An important part of business is figuring out how to do more with less. Join us in this interview with Reid McElhaney, Controller, at Asphalt and Fuel Transport of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Reid goes into detail about why they decided to switch software systems in 2020 – “We needed something that was more customizable to our needs.”
Q&A
How did your company get started in the trucking business?
I’m Reid McElhaney, Controller at Asphalt and Fuel Transport in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Our owner, John Reeves, was in the asphalt industry and decided to go off on his own to create his own business. He quickly realized that having to deal with third-party carriers puts us at a disadvantage. We can’t ensure the product gets to customers on time.
John started his own trucking company so customers can have a reliable product, getting there when they need it. It was set up as a service to make sure our customers got the product on time.
I came into the company right at the start of COVID in 2020 and we started using Axon in January of 2021. We used to have another trucking software but decided that we needed something that was more customizable to our needs. Axon really fit well with that.
Can you tell us about your overall experience with Axon?
Axon was very accessible for any type of question we had, and we had a lot of questions. The big thing for us was whether we could still use our software that we built in-house and use it with Axon. Is it compatible? Can we integrate the data we have stored in our software so we don’t have to duplicate work and enter it twice?
Axon really worked with us on how to do that. There were lots of questions involving mapping, setting up accounts, and making sure everything flowed smoothly and correctly. Since then, they’ve helped build financial reports that we needed or answered any questions we’ve had.
It’s pretty easy to manage. I even like how the columns are set up within the categories – AP, AR, whatever. The left side is setup, the middle is where you input everything, and the right side is reporting.
I like how even if I can’t remember where something is, I know where to look. It’s easy to navigate.
I also really enjoy the bookmarks. If there is something I use a lot, I’ll add it as a bookmark and skip a few clicks.
How did you find the support?
The major thing we like about Axon Support is when we ask a question, they really work with us to try and solve the issue. Even if the initial answer is, “Wow. Our software doesn’t really do that. Let’s think of a way we could try to achieve that.”
Whether it is Axon tweaking something on their end and customizing it for us or showing us another way to do it instead, they really work with us.
The larger company that we had before would say, “No, that’s the way our software is. Sorry we can’t do that.” It’s not comparable. We did not get much support from our previous software company.
Has Axon changed the way you do invoicing, payables, and receivables?
Yeah. The basics are the same, but the time has decreased because we’re now able to import so much data from our in-house software. We don’t have to duplicate work that we were previously duplicating and spending a lot of time on.
The invoicing part of Axon has really decreased the amount of time we spend on AR and invoicing our customers. I’d say it has decreased that time by about 25-30%.
Has Axon helped with driver settlements and equipment tracking?
Yeah. The drivers really like seeing the settlement sheet with the detailed breakdown of their pay. We can email those out instead of printing and putting them into pay envelopes. That way they can get it instantly as payroll is submitted.
Have your staffing numbers changed since implementing Axon?
No, it has not. Our accounting group works with multiple different companies, and Axon takes less time. Which allows us to spend more time with other stuff.
We had 35 trucks before Axon and now we’re running about 40. I would say the amount of work has decreased, with Axon being more efficient and streamlined. I think it has paid for itself.
Axon makes it pretty easy to add trucks, and I don’t think it would take more time or personnel to track those.
If somebody in the industry asked about Axon, what would you tell them?
I’d say it has been a really positive experience with Axon. The customer support is the big thing. You may not remember all the training you had, but it’s really easy to reach out and find someone who will work with you to get the answer you need. Or help work around any issues, making the software work for your specific company.
