A Technology Tool No Trucker Should Be Without!

Technology has had a significant affect on the dump truck transportation industry. Trucks are lighter, tires last longer, trucks get better fuel mileage, engines generate less emissions and wear longer, the maintenance has been reduced, and trucks are more comfortable, to name a few.

All too often the trucking company is focused on the technology of the equipment, trucks, engines, and trailers, and completely misses the technology of the back office. For example most trucking companies are still using a paper dispatch sheet or at most a spread sheet program.

Varipro Systems has introduced a dump truck dispatch program that can cut a dispatcher’s time in half. It is Varipro Systems 3G (third generation) dump truck dispatch. This system easily lets a dispatcher manager all their company trucks, pullers, and out-side haulers, from one screen. The system uses the latest thin client technology and is designed for companies from 40 trucks to 400. This system automatically tracks outstanding paperwork which enables the trucking company to get their paperwork sooner and thus their billing out sooner. The system automatically warns if a driver or subhauler is out of compliance, it also records attendance and prescheduled absences.

From Left to Right: Tom Burlington-President, Shawnna Burlington-Vice President, Pat Paranacott-Customer Service Rep., Jennifer Wall-Customer Service Rep, Betsy Radovich-Account Representative, Ted Byers-Programmer. Not shown in photo; Sally Booth-Customer Service Rep. and Gene Seybold-Programmer.

Another savings the dispatch offers is the delivery system of the dispatch to the driver. Of course there is the standard drivers’ tag that the system will print but there is also the ability to send the dispatch to the driver using the drivers’ cell phone. By sending the dispatch to the driver in text format, the driver has everything they need in their phone. Any job numbers, PO numbers, directions to the plant or jobsite are all in the driver’s phone. Once the dispatcher has the day set up, they press a button and each driver is sent their dispatch automatically. Job changes can be sent by the job and individual dispatches can be sent too. The third method of delivering the dispatch to the driver is by creating a voice mail that the drivers can retrieve by dialing a phone number and inputting their pin through the phone. By pressing a button in the dispatch, a dispatch record is created for each driver, which is converted into each driver’s primary language and placed in a voice mail box that the driver can retrieve with a pin number. The information is fed back into the dispatch so the dispatcher knows who has retrieved their dispatch and who has not. The system also has many features to communicate job changes to the drivers. Drivers can request directions or to have a map sent to them, they can also be alerted of service requirements of their truck or trailers and be alerted of their own compliance issues.

Tom Burlington the president of Varipro Systems says, “There currently is a lot of development going on the 3G dump truck dispatch, we are in the process of integrating the dispatch, billing, with different GPS systems.” “This will enable our customers to automatically get, total gate to gate hours, running hours, loading times, unloading times and down times and have them interfaced to billing and dispatch.” “All this information will be a by-product and not reliant on the driver.”

Trucking companies that are using the dispatch are saying: “The dispatchers are spending much less time dispatching, they can train a new dispatcher in a few days, the billing is getting out much sooner, dispatchers are not getting the calls at home, and dispatchers are getting home at a decent hour.”

It is not surprising this product comes from Varipro Systems. Since 1978 Varipro Systems has been dedicated to the dump truck industry and has developed over 3,000 programs. Having successfully automated over 500 trucking companies there is no other company that has that kind experience. They have over 100 years of computer solutions experience on staff, which includes transportation accounting and operations personnel. Varipro has had a philosophy that once a customer buys a module, they will never have to buy it again. That module is kept current through their annual updates. Varipro has had customers for 28 years who have only bought the software once, they have been through many different computers, operating system changes, and have seen drastic changes in the software. Many software companies have come and gone in the last 28 years, they did not have the long term commitment to dump truck industry and a deep commitment to customer support. There is no other software company that has this commitment, and after seeing these new programs, the commitment is obvious.