In March 2024, Aquarius joined an EU Enforcement Meeting in Brussels where upcoming developments in legislation and enforcement technology were discussed. On the agenda was the electrification of HGV vehicles and how enforcement authorities plan to approach enforcement of time spent recharging vehicle batteries.

Whilst we are still in the early days of planning for the prospect of transport companies operating fully electric HGV vehicles, the technology does exist at a prototype stage, and during the meeting a case study was presented of an electric HGV travelling from Denmark to Germany and back.

The purpose of the discussion was to examine how the inevitable charging of vehicle batteries (during a period of duty) should be recorded under Drivers’ Hours. In the future, these vehicles will operate under current Drivers’ Hours (Regulation EC No 561/2006); but of course, as it stands, the regulation made back in 2006 does not account for the ensuing advances in technology.

The main point of discussion is whether the driver would be able to take a qualifying break or daily rest while the battery is charging. 

The subject was approached based on the assumption that for a driver to be able to take a period of break or rest wherein they can freely dispose of their time, the technology should allow for any battery charging to be totally unsupervised. If not, any supervision or use of equipment on the part of the driver would need to be recorded as other work.

The current consensus seems to be that the driver would record the plugging in/ un-plugging of the vehicle as “other work”, assuming that the vehicle can sit undisturbed for the duration of the break or rest. Any movement of the vehicle, or any interaction with charging equipment by the driver would be deemed an interruption to that break/ rest.

Charging Methods

There will be two main methods of charging; using slow chargers based on existing technology but also using so called mega-watt chargers that will have up to 1000kw capacity.

The intention is that vehicles could be put on “fast” charge using a mega-watt charger during a driver’s 45-minute break, enabling the vehicle to be driven for at least 4.5 hours on a single charge, whilst slow chargers could be used during a driver’s Daily Rest.  Again, overnight charging is based on the assumption that the vehicle could remain at the same charging station for the duration of an entire 11-hour daily rest.

The question was raised as to what might happen if the vehicle had to be moved on before the end of the 11-hour period, and it was suggested that recording a Daily Rest under something akin to ferry/train conditions could be employed, allowing that rest period to be interrupted which then raised additional questions around driver welfare.

In the field of heavy vehicles, this technology is still at an early stage and some important questions remain, over and above how to record charging time.

Enforcement

From an enforcement perspective, what could an officer check at the roadside to prove that a vehicle had been on charge, especially if a driver has taken a Daily Rest that includes interruptions? It was suggested that the driver could produce some sort of receipt as evidence. As a future solution that could make use of tachograph technology, Aquarius’ Guy Reynolds raised the suggestion of building something into the device’s tachograph Events log to record the start and end of charging.

Others raised the concern that the driver could be forced to plan their breaks around the needs of the vehicle and available charging points, which would again lead to concerns around driver welfare.

Looking to the future, it is hard to estimate how many overnight charging points would be needed to cater for the number of vehicles needing to recharge over a Daily Rest period but, based on the roll-out of EV charging points within the car sector, the challenges are clear.

It is proposed that drivers and operators would be able to pre-book their overnight slots before arriving, so it will be interesting to see how this might work in practice. Current concerns surrounding a lack of available parking facilities aside, there would be a loss of flexibility when it comes to choosing where to park, as it would need to be within a service area that contained charging facilities.

More details surrounding this new technology and the methods by which they could be enforced will emerge over the coming months and years, but it was heartening to see that the EU is taking a proactive approach in addressing these issues ahead of time.

The post The Future of Charging Electric Vehicles and Drivers’ Hours appeared first on Aquarius IT.

For PSVs, Asset Maintenance can also be integrated with Aquarius’s Tachograph Analysis software, Defect Check, Time & Attendance, Defect Reporting and eSIGN technologies, to provide an all-encompassing ‘connective’ fleet management solution for both drivers and vehicles.

Equally for operators not bound by tachograph rules, Asset Maintenance can be used as a standalone live vehicle/asset management solution, or it can be linked with Daily Driver Defect Reporting which provides further operational, cost and compliance benefits. A case example is  A1A Travel who operate 35 non-tacho PSVs on Merseyside and are committed to maintaining their minibuses to the highest of standards.

CASE STUDY – A1A TRAVEL

A1A previously operated a paper-based system for defect checking and maintenance planning, but have since embraced all the benefits of managing its fleet maintenance digitally with Asset Maintenance and Defect Check because it has made the compliance process a whole lot easier to administer and manage.

It’s also the flexibility of the software that works for A1A. For example, with Defect Check, they have been able to totally customise it for all their business needs, and many new ‘driver checks’ have been added to their template, some of which are not vehicle-related, i.e. yard security checks and drivers confirming they are carrying a valid CPC card.

Plus, due to the nature of A1A’s minibus business, operating short trips with multiple drivers, multiple defect checks can be done every day, and by using Defect Check in the Aquarius App there is one set fee. There is also an incident reporting facility on the Aquarius App, which ensures drivers are prompted to collect all the required information at the scene of an incident.

By linking the Defect App with Asset Maintenance, A1A also have instant real-time reporting if a fault is picked up on the check. The mechanic is notified immediately and can get the problem fixed, i.e., a chip in the windscreen, before it turns into a costly bill with a VOR.

A1A also uses Asset Maintenance to manage all their maintenance and MOT requirements and to plan in work a month in advance using the inbuilt planning calendar. The 6-weekly maintenance checks are customised to suit the business with the mechanics / fitters entering the information onto a tablet, which enables the Transport Manager to receive this information immediately.

To find out how Asset Maintenance can help your PSV operation, please contact the Aquarius IT team via https://www.aquariusit.com/contact/

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This year Aquarius IT is celebrating its 20^th anniversary, but the company’s co-founders Guy Reynolds and Dave Bailey, go back even further and have enjoyed a working partnership that spans three decades.  Today, on the 20^th of April, to mark the official date they met in 1994, we are sharing their digital journey.

Guy and Dave first met when they worked at an international dairy company in Birmingham back in the early 1990s.  Guy was employed as the company’s Network Manager, and Dave, just 20 years of age at the time, had joined as a trainee accountant. Soon after joining the company, Dave realised that accountancy wasn’t for him, and with Guy’s support, he was able to transfer over to the network team (IT department). Together they also worked with Georgina Allsop who the Depot’s Accounting system, and who since 2010 has worked at Aquarius in the finance department.

Throughout their time at the firm, the parent company acquired many smaller dairies as part of its growth strategy back then, and it was Guy and Dave’s role in IT to help onboard the newly acquired staff, as the ethos said Guy, was very much focussed on ‘embracing people’ – a principle Guy and Dave later embedded into Aquarius’s core values, and which remains today.

Fast forward a couple of years, and the parent company sold its UK operation, and while Guy and Dave remained employed, the people-focused ethos sadly changed.  Dave had now been working with Guy for a while, and Guy said it was obvious for all to see that Dave had an amazing talent for IT and software development. As such, they started a small ‘hobby’ company alongside their jobs at the dairy company – and then one day, Guy got a call out of the blue from an old colleague who was working at the MG Rover Group. At this point in their careers, this call marked a significant turning point for Guy and Dave.

MG Rover, which had just been sold by BMW, needed a new sales, planning, and forecasting IT system to be created from scratch – Guy and Dave got the job, and given the enormity of the project, they left the dairy company to take on the task full-time. The software system, written by Guy and Dave proved so successful, that it was adapted for Jaguar Land Rover and was used in 143 countries worldwide. Such was its impact globally, Jaguar Land Rover  brought the software outright from Guy and Dave.

In 2004, Dave and Guy then formed Aquarius IT, and a year later the stars aligned again. Guy went to the 2005 CV Show and by chance met with a tachograph analysis company that was looking for a software partner in preparation for the imminent introduction of digital tachographs.  At exactly the same time, MG Rover went into administration, which wasn’t good but it opened up the opportunity for Guy and Dave to forge ahead and develop an analogue and digital tachograph analysis system.  

In IT terms, the skills and experience they had gained in writing and developing software for MG Rover and Jaguar Land Rover, seamlessly transferred into writing technical and mathematical calculations for Drivers Hour’s Law. 

As a result,  and in readiness for the introduction of digital tachographs in May 2006, Aquarius launched the road transport industry’s first integrated analogue and digital tachograph analysis software, called ClockWatcher. For the first time, this software enabled road transport customers to easily self-analyse and manage their own driver and vehicle data.

And, the rest as they say is history.

Today, Aquarius, with its roots still firmly focussed on ‘embracing people’ has grown into a million-pound software development company. Of significance, while the company has constantly evolved its software solutions over the last two decades in line with developments in technology and their customer needs, the underlying core technical functionality of the original ClockWatcher tachograph analysis system remains the same, which is a testament to the system’s original design by Guy and Dave back in 2005/06. 

Three decades on since first working together at the dairy company, you could say it has taken a ‘lotta bottle’ for Guy and Dave to get where they are today; they have taken risks, and faced twists and turns at every corner. But, there have been opportunities too where  “the stars have aligned”, they say.  Fundamentally, it’s also been about partnership and talent. As the co-founders Guy and Dave have worked hard every step of the way, and used their complementary skill sets, to not only build a successful company that they are rightly very proud of, but to also create real-life digital solutions that every day, help make people’s compliance-related jobs easier to manage.

About Mark Johnston

In 2015 Guy and Dave became ‘three’ when they appointed a third Director – Mark Johnston – to work alongside them and drive the future focus of the company.

Guy said: “As the founding directors, it was a huge leap for us, especially after two decades of being just the two of us making company decisions, to bring in a third director, but we both had every confidence in Mark, who we have worked with for several years. He gets our ethos, and since becoming a director eight years ago, he has been instrumental in driving the company forward with new products and innovations – Mark is the next generation, and we know when it comes time for one or both of us to hand over the reins, Aquarius will be safe in his hands.”

The post A Digital Partnership that Spans Three Decades appeared first on Aquarius IT.

This will include Aquarius’s popular Asset Maintenance portal, which integrates with the company’s tacho analysis system, Asset Finance, defect and eSIGN technologies and is transforming the way operators manage, communicate, connect and report on all areas of fleet management relating to vehicle maintenance / inspection and driver activity. 

Alongside this, visitors will be given a first-look at the newly updated Aquarius App.

Built with the driver in mind, the Aquarius App supports Daily Driver Defect Reporting, Incident Reporting, Document Management, eSIGN (Infringement reporting) and other Aquarius solutions. This makes it easy for users to communicate, interact, and record data, and ensures drivers have fingertip access to essential company information, in real-time, on a day-to-day basis from their mobile or tablet.

Mark Johnston, Director at Aquarius, said: “We’ve been exhibiting at the CV Show for 20 years; for us it’s still the go-to event for the road transport industry and every year it gives us the opportunity to personally demonstrate our full range of digital services, and showcase what’s new to customers and interested parties.” 

“This year we are looking forward to presenting the newly updated Aquarius App and showing how it has evolved into becoming more than just a driver walk around check, and how it plays a central role in supporting many of our core compliance and safety services, and provides an important service in facilitating two-way communications between a company and its drivers.” For further information, please visit https://www.aquariusit.com/ 

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Despite the relevant legislation changes coming into force in August 2020, we are coming across a large number of operators that are still unaware of the amendments to roadside record-keeping requirements that were brought into effect. At the time, we ran a press release highlighting the issue so we thought it would be a good idea to provide an update as the Department for Transport has since provided some additional guidance. 

FREE WEBINAR

As further support we will also be hosting a free webinar with Laura Hadzik, Partner and Co-Head of Commercial Road Transport at JMW Solicitors on Thursday 18th April at 1pm to discuss the changes to the rules and answer any questions.

Register & Sign Up Here

Changes to the Rules

The initial change came in as part of what was termed as the ‘Mobility Package’ and this included an amendment made to Article 6(5) of Drivers’ Hours 561/2006 which, although a seemingly minor tweak, had major implications for record keeping.

Prior to August 2020, the ‘original’ version of Article 6(5) which is the part of Drivers’ Hours that stated that drivers need to record any other duties, in addition to EU driving covering the period

“… since his last daily or weekly rest period. This record shall be entered either manually on a record sheet, a printout or by use of manual input facilities on recording equipment.”

The 2020 amendment, however is worded differently, leaving out the phrase “since his daily or weekly rest” which leaves things horribly open-ended and, in the absence of the previously stated time-scale, means that all drivers now have to keep all records for roadside inspection for a full 28 days.

The records should include duty time carried out using a tachograph-equipped vehicle, work carried out elsewhere, as well as all periods of Daily or Weekly rest.

Full-Time In-Scope Driving Activities

For those drivers involved in full-time in-scope driving activities, the impact of this change should be minimal as the vast majority of their work will already be recorded on a driver card. For these drivers, the change may mean that they need to carry out a manual entry for Daily or Weekly rests if they were not already doing so.

“Occasional” Drivers

The sting in the tail of this amended paragraph and where it has a major impact, is for drivers that can be described as “occasional” – those drivers where driving is not their main function. For example, relief drivers, office staff called upon to jump in a vehicle when there is a driver shortage – there is quite a lengthy list!

Prior to the amendment, drivers in this category needed to carry the current week’s-worth of records with them for the purposes of Drivers’ Hours enforcement – with other records able to be kept via alternative methods e.g. diary, timesheets etc.

This has now changed!

All drivers, be they full-time long-haul freight drivers through to those drivers who might drive an in-scope vehicle once a month, must carry 28 days’ worth of records with them at the roadside. This in itself may not sound like such a tall order, however the following clause contained in point 4 of Article 1 of the amendment document states:

“This record shall be entered either manually on a record sheet or printout or by use of manual input facilities on recording equipment.”

In reality, this means that a transport manager who jumps in a vehicle to cover sickness absence would need to make sure they have the appropriate records on them for the last 28 days (including the aforementioned work carried out elsewhere, as well as all periods of Daily or Weekly rest)

which can ONLY be recorded as follows:

• On the reverse of a piece of tachograph printer-roll (one record per 24-hour period)
• On the reverse of an analogue chart (again, one a day)
• Electronically via a manual entry (good luck trying to add several days’ worth of data without making a mistake!)

This has proven to be a major headache for drivers and operators who fall into this category for obvious reasons.

In fairness to the Department for Transport, in order to reduce some of this administrative burden, they issued some subsequent guidance intended to be beneficial to those drivers carrying out non-driving duty for full weeks at a time. If the driver can guarantee that they will not be driving for a whole fixed week, they do not have to produce a separate written record for each day but, instead, they can enter their weekly activity onto the reverse of a single printout. The record would still need enough detail to allow enforcement authorities to identify when the driver has taken Daily and Weekly rests. The full details of how these records should be made can be found on the DVSA website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drivers-hours-recording-of-other-work/drivers-hours-recording-of-other-work

However, in scenarios where an occasional driver is unable to predict whether or not they will be required to drive, best practice would be to generate a daily written record on the reverse of a printout to err on the side of caution.

The DVSA has been tasked with enforcing this at the roadside and, in many cases, the first thing operators are hearing of this is during a roadside check.

It’s worth mentioning that these changes are based on the DfT’s interpretation in the UK, and EU enforcement bodies may take a different view. It is advised that drivers should make individual daily records if travelling into the EU to err on the side of caution. Alternatively, it will still be acceptable to use Attestation letters for international journeys.

Final thoughts … Shifting the emphasis back towards paper-based records has been viewed by many in the industry as a backward step, given the abundance of technology now available that can assist with all sorts of basic day-to-day functions and, speaking as a software provider, we often get asked the question as to why information concerning work outside of a vehicle can’t be recorded electronically. Although we have passed this question on to both the DVSA and, in turn, the Department for Transport, we are still awaiting a response.

Join us and JMW Solicitors on Thursday 18^th April at 1pm for a free webinar to discuss these changes.

The post Record Keeping – Changes to the Rules appeared first on Aquarius IT.

We work with many customers (as you will have seen on page six of our winter CONNECTED publication) who operate multi-fuel vehicles, from electric, bio-fuel, hydrogen and CNG, and the advantage of our Defect Check App and Asset Maintenance software is that operators can customise and create their own digital check sheets and reports to support the maintenance and management of all vehicle types, as well as all green-powered assets.

Further, to meet the evolving needs of the industry, when we integrated Asset Maintenance with our Tachograph Analysis software, Defect Check App, Time & Attendance, Defect Reporting and eSIGN technologies, we were not only able to provide an all-encompassing ‘connective’ fleet management solution for non-eco traditional vehicles, but all vehicles. This is because the systems have inherently always featured customisable templates and reporting options, and is why much of the work had already been done when alternative fuel vehicles became a viable option for the road transport industry; meaning our customers were able to hit the ground running when they started to convert over to eco-powered vehicles – whether that be with one vehicle/asset or several.

For operators this also means that all driver / vehicle data can be shared on one platform and automatically cross-referenced across the full suite of products, for greater efficiency, visibility and ease of management. Plus, it means a busy transport office, operating multi-fuel vehicles, is not having to maintain more than one data set.

This integration also enables operators to drill into, and report on, linked driver and vehicle information and provides a full audit trail for all company assets requiring periodic maintenance or inspection. Integration with the Defect Check App, also enables defects (including those unique to eco-vehicles) and PMIs to be assigned to mechanics with a simple click of a button.

Equally for managing driver data, the connectivity between the Tachograph Analysis software with Time & Attendance and the Defect Reporting tools for example, gives operators a deeper layer of information when it comes to real-time analysis, forward-planning and compliance reporting.  This is proving very useful for companies who are currently either trialling or generally looking to analyse the day-to-day management of different fuel-type vehicles.

Optimising API Technology

To further assist in managing the data and analytics, we utilise API technology, something we have done for many years for companies with third party telematic and remote downloading systems for example, in order to make an even wider range of data available for greater visibility and efficiency, both for drivers and vehicles.

Training

Managing the transition to greenification, is not just about the vehicles either; it also requires a different approach to training and health and safety, and a key part of this is communication with drivers and staff. Our interactive Document Management System, which is also accessed via the Aquarius App for ease, is providing a great way to facilitate two-way electronic communications between the administrator and drivers. Policy updates, company memos, training materials, time sheets, expense claims and recruitment forms for example can all be sent en masse or as a tailored circulation, with electronic signatures and declarations able to be captured – and recipients able to reply with specific questions. 

In summary all of our integrated software solutions provide operators who on the road to net zero with a flexible and real solution for managing the operational and compliance needs of all types of vehicles.

For further information, please contact Aquarius IT at www.aquariusit.com

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Built with the driver in mind, the Aquarius App makes it easy for users to communicate, interact, and record data, and it ensures that drivers have fingertip access to essential company information, in real-time, on a day-to-day basis from their mobile or tablet.

It supports Daily Driver Defect Reporting, Incident reporting, Document Management, eSIGN (Infringement reporting) and the other Aquarius solutions, and  features updated ‘service’ icons that reflect Aquarius’s branding, to make the navigation process between each of the services more efficient, and quicker and simpler to use.

The App also fully integrates with the Aquarius tachograph analysis and asset maintenance software systems, with driver and vehicle data seamlessly, and securely delivered from the driver back to the road transport office in real time for monitoring, actioning and in-depth reporting.

Mark Johnston, Director at Aquarius, has led the development of the App, and he said: “As part of our commitment to delivering ‘real’ integrated business solutions, the Aquarius App plays a central role in supporting the day-to-day reporting of driver and vehicle data within our software, and provides an important service in facilitating two-way communications between a company and its drivers.

“The App, which primarily started out many years ago as a driver walk around check, now facilitates many of our core compliance and safety services, so it is important that we continually review its functionality in line with our own technological developments, while also thinking about how all the processes are used every day by drivers,” confirmed Mark. 

Aquarius is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year, and you can find out how their technologically advanced suite of integrated compliance and ER-approved systems are successfully helping operators, large and small, manage all areas relating to driver and vehicle activity by visiting https://www.aquariusit.com/ 

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Across the group McBurney Transport operates more than370 vehicles, supplemented by over 1050 trailers which include 700 refrigerated trailers, and has more than 1000 drivers on its system, comprising a mix of full- and part-time and agency drivers. To handle the compliance responsibilities involved with managing a team of this size, across eight sites and in four countries with depots in Northern and Southern Ireland, England and Scotland, the company started using ClockWatcher Elite, Aquarius’s tachograph analysis system, three years ago, and in this time, they have streamlined their entire operation, and reduced the administration time they spend on tachograph analysis by 90%.

Lyle Watson, Group Training Manager at McBurney Transport, said: “I’ve worked with tachographs for more than 30 years and encountered many systems, but I’ve never found a system as good as ClockWatcher Elite, in terms of the level of data you can analyse, cross-reference, and report on. Its flexibility and inherent ease of use are two other major features – I literally log-in on a morning, and the dashboard visually tells me everything I need to know at a glance in real-time, it automates everything for us. This also includes automating and visually cross-referencing data related to missing mileage and unaccounted vehicle movements, which is a fantastic tool, that we also use with our telematics system.” 

“Reporting is another key feature. During a recent audit for example, the number of reports we could access at a click of a button – many of which we didn’t know we even needed until we used ClockWatcher Elite – made the whole process seamless.  We were able to extract more information than was actually needed for the audit.

We also noted that the auditor trusted ClockWatcher Elite – this is important because in the past we have used systems where we have found flaws, i.e. where it’s not calculated WTD correctly. With ClockWatcher Elite everything is fully accounted for. During this audit process, we also needed help with one of the reports, and the immediate support we received from Aquarius was phenomenal.  We have never had this level of support before, and this is another reason why we also wanted to tie into a 5-year contract,” confirmed Lyle.

“In summary, before ClockWatcher Elite all our data was historical, but it’s now available at our fingertips in real-time, which for a company of our size, operating out of multiple depots across four countries with remote downloading systems, is paramount,” said Lyle.

Alongside ClockWatcher Elite, McBurney Transport also use Aquarius’s eSIGN technology for infringement sign-offs and reporting across its eight depots, which enables the sites to effectively manage their own resources and compliance responsibilities. Lyle added that this is another example of how Aquarius’s technology has streamlined the entire operation across four countries. 

On extending the contract Lyle also stated that in addition to the software per se, the company also values Aquarius’s compliance expertise. He said: “They have helped us out so much over the last three years because of their depth of knowledge about Drivers’ Hours Law and the WTD – they have educated us on some very niche areas, which is extremely helpful.  For us, this level of knowledge, and understanding of the law sets Aquarius apart from other tacho software providers.”

For further information, please contact Aquarius IT at www.aquariusit.com

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Having worked in the finance sector for several years, the concept of compliance is something I’m very familiar with; and now having worked at Aquarius for six months, I can see that parallels can easily be drawn with the road transport industry. They are both heavily regulated industries, and the necessity for compliance practices is paramount, as failure to follow procedures can carry strong potential penalties for both employer and employees alike.

That being said, as a relative newbie there is still so much for me learn, and it makes me appreciate how challenging it can be for operators to keep on top of the ever-changing compliance landscape and all its nuances (I’m talking Working Time!) – in addition to new digital tachographs being introduced and the increasing requirements for more comprehensive analysis and reporting.  Not to mention the inevitable move from ICE to electric / hydrogen electric HGV’s.

There is no doubt working in road transport and having compliance responsibilities can be complex.  Luckily for our customers, we have some of the leading experts in Drivers’ Hour’s Law and Working Time here at Aquarius – with this breadth of knowledge and expertise, I quickly came to realise when I first joined that we are more than just a software company. 

Yes, we have a fantastic team of inhouse IT experts, but our integrated technologies are driven by our knowledge. By working with our customers, we apply our knowledge and expertise to create innovative IT solutions that solve every day (and ever-changing) compliance management headaches – and for operations of all different sizes who work across a multitude of sectors.

From scaffolders, to single owner drivers, to large fleets spread over multiple depots all around the UK there is not a one-size-fits-all solution, which is why as account / relationship managers it is important for us to offer a consultative approach first and foremost. 

The Aquarius ethos is all about wanting customers to be confident in the products they use – products that not only make compliance easier for them based on their individual needs, but that also make commercial / fiscal sense.  Alongside this the role involves assisting in the selection of the correct hardware, appropriate software, onboarding new customers, customer management, training, assistance and support – it’s a varied and busy role; as such you really get to positively know your customers and understand what they need.

I’m six months into the role now, I am still learning, and it’s clear my journey in pursuit of knowledge is going to be an ongoing one, but this is something I both relish and welcome.

For further advice on how to get the most out of our services, please contact us via https://www.aquariusit.com/contact/

The post Transport Compliance: The perspective of a relative “Newbie” appeared first on Aquarius IT.

I can’t believe that I have worked in the tachograph field for 15 years already.  My working life since 1983 has always been related to IT in both senior technical and sales roles; I guess this gives me a good vantage point for how the industry has developed.  From the days of IBM dominance and countless fruits and vegetables (Apricot, Tulip, Acorn, Tangerine and Apple of course) to the massive growth of PC-based applications and now mobile apps.  All these developments have impacted our lives tremendously and predominantly in a positive way.

The field of compliance is therefore no exception with two landmark dates that really thrust the market forward; 2006 with the introduction of the digital tachograph and 2010 with the introduction of remote tachograph download.  With all data now digital and the potential to automate the process of data collection, there was very little to slow down the uptake of analysis software.  You are now unlikely to find a substantial fleet that does not use analysis software.  I have worked with all the key software providers supplying download equipment and automation solutions, and I have seen first-hand the great contribution these companies have made to the availability of data and analysis resulting ultimately, in safer roads.

So, what else have I noticed since 2008?  Well with a thirst for data well and truly whet, companies have naturally been demanding more.  Historically; compliance, maintenance, planning, and purchasing have all worked independently with separate software systems but companies are realising that this has a high cost and risk in security, maintenance, duplication, and loss of efficiency.  The panacea is a single system with a single login that can handle all of these tasks.

So, is a single system possible?  The answer is not straightforward as all of the required elements are different and have their own complexities.  Think of trying to replicate established and complex systems such as Netsuite, Sage, or Quickbooks into your logistics system, this is years of development for a large team so makes no commercial sense.  For software companies it’s not always about reinventing the wheel it’s about the selective integration of value-added services and integrating with other leading software products where appropriate.  The drive to a single software solution is however likely to apply pressure on software products that could now be considered too niche, particularly if they have become outmoded.

Taking Aquarius as an example; when I first worked with the team as a supplier in 2009 the offering was focussed on its core roots of compliance but gradually functionality expanded in line with its in-house compliance and technical expertise, to include Walkaround Checks, Document Management, POD, Time and Attendance, Asset Maintenance and eSign which allows drivers to qualify and sign for their infringements on a phone or tablet.  What Aquarius has successfully done is to feed from its well-established customer base to gradually add required functionality at a pace that has allowed the business to adapt.  Each new service has new demands and potentially a new audience, so it’s important to put in place the right expertise so as not to alienate existing customers. 

Fresh approaches, particularly with Asset Maintenance, stand to shake up the sector.      

All of this has major advantages for customers as they can start with a single service and gradually add services as they grow in confidence and size.  For larger corporates, this approach helps IT departments to create a clear project plan for changeover.   Aquarius has also developed integrations with third parties to provide data for their applications, which vary from key telematics providers to accounting systems.

Over the years I have noted software companies outside the tachograph analysis field trying to include tachograph analysis within their offering.  Compliance is technically difficult to programme and maintain and therefore requires substantial knowledge and investment.  I think that collaboration between software providers is preferable in compliance, as total accuracy is essential when it comes to infringement reporting in particular.   Some analysis providers such as Aquarius already include the ability to collect data using APIs for use in other applications.

My takeaway for customers is to consider how you could benefit from the increasing convergence of software.   How much could you reduce subscription charges and maintenance?  Think of the benefits of a single repository for all assets and their management.   Consider the competitive advantage that could be derived.  Unless your needs are minimal and will remain so, I would always suggest looking at software providers with a strong offering across multiple disciplines as it gets you a step closer to that panacea.

About Chris Cuffe

Aquarius has known and worked with Chris for more than 15 years; since his early days at Tachosys when he was the Sales and Marketing Director. Today, using his vast experience of tachographs and software, he works as a freelance consultant alongside the management team at Aquarius.

For further advice on how to get the most out of our services, please contact us via https://www.aquariusit.com/contact/

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