Select One was formed in 2014 and operates from its base in Channahon, Illinois, and has been delivering quality transport solutions. Immediately becoming a private logistics company, they understood their goal was simple—provide the best value possible while maintaining effective fleet solutions. However, as the business expanded, it was realized that the effective handling of its activities became quite challenging. With the help of Digital Permit Book, they have been able to consolidate their fleet operations and step up in terms of efficiency. In the US, trucks transport 73% of total freight value and 65% of total freight weight, so they needed a great solution to overcome their problems.
About Select One: A Trusted Name in Transportation
Select One is no ordinary logistics provider. They have been in the trucking business for over ten years and have developed substantial freight transportation expertise by incorporating technology. They establish regular customer-driver relations and put emphasis on their satisfaction. Focusing on transportation for perishable goods, Select One knows all the complexities that come with sensitive cargo like food, pharmaceuticals, and electronics. Their mission is simple: deliver goods safely, on time, and with care.
However, Select One’s fundamental service revolves around people – the business relations with its clients and the recognition of the drivers who helped the company grow as an organization, people matter for Select One.
Challenges Before Adopting Digital Permit Book:
Before the use of the digital permit book, Select One experienced issues that almost every logistics company experiences when expanding its operations. Such issues are rather familiar to the target industry, particularly when companies are growing and increasing the number of vehicles in their fleets. The main pain points Select One dealt with included:
Time-Consuming Administrative Work:
Handling permits and documents in a traditional manner required protracted hours to be spent on administrative tasks in a week. This led to employees in the fleet management departments wasting too much time on paperwork that was not as important as choosing routes and how to optimize the fleet more effectively.
Document Handling Errors:
The reliance on physical documents increased the likelihood of misplacing permits or making errors in document management. This created potential compliance risks, as missing or outdated permits could lead to penalties or operational delays.
Lack of a Centralized Document System:
Without a single, centralized system to manage permits, documents were scattered across multiple locations. This lack of centralization of paperwork in the states made it cumbersome for the drivers and the managers to locate all the paperwork especially if they were required to cross state boundaries because the regulations differ from state to state.
Inefficient Communication Between Teams:
The manual processes created communication bottlenecks between drivers, fleet managers, and compliance officers. Previous to this, drivers would have to wait for the fleet manager to get or renew permits in a car, which frustrated drivers and fleet managers alike.
Increased Operational Costs:
The inefficiencies in document management led to increased operational costs, both in terms of time and financial penalties. Without a streamlined approach, Select One risked falling behind on compliance, which could result in costly fines and damage to their reputation.
Compliance Risks:
The manual tracking of permit expiration dates was prone to human error, putting the company at risk of missing critical deadlines. Operating a fleet that crossed state lines added further complexity, as each jurisdiction had different regulatory requirements that needed to be managed meticulously.
The Search for a Solution:
Select One’s leadership team recognized the need for a streamlined solution to manage their fleet’s paperwork. After extensive research and consultations, they discovered the Digital Permit Book, which offered a digital, unified approach that simplified compliance and document management. The platform’s ability to automate, store, and retrieve permits and documents in real time aligned perfectly with Select One's vision for a more efficient operation.
With Digital Permit Book, Select One is able to:
- Eliminate the need for physical paperwork, with drivers accessing documents directly from their mobile devices.
- Streamline communication between drivers, fleet managers, and compliance officers.
- Automatically receive updates and alerts on document expiration, ensuring full compliance.
- Free up valuable time for fleet managers to focus on strategic operations rather than paperwork.
The Implementation:
The transition to Digital Permit Book was seamless for Select One. They found that the implementation of the software was seamless, the clear layout of the program made getting their team setup a breeze and the Digital Permit bookings team made the process as smooth as possible.
The fleet managers got used to the platform in a moment because they liked having all the documents in one place. Similarly, drivers were relieved not to think about the stress on how to access their permits to ensure they are valid to drive which saves time just by having the permits easily available on the device.
Results and ROI:
Since integrating the Digital Permit Book, Select One has seen a remarkable improvement in its operations. Key benefits include:
- 70% Reduction in Administrative Time: Fleet managers no longer need to spend hours tracking down documents. With real-time access to all necessary paperwork, time is freed up for more valuable tasks.
- Improved Compliance: Real-time alerts and automated updates on permit statuses have significantly reduced compliance issues.
- Driver Satisfaction: Drivers now enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having digital access to their documents.
- Operational Efficiency: The entire fleet is now managed more efficiently, with smoother communication and quicker response times.
Digital Permit Book Features:
In response to the problems that Select One encountered, the Digital Permit Book includes a complete set of advanced functions capable of optimizing the work and improving the observance of the requirements. All add up to a more efficient, orderly and safe working environment and it means Select One will keep on bringing the best in logistics. According to Truckstop, 68% of US truck drivers found it difficult to keep up with insurance-related matters and changing industry regulations in 2022, and for this Digital Permit Book became a great solution.
Automate Compliance
With automated alerts and reminders, Digital Permit Book ensures that all permits and documents are kept up to date. It cuts down the risk of failure to monitor compliance which helps Select One to meet new state and federal standards as they emerge. While it is scary to turn over control to software, fleet managers can respond correspondingly by focusing on those activities that require attention to strategic planning while the software alerts them to such matters as renewed documents. The specification of this level of organization not only serves to reduce the potential of costly fines but also increases the general utilization of the fleet management process.
Driver App
The dedicated driver app is a game-changer for Select One's operations. This mobile-based solution also facilitates enhanced communication channels between drivers and fleet managers since it provides drivers with means to access relevant documents and permits in a real-time. The ability to access documents, respond to any other necessary paperwork, and check one’s status is in the palm of a driver. This brings about minimization of delay which is a result of paperwork, and minimization of annoyance from misunderstanding. Furthermore, the app also increases the level of driver satisfaction since they are availed of appropriate tools to work with so as to be more independent as they drive.
Document Maintenance
Digital Permit Book provides for the convenient organization of documents, which saves time as all the required papers will be stored in one place, and will not be vulnerable to loss or theft. This feature enables the drivers to keep records and this way records can be easily retrieved and sorted to meet their objectives of record keeping. Using the correct file management structure, managers of the corresponding departments are able to monitor the location of all permits and documents and ensure that nothing is lost. Apart from improving efficiency, such an approach helps to ensure that Select One will be ready to address audits or compliance checks promptly, and strengthen its focus on operations.
Safety Model
Safety is not just a priority; it’s a core value for Select One. Another area that Digital Permit Book fits this commitment perfectly is that it contains built-in safety features. The system allows the management of compliance documents and offers safety procedures to all participants involved in the project. It means that following different measures aimed at creating a safety culture at work, Select One can eliminate threats on the roads, preserve its drivers, and improve the health and safety of all its workers. It has a vast safety model that ensures all aspects of the organization implement safe practices and avoid any mishaps that may cause breakdown of operations.
Seamless Integrations
Digital Permit Book's capability to seamlessly integrate with Select One's existing systems significantly enhances operational efficiency. It is an open API that integrates with other logistics software and tools and unifies technological infrastructure as a solution to optimize traffic. To this end, this interconnected approach leads to appropriate decision-making on resource management as well as improved analysis of data harvested from such systems. In particular, Select One can guarantee that all organizational processes involving scheduling and dispatching, and compliance are integrated with one another, enabling the best level of productivity.
