Operating separate hot shot, flatbed, and vacuum truck divisions requires coordination, especially with remote dispatchers. Learn how Jennifer Rodriguez, owner of Redline Hot Shot & Transportation uses Axon Software to connect staff across locations, simplify reporting, and manage growth efficiently.
Q&A
Tell us about yourself and the company.
My name is Jennifer Rodriguez, owner of Redline Hot Shot & Transportation based out of Odessa, Texas, and Hobbs, New Mexico.
We have three different departments. We have a hot shot department with mini floats. We have tandems with flatbeds and a forklift. In Hobbs, New Mexico, we have vacuum trucks. Those are the divisions we have separated.
Can you tell us about your company? What made you get into trucking?
My husband started out as just a driver doing hot shot work. Then he bought his own truck and did that for about two years, learning the ropes and the business. He ended up establishing relationships with his own customers, and we kind of just took a leap of faith and decided to branch out on our own. That was 11 years ago this past January.
When did you start using Axon?
In 2019. It’s been a long time, but it doesn’t feel like it because it just makes everything great. Especially now. For example, we had a big audit last year and Axon played a crucial role in running the reports we needed.
What has been your overall experience with the software?
Our drivers love it because they get detailed statements. If we need to resend a statement or correct a statement, it’s just a system that flows very efficiently for us. We utilize it for IFTA, which helps us tremendously as well. It tracks all of our gallons.
I love it because of the reports. Not just because of the payroll, but reports that we need to generate – and it generates them quickly.
The main thing for me is the reporting that it generates. And if we need a certain specific report, we call customer service. If they can’t get on it right away, they’ll call us back. If we get new computers or laptops, they work with us and set it up within the day, if not, by the next day.
I honestly don’t have any complaints about Axon. Everything’s great. It’s worked for us. The reporting and the customer service have won us over and kept us there.
Tell us about your experience with the installation and training.
When we first started, everything was remote, so it was very easy to do. They assigned one person to install it and then transferred us to another person to work the quirks out. We’ve never had any issues. My staff has never had any complaints.
What did you use for accounting before Axon?
We used QuickBooks for our accounting before. Now, my CPA uses QuickBooks, but Axon does the more detailed work for us on the trucking side with the departments – stuff that QuickBooks can’t separate for us because I guess it’s just too basic.
With Axon, we can break it down by department, by salesman, all that good stuff.
How did you use to do fuel tax before you had Axon?
By hand and Excel. Now, we have someone dedicated to that who enters it weekly and at the end of the quarter. It’s just a couple of clicks and we have our report generated.
Tell us about your company's growth since starting with Axon.
From starting with 10 trucks when we got Axon to now 65 trucks, I’ve only added two admins. I haven’t needed to add more staff because Axon just takes care of it all for us.
Both departments can still utilize the same system. Our safety manager can tap into Axon when he needs to check on things like H2S monitors that expire, but primarily for my two admins. I don’t feel the need for more staff because it works for us.
If you didn't have Axon how many staff do you think you would need?
Oh, double at least. I would need at least two to three just for accounts receivable and then one just for accounts payable. I would need double.
On the admin side, I have my billing administrator, I have another compliance coordinator who does all the IFTA, handles new drivers, adds expiration dates, and all that good stuff.
With the number of trucks that we have, they’re able to handle it. It’s running perfectly right now.
Even if we did add 20 to 30 more trucks, I still don’t feel we’d need more staff. We would still be okay with our two staff. I might need more organization, but the actual admin for Axon, because of the way the system runs, we would be okay.
What was the process of doing driver settlements before Axon?
It was all done on Excel by hand. Now, we’re able to break down the percentage, show them the percentage of the original gross amount of the shipment. Anytime we have deductions or need to add income, it lets us add as many details as we need. It allows us to detail as much as we want to.
You mentioned the drivers really love that aspect of it.
They do, and we like that it’s just one click and everybody gets their statements. It isn’t manually downloading it, attaching it, and sending it out like it was. It’s like one, two, three, boom.
From a customer relations aspect, has Axon helped you?
Any time a customer requests any type of reporting, my staff gets it back to me within the hour, if not sooner. If they don’t have a lot of work going on, they get it to me right away in two or three minutes. I don’t have any complaints on that. It’s a quick turnaround any time we need reports.
How does Axon work for getting information between your different locations?
Axon works great. I can travel for a meeting or a safety conference, and we can utilize Axon on our laptops. Our dispatchers work remotely so they have access to Axon anywhere.
Our staff is in Odessa. I’m in Lubbock, Texas. We’re preparing to hire staff in Hobbs, New Mexico, and I have no hesitation about what Axon’s going to do for us. It just makes it so much simpler.
How do you find the ease of use of the software?
Axon is very easy to use. It’s very simple. Even when we had to train the two ladies I have, they picked it up very easily.
And I love that if they had a question I didn’t know the answer to, it was a simple, “Call Axon,” and it was a quick turnaround. They learned stuff and taught me stuff from talking to Axon Support. They’d say, “Axon taught me this,” or “Axon showed me a simpler way,” and then they showed it to me, and we all utilize the same system.
