Accuracy of the information for Rusty Robertson’s fleet is imperative while running nearly 2,000 different vehicles, across 100+ stores around the US. Southern Tire Mart is the number one commercial tire retailer in North America. With a reputation like that, knowing the safety of your fleet can help guarantee the customer an extra level of service. Southern Tire Mart has multiple tiers of drivers, from sales to managers with different needs for each group. Service technicians and delivery drivers are the most important asset to the fleet.

As Southern Tire Mart continues to grow and shape their fleet, it is important for their telematics solution to do the same. Starting out with their previous provider they got what they needed, however their services started to degrade. The quality of the ease-of-use hadn’t lived up to expectations, tracking accuracy was suffering, major internal changes - including several different customer support contacts over a short period of time - led Rusty Robertson to look into something better.

Switching to Azuga

When you’re running a fleet the size of Southern Tire Mart, any change can be monumentous. With multiple contract end dates with their previous provider and the labor needed to implement a new telematics solution, Southern Tire Mart rolled out Azuga in phases, all with one contract end date. Azuga was able to accommodate adding new units throughout the year, while limiting the impact of changing out devices on the fleet. Azuga’s plug-and-play solution made it quick and easy to swap out, reducing the down time of the vehicles.

Azuga’s customer success manager worked closely with Rusty and his general managers to make sure they were set up for success. Continuous monitoring of their account, getting adjustments made to the account, training, quarterly business reviews, and a direct line to address any customer concerns allows Rusty’s team to scale the business with Azuga. The best part about Rusty’s customer success manager is she has been with his account from day one - nearly 4 years! That’s standard among Azuga’s customer success team. Our dedicated and loyal customer success team helps us stand out.

With locations all over the country, differing management styles and personalities, Azuga Fleet has to be less complicated and more intuitive than ever. “What drew us to Azuga was it’s really easy to use. It’s not overly complicated to navigate what you need to do,” stated Rusty. As the implementation completed, the company continued to grow, making safety a top priority.

Safety First

Rusty’s team of general managers monitors safety metrics through daily, weekly, and monthly reports. Driver scores are easy to analyze and identify who needs improvement and who is a great driver. The quickest way to talk to the owner of the company is to go 90 mph. There’s a special alert set when someone breaks the 90 mph threshold that goes directly to the two owners of Southern Tire Mart. Not only is this a major safety concern, but it directly impacts the wear and tear of the vehicle and brand reputation. Managers can rank their team based on the driver scoring, giving team members the proper coaching and training or accolades for being the best driver.

In addition to the critical speeding report, custom reports are vital to business operations. The standard out of the box reports, such as diagnostic reporting, fuel consumption, or driver scoring, provide quick insights but customization allows managers to analyze and dig deeper into fleet optimization. Integrations are a key component to scaling a business with Azuga. Fuel card integration helps verify odometer readings versus fuel consumption. Azuga’s open API can be used in conjunction with many business platforms, such as fuel cards, CRM programs, payroll, and routing.

Exonerating Drivers with Dual-facing AI-SafetyCam

Accidents are typically blamed on the commercial driver. “There’s been substantial growth in our fleet size from day one, but accidents have not grown with us,” according to Rusty. Even with limited accidents each year, being able to get the truth was imperative in combating lawsuits. There are three sides to every story - theirs, ours, and the truth. Rusty shared, “One delivery driver was passing through a green light when someone ran the red light on the other side and swiped his vehicle. It would be easy for the at-fault driver to say the roles were reversed. Cameras proved what the traffic condition was immediately.” Avoiding insurance claims and reducing risk are key benefits from using an AI dashcam.

Starting out, Azuga’s dual-facing AI-SafetyCam proved to help in many situations. Rusty and his general managers can pull video immediately to provide firm proof to law enforcement about what really happened. Azuga’s AI dashboard camera offers consistent recording in the severest of weather, distracted driving detection, and real-time alerts and notifications during unsafe driving events. Triggered by G-force technology, AI-SafetyCam technology combats theft and detects the smallest of collisions. Southern Tire Mart has avoided numerous frivolous lawsuits with the assistance of AI-SafetyCam, saving tens of thousands of dollars and time.

In addition to exonerating drivers, dashcams affect the way a person drives the vehicle. When the driver knows he or she is being watched, there’s another level of safety in his or her practices. Distracted driving - seatbelt recognition, food or drink consumption, cell phone use, and others - is captured with AI-SafetyCam drivers are more aware of how fast they are going, if they have to brake hard, or impending accidents. In addition to providing supplementary safety measures, it helps build trust between their employees and the managers on the other end of the camera.

Fitting the Business’ Needs

As Southern Tire Mart continues to grow, business needs ebb and flow. They have  custom reporting, quarterly business reviews, but most importantly a customer success manager that is like having another team member on the payroll. Rusty can call her at any time with questions, concerns, or ideas. Azuga’s customer feedback helps develop the product into the great solution it is today. Innovation is a key component to product development at Azuga - making monumental strides each year to bring a future-proof product to market. Being able to manage the fleet across the country, integrate with other service providers, and receive best-in-class customer support makes Azuga an all-in-one solution. One of the biggest reasons Rusty’s team selected Azuga was the ease of use of the platform, “Azuga does make it easy to use. You’re not searching for a needle in a haystack to do something.”

A very intuitive and customer friendly interface makes navigation quick and painless. Southern Tire Mart realized an easy-to-use solution can be customizable, scalable, and look good, while driving safety initiatives and goals throughout the organization.

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