LONGCHILL LIMITED
Compliance and reliability for peace of mind is a priority for Longchill
AT-A-GLANCE
- Reliable solution to manage assets, including telematics & RUC devices.
- Ability to know instantly that they comply with all Road User Charges (RUC) requirements.
- Easy and simple solution for their drivers to use on the road.
- Instantly reduced the problems surrounding technology and support from its previous provider.
Longchill Limited is a family owned and operated transport company. Since it started in 2007 Longchill has expanded from a single linehaul unit to more than 25, and is extremely proud to have provided transport services for more than 12 years. Based in Longburn, Manawatu, it strives to build on its proud history of delivering professional road transport services.
Longchill Limited is a transport company primarily contracted to Goodman Fielder and Fonterra that specialises in shifting food product throughout the country between Auckland and Christchurch. All your milk and bread that goes to the supermarkets are transported from plants to depots. Longchill Limited also makes some supermarket deliveries as 80% of the fleet is temperature-controlled truck-and-trailer units and 20% is container swing lift and skeletal units. Alongside that, it shifts containers from the port to destinations when the ability to monitor and maintain temperature is very important.
Compliance is a top priority, and there laid the problem.
Walking into work on any given day, or on a Monday after a weekend, and having four or five failed devices has become a thing of the past for Longchill Limited. “If we have a problem or a concern, we know we can just ring the 0800 number and the professional support staff are straight onto it,” said Chris Quirk, at Longchill Limited. It was important for Longchill to know that it can get the right support at the right time when it just needed to get on with the job.
After getting tired of poor work from its previous installers and waiting for three hours in the phone queue with the support team of the same provider, Longchill Limited had had enough. Compliance is a top priority for the business meaning that offline devices, including one that did not communicate correctly for over two years, were a real problem. If Longchill couldn’t ensure the safety of its drivers on the road, while also staying compliant to NZTA requirements for Road User Charges (RUC), it could find itself in a potentially dangerous and negligent situation.
The devices would display no errors, with a green LED light on the telematics devices when inspected by drivers, roadside enforcement and even weighbridge officers. Until one day the RUC autopay switched off and the light turned grey after incorrectly displaying green for two and a half years. The failed device on the vehicle had racked up a $60,000 bill that was due in five days. This was the final straw for Longchill. Instead of focusing on strategic initiatives to progress the business, Quirk and his team were spending too much time getting out of fines and getting devices working.
“It just does the job” the solution on offer
Longchill Limited and its management team had to make a tough decision when it came to its telematics and fleet management solution supplier. The previous supplier’s equipment, particularly for its trailers, wasn’t meeting its needs. After assessing its current and future requirements Longchill Limited decided to migrate its fleet to Teletrac Navman’s telematics devices and AI-based fleet management.
“Teletrac Navman’s devices meet the needs of the rugged environments we work in. The sealed units along with hardwired power for the right assets meant we were able to fit out our fleet with everything we needed.”
After working with Teletrac Navman’s team, 31 of Longchill’s vehicles and other assets made the switch to include a telematics device, the VT101, as well as RUC electronic distance recorders for vehicles to ensure they’re always online and compliant. The RUC devices keeps track of and displays RUC licences around the clock, while the VT101 allows Longchill to keep an eye on vehicles and assets.
Teletrac Navman = reliability and peace of mind. The Results
“So far we’ve only done half the fleet. We put our local B-train containers with Teletrac Navman. There was no problem at all. They just work. At first, there was a minor issue, which was sorted straight away. They just work. We’ve got to be compliant at the end of the day.”
Quirk and the team no longer need to walk around 40 trucks and trailers every day to check if the units are working. “We’re going to continue with the Teletrac Navman installations and then we will progress our relationship with them through to the electronic logbooks as well,” Quirk added.
It was important for Quirk to ensure that half the fleet was successfully implemented with the correct level of applications across the board, including RUC, first. With the future looking positive for the continued partnership between Teletrac Navman and Longchill Limited, Quirk is looking to continue to future-proof the business for ongoing success.
“Teletrac Navman’s solution is simple and easy to use for drivers. What I have found is that our Business Development Manager and Teletrac Navman have gone out of their way to give us some servicing features that we require further down the track. Teletrac Navman is willing to help all the time – ‘whatever you want, we can make it work’,” said Quirk.
