel allowance calculations and to avoid mistakes when paying employees their compensations,"
Edgars Lagzdiņš shares his experience in using the solution.
He says that Tachogram is also useful in situations where a driver has violated driving and rest time regulations. In such cases, the data provided by the solution is used to identify specific violations and discuss them with the driver, allowing the company to educate drivers about the importance of traffic regulations and prevent similar situations in the future.
Mobile app as an assistant on the go
The team at UNA-L uses both the web version of Tachogram and the mobile app in their daily work. "Given that I'm always on the move, I use the Tachogram mobile app most often. This way, I can help drivers and solve a lot of issues, even while working remotely," says Edgars Lagzdiņš.
No tachograph data download violations
When talking about how fleet management solutions, including tachograph data download and analysis, have helped the company overcome its main business challenges and improve fleet management efficiency, Edgars Lagzdiņš says: "At the moment I can say that we no longer face any of the previously mentioned problems, because all tachograph data management processes are fully automated.
Thanks to Tachogram, over the last four years we have been able to work without any data download violations,
which is terrific. Admittedly, in the past, we made this infringement quite often and paid between 100 and 300 EUR for each time a driver or the company had forgotten to download data."
Client support and professional solutions in any situation
Successful cooperation is based not only on high-quality solutions but also on open communication. During the conversation, the UNA-L representative points out that the current cooperation with the Tachogram team has been very successful: "Behind the product is a responsive, professional team that always helps to find solutions for different situations in a timely manner. I have never encountered any issues during our cooperation."
Regarding the future of the industry and upcoming changes in legislation, for example, the provisions of the Mobility Package, Edgars Lagzdiņš says that at the moment it's still difficult to think about what restrictions and regulations await freight carriers in the future, but he is convinced that Tachogram will help the company to adapt and operate in accordance with the changing legislation.
If your company is also looking for a way to easily manage and analyze fleet tachograph data, contact us at info@tachogram.com or apply for a 14-day free trial to get acquainted with all the features of Tachogram!
