“I WOULD HAVE . . . NEEDED 4 EXTRA STAFF IF WE DIDN’T HAVE AXON.” “IT’S CUTTING DOWN ON THE MANPOWER THAT WE NEED TO RUN A COMPANY OUR SIZE.”
Zero to 60 in under 5 years. No joke – that’s how many trucks they’ve been adding at Interflet Transport of Laredo, Texas. It definitely helps that they went in with a plan and with an organized software system from day one. We stopped in for an interview with Samuel who is part of the management team.
We’re a trucking company – we just haul dry vans. The company has been open for 5 years, and I’ve been working here for 3 years.
We started with 5 trucks when we started with Axon. It’s been almost 4 years and we were able to grow to 60 trucks. Axon has been especially helpful when it comes to driver payment, invoicing, and the accounting department. It has been a lifesaver./p>
It’s an easy system, so I learned it probably in a day and a half. It really helps.
My name is Samuel Esparza. I am the terminal manager for Interflet Transport from Laredo, Texas.
My experience has been good. I know that if I have any questions, I can just phone. Axon’s staff are great. The call back is in 5-10 minutes or so. I’ve actually never had any issues with Axon. It’s a good system and we enjoy it. Everybody enjoys it.
I use Axon to see which driver has which load and where that driver is at. It’s easy. Like I said, it took me just a day – actually more like half a day – to learn the system.
I don’t use Axon every day, but whenever I get onto Axon I remember everything. Everything is just there. It’s user-friendly. That’s what I like about it. Everybody likes Axon.
They like them a lot because they’re very detailed. If there are any changes or anything, they’ll see it on the statement and question us about it. For example, if there is a layover that we paid them or there’s a deduction, they can see it physically on these statements. That helps a lot. It’s very driver-friendly. They understand it and it’s helpful.
I would have probably needed 2 more people for each department. For example, I have 2 people in accounting, and I would have probably needed 4 extra staff if we didn’t have Axon. That’s very good, very helpful. It’s cutting down on the manpower that we need to run a company our size.
If we were to double in size again, we would probably only have to bump it up by about 3 people.
I think it probably paid for itself in the first couple of years, because back then we had 5 people working for 2 trucks. . . . That’s a lot.
When we integrated Axon, we cut down on personnel and it worked out great. Since then we’ve had just a few people that we had to hire on. It’s a good system.
The reports are what help us a lot. There are a lot of reports that are customer-friendly, that we can just take from Axon and email to our customers in an attachment. The customers love that. I don’t think we’ve ever had a complaint about any reports that we send directly from Axon to the customers, and we send them on a daily basis. It’s good.
Yes, I’ve had experience with the McLeod system. I think McLeod is way more complex. I know trucking companies around here still use it. But I’ve used it first-hand and I know we would have a lot of trouble trying to train everyone how to use McLeod.
The support is great from Axon. McLeod had a 1-800 number, but it was a voicemail. You’d have to call them and leave a message, and they’d call you back. But it took them at least half a day to get back to you – they’re slow to get back.
Great experience and fabulous customer service. I would recommend it to anyone.
ARRANGING CUSTOM FIELDS
You’ve created 3 new custom fields. But how do you go about arranging them?
First of all, decide where you want to place the custom fields. Depending on the screen, you’ll be able to add the custom field to a custom tab, to one of the standard tabs (e.g. Employees General tab), or to the screen header (e.g. Tickets).
You have two options when adding a custom field to a layout on Customize…Customize Screen. You can double click on a custom field or highlight it and choose Add Field to Layout. Check to see where the cursor is in the right-hand Layouts side of the screen as this is where the field will be added.
Lining up Fields
Your custom fields will be organized on the screen in the same pattern as shown on the Layout. You can move them around so they are side by side or one below another in whatever order best suits your needs. However, in order to accommodate different fonts and sizes, the system only handles the layout style used on the built-in screens. Fields will be moved to the left unless they are aligned at the same column. Trying to force a different style of layout doesn’t work very well and isn’t recommended.
Things to Remember
You can only add a field to one Layout (e.g. Custom tab, General tab, header).
Custom fields function differently than standard fields and are not normally protected (e.g. after pay is finalized).
GENERATING PURCHASE ORDERS
The Generate Purchase Orders screen in Work Orders is a convenient way to reorder a large number of different inventory items.
Use the Apply checkbox to choose individual items or you can choose the checkbox on the Supplier line to select all the parts from a specific supplier or location.
The Order Quantity will fill in by default if the Quantity On Hand is less than the Minimum Quantity and the Reorder Quantity has been filled in on the Inventory screen.
Examples:
Choose Order Quantity – greater than – 0 to load all the parts that are currently below the Minimum Quantity.
Choose Last PO Order Date – less than – today to make sure that you have not already submitted a purchase order for any of the parts today. If you order certain parts on a weekly basis, enter the date of your last purchase order. Leave the field blank to search for parts that have never before been ordered.
Tip:
Be sure to record receipt of your inventory purchases on the Receive Purchase Orders screen as the system will use these entries to update your inventory.
STREAMLINE FUEL DOWNLOADS & REPORTS
Fuel – it’s your biggest expense and often your biggest headache. But it doesn’t have to be.
Axon software will save you time, eliminate costly mistakes, and increase efficiency.
Fuel Downloads
We use fuel downloads. It has gone from a week-long job down to a matter of hours, and it pretty well does all the work for you.
(Jamie McMillan, McMillan Transport Ltd.)
With Axon software, you can download expenses from every major North American fuel supplier. No more wading through individual invoices or manually entering the information. Once you’ve downloaded the expenses, the software will automatically:
- Charge the purchases to the appropriate equipment.
- Create a record for fuel tax purposes.
- Attach the source file to the payables invoice.
- Charge back purchases to the owner operator or contract driver.
- Charge back cash advances to the owner operator or driver.
- Update the equipment odometer reading from the reading entered by the driver when purchasing fuel (only available with some fuel downloads).
- Separate reefer fuel from diesel (only available with some fuel downloads).
Fuel Tax
I was going back and forth from this spreadsheet to that spreadsheet and making sure all my calculations were correct and checking our fuel invoices and making sure I had every gallon of fuel accounted for. Now Axon does that for us. – (Shelley Ingold, Gary Graham Transport Ltd.)
Axon software is fully integrated. Once the fuel purchases have been downloaded, the system will create a record summarized by unit, date, and jurisdiction for fuel tax purposes. No more duplicate entries or time wasted on routine operations.
Axon’s comprehensive system of reports will help you eliminate costly mistakes and calculate average fuel consumption. In addition, you’ll have a comprehensive record of all your purchases for future reference and to ensure compliance with government regulations.
IFTA
It makes our IFTA reporting so much simpler. You don’t have to worry about calculating all the different gallons purchased in different states. All of that is already accumulating in the background, so when it comes time to run our IFTA report, it makes it a breeze. – (Irma Sarmiento, F & A Express LLC)
Axon’s integrated IFTA reporting eliminates repetition and inefficiencies. The IFTA jurisdiction rates are automatically updated every quarter, ensuring your IFTA returns are accurate and up-to-date.
FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE
It’s brought real-time vision, which we didn’t have before. We were a small, growing company using out-of-the-box accounting programs that weren’t industry-specific. They didn’t speak to people in the trucking industry. – (Ray Stewart, National Shunt Service Ltd.)
You’ll generate more cash faster with Axon’s integrated transportation accounting software:
- Entering orders and trips automatically updates invoicing and driver pay.
- Accurate reports with drill-down capabilities ensure you have the most up-to-date financial information at your fingertips to make key decisions about routing, equipment, and drivers.
The system streamlines routine processes, such as factoring, bank reconciliation, and outstanding customer statements, and enables you to manage multiple currencies and credit cards.
Features such as quick payment and recurring payable invoices as well as a fully integrated EDI interface speed up accounting operations and ensure your accounting department is as lean and efficient as possible.
Special Free Offer!
Want to learn how to put more money on your bottom line while spending far less time working at it than you do now? Call now 1.800.567.8385 or fill out our form below to reserve a copy of the free book: “HOW WE TRIPLED OUR FLEET SIZE WITHOUT ADDING ANY OFFICE STAFF!” In this amazing book, you’ll discover:
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