Founded in the 1950s, Smith & Solomon joined the truck driver training and education field in 1985 and now has eight locations throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Challenges

As a commercial driver education company with routes across state lines and a natural onslaught of new and inexperienced drivers, managing interstate mileage for tax purposes, maintaining equipment, and tracking location are crucial to operations. Updated, reliable, and affordable gps fleet tracking software is an absolute must-have for Chris, Smith & Solomon’s Fleet Director.

Solutions

With Azuga’s easy-to-use monthly reporting, Smith & Solomon can efficiently report mileage on each vehicle and receive reports directly via email. This functionality greatly improves time management around mileage reporting for IFTA tax purposes.

To help manage equipment maintenance, Azuga diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) help the Smith & Solomon maintenance staff keep tabs on the condition of the trucks and schedule preventative maintenance in a timely manner. Most of the drivers of the company trucks are students learning how to drive commercial vehicles, thus the wear and tear on the trucks is understandably harsh. 

Chris also cleverly uses Azuga’s geofencing capabilities to enhance his vehicle maintenance protocols by setting a geofence around his central repair shop. When an Azuga alert tells him that a vehicle in need of repairs is within proximity of the shop, he can alert the on-duty mechanic that the truck is on its way. Likewise, in preventative maintenance cases, he can call a nearby driver and remind him to bring the vehicle in. No doubt this has saved the company time and money in repairs, now and in the future.

As for affordability and reliability of a fleet management solution, Chris is impressed by the Azuga package. And, considering the fact that Azuga hasn’t broken down like competing products, Chris says Azuga has already provided savings above and beyond the affordable price.

Results

Azuga’s easy monthly reporting functionality saves the company up to 8 hours per month calculating mileage for IFTA tax filings. And it has most certainly reduced any headaches associated with mileage management.

In an industry known to be tough on engines, Chris and the equipment maintenance staff are able to prevent costly repairs with regular maintenance. Azuga DTC alerts inform them right away when equipment needs a mechanic, undoubtedly saving time and money in the long run.

With equipment location visibility and geofence alerts, management has taken control of fleet maintenance and this has resulted in improved engine care. Paired with time saved on tax filing and costs cut by better engine health, Azuga’s best-bang-for-the-buck price has most definitely given Chris something to smile about.

Chris’ story:

Smith & Solomon used other fleet management products for years, resulting in numerous issues such as antiquated and unreliable technology, large upfront costs, and repeated device failures and replacements. Knowing it was time to move on, Chris began experimenting with several other products. Some were great and some were not at all on par with his expectations, but he was determined to find the right fit for his company’s needs and budget.

Finally, he made the decision to adopt Azuga. “[Azuga] had everything we were looking for,” he said, “and it was at a great price.” Plus, considering the fact that Azuga is reliable and hasn’t broken down like competing products, Azuga has already provided savings above and beyond the affordable price. “Azuga is the best bang for your buck,” Chris added.

With a fleet of trucks traveling across state lines between eight company locations in three different states, Chris greatly needs monthly mileage reporting for IFTA tax purposes. Azuga supplies easy-to-use monthly reporting for mileage on each vehicle and has reports sent directly via email. This ease of reporting easily saves the company up to 2 hours per week that would have been spent calculating mileage for tax filings each month.

Vehicle diagnostics is another trouble area that Smith & Solomon needs help managing. As drivers of the company trucks are mostly students learning how to drive commercial vehicles, the wear and tear on the trucks is understandably more harsh. With Azuga diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), management is able to keep tabs on the condition of the trucks and schedule preventative maintenance in a timely manner. Chris also cleverly uses Azuga’s geofencing capabilities to enhance his vehicle maintenance protocols. He set a geofence around his central repair shop (where all in-shop repairs are performed on company vehicles). If he receives an Azuga alert that a vehicle in need of repairs is within proximity of the shop, he can alert the on-duty mechanic that the truck is on its way. Likewise, in preventative maintenance cases, he can call a nearby driver and remind him to bring it in. No doubt this has saved the company time and money in repairs, now and in the future.

Chris’ team at Smith & Solomon have been greatly satisfied with Azuga’s mileage reporting, DTC alerts, and geofencing. Going forward, the company will explore areas it can expand its use of Azuga solutions, possibly even utilizing DashCam to enhance safety, insurance protection, and surveillance of valuable equipment.

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