Learn how Flex Logistics brought greater visibility to job scheduling, saved a bucket load of time and improved cashflow with the help of MyTrucking.
Carting wine grapes from vineyards to wineries, primarily in the South Australian wine region of McLaren Vale, was just the beginning for Flex Logistics. They've recently expanded, doing more transport in the mining industry, with trucks on the road continuously.
Business owner and general manager, Sami Gilligan, explains that with this expansion came a greater need for faster, and more accurate, communication with clients.
Sami loves the transparency that MyTrucking brings and the ability to capture data in real time. A game-changing feature for Sami has been the ability to upload photos. "Our clients rely on it too and it’s a great way to navigate tricky loads by being able to capture them more accurately".
Flex Logistics was originally a partnership between two couples, Sami and Robyn Gilligan, and Scott and Hannah Stone. The business ran seven of their own trucks and sub-contracted a further seven trucks. At the end of vintage 2021, Scott and Hannah decided to concentrate on their other businesses and Sami and Robyn decided to keep Flex going, downsizing to operating a fleet of three and sub-contracting three to four others during vintage.
Flex Logistics joined MyTrucking in 2018.
The biggest issue Sami wanted to overcome was getting instructions out to drivers and being able to schedule loads in a visual, and timely, way.
“We were operating seven of our own prime movers and seven sub-contractors. We could be doing 50 loads a day and I was the only one co-ordinating it. I had all this stuff in my head and, on top of that, I was giving written instructions to all my drivers the day prior.
“My day started at 6am and I’d still be in the office at 10-12pm every night. We had to find a better way because it was killing us.”
Sami used the good old Excel spreadsheet and a diary. “Now I look back and go, how did we get by? MyTrucking was a massive game changer for us, once we got used to it.”
Added to that, Flex Logistics had drivers and sub-contractors that sometimes didn’t come back to base for weeks on end, so getting paperwork back and billing out for jobs was a protracted process.
“We did it, and it was fine, but the time and headaches it (MyTrucking) has saved us is a game changer. I can’t even comprehend running a business without it now.”
Practicability is what stood out and drew Flex Logistics to MyTrucking initially, and continues to impress Sami.
“We looked at other systems and trialled one, but what stood out about MyTrucking really early on was the fact it’s so practical. It’s designed by people who do what we do.”
Sami says, while there were some teething issues, the software is user friendly, not just from an admin point of view, but for the drivers too. “Once we downloaded the app, it’s so intuitive the drivers were able to just work it out.”
Sami also found that with his business being slightly different in terms of its seasonal nature and the number of loads per day, the MyTrucking team were extremely accommodating and willing to work with them to find a solution.
“That willingness to accommodate our needs and take on suggestions, I feel valued as a client of MyTrucking. I feel I’m not just a number on their books, even though I’m not a big number.”
“On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being easy, I’d say an 8 or 9 in the grand scheme of things.”
“Organisation. It’s just helped us be a much more organised and efficient transport business. It gives the opportunity to organise everything in a timely fashion, and it’s saved us a bucket load of time.”
MyTrucking is designed to assist transport operators with job management workflow.
First 5 vehicles is $85 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $50 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.
First 5 vehicles is $75 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $45 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.
First 5 vehicles is $70 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $40 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.
First 5 vehicles is $65 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $35 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.
First 5 vehicles is $50 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $35 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.
Additional vehicles
$35
per vehicle/month
First 5 vehicles is $50 per vehicle / month.
Every additional vehicle is $35 per vehicle.
Only pay for vehicles used per month.*
* Rule 3 means, you can enter as many vehicles as you like – you’ll only pay for the vehicles you actually USE in a billing month. (ie jobs assigned to them), and includes sub-contractors.
Minimum fee $65 per month.
Pricing is in Australian dollars, excludes GST, and is current as of March 2024.