“WITH ONE ACCOUNTING PERSON AND TWO DISPATCHERS, WE HAVE INCREASED OUR FLEET FROM 0 TO 25. AXON IS SO EASY TO USE. SO SIMPLE.”
Alta Rose Freightlines is a fairly new transportation company located in Okotoks, Alberta. They are about three years old at the time of this interview and have already grown their fleet to 25 trucks with minimal office staff. We spoke with Kiran Sheena to learn how they are using Axon Software to keep up with it all.
I’m Kiran Sheena, Accounting Manager at Alta Rose Freightlines in Aldersyde, AB.
My name is Kiran, and I am with Alta Rose Freightlines located in Okotoks, Alberta. I’m an account manager here. We run flat and van divisions. I also work in dispatch, but mostly in accounting.
We started using Axon when we started the company in July of 2018. We had no trucks. Now, with one accounting person and two dispatchers, we have increased our fleet from 0 to 25.
We haven’t added another accounting person. Axon has made everything a lot easier for us. It has maintained our costs with the increase in revenue. We have saved really big bucks. Instead of paying another employee, I can do everything on the accounting side.
How has your experience been with Axon overall?
Oh, it’s been great. It’s great. I don’t have words to explain how great this software is. It has made our lives so much easier. With everything I’m doing – I’m a multi-tasker – I’m doing the dispatch thing or looking at the accounting thing.
Axon is so easy to use. So simple.
How is the support?
It’s a quick service. Every time I call Axon, they are always there to help. Yeah, and walk us through questions if we have any. If we’re having issues with something, they’ll walk us through all the time.
Has Axon made invoicing easier for you?
The invoicing is quick. We build the dispatch order and, when the guy delivers the load, we have the paperwork done with one quick button. We just click and it prints the invoice.
Do the drivers like their statements?
Oh, they’re good. When we do the statements, we can customize the columns that we want to see on the statements and take away the columns that we don’t need. It’s so simple and easy.
Right away when we create an order, we send an order confirmation to the driver. It’s a quick thing. We email them right from Axon. Then the driver has all the information.
The drivers don’t even call me because they know exactly where they are picking up from, where they are going, and what they are getting paid for it. It’s so simple. It’s good.
Are you making use of electronic fuel downloads?
eah, Axon helped us with a setup for fuel. Now we just download the fuel file from the website and it’s supported by Axon. We just upload the file and it’s there.
It’s a big time-saver. When I joined this company, we used to enter it manually. I would say it saves two hours every time. It has made our life a lot easier. I got it all set up, and it’s perfect, and not a penny is missing.
If you were to add another 10 trucks to your fleet, would you have to hire more staff?
I think we would be able to handle it on the accounting side because of the software. It’s easy to track everything. The software is so simple to use, and even if we wanted to add anything to it, we can call Axon and get help installing the new tools we need.
If somebody in the industry asked about Axon software, what would you say?
I recommend it. Yes. Get Axon!
ENHANCING CUSTOMER RELATIONS
Good customer relations are key to a successful business. With Axon software, you can provide customers with what they want, when they want it, sustaining and enhancing your relationship with your clients.
Information at Your Fingertips
Order information is available online so it’s easy to find, much better than digging through a filing cabinet.
Raj Lail of SST Trucking has customers who book hundreds of loads. They’ll phone in wondering where their load is and Raj can help them immediately, just by looking up the customer’s PO#. It tells where the load is, whether it is picked up or delivered, or if it’s invoiced. “It’s so simple. I can tell them within a minute. Customers are really, really happy with that,” Raj says.
Documents, such as proof of delivery or photographs, can be attached to the order, ensuring you have all your information in one place.
Western Trade Winds Ltd. moves vehicles and heavy agricultural equipment. With Axon Software, office staff can keep customers up-to-date on their order’s location by VIN, customer name, or delivery point. “We can track where the loads are and track where they’ve been,” says Peggy Glib, a co-owner of the company.
Speed & Efficiency
Axon’s system is completely integrated so as soon as an order is delivered, you can send out the invoice. You’ll be paid faster and won’t lose revenue from lost invoices.
Customer-Friendly Reports
Samuel Esparza, Interflet Transport, appreciates Axon’s customer-friendly reports that can be taken straight from the system and emailed to customers. “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,” he says.
Alicia Lingenfelser, Redbird Trucking, provides her customers with quarterly reports based on their volume at each and every location. When the customers start planning for the year ahead, they have the figures they need to calculate future growth based on current expenses. “Being able to use Axon to quickly give that information to my customers is really nice,” says Alicia.
STREAMLINING DRIVER SETTLEMENTS
“They [drivers] 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.” (Samuel Esparza, Interflet Transport)
Have you ever handed out your driver settlements and been faced with a barrage of questions and complaints? That’s less likely to happen if you use Axon Software as the information is presented clearly and concisely.
Axon Software is fully integrated so all the relevant information flows through to the driver settlement. The system automatically pulls revenue and expense items from invoices, checks, orders, tickets, and work orders so you’re saved the pain of re-entering information in multiple different places. You can set up recurring deductions (e.g. insurance, loans) or revenue and they will show up automatically on each driver settlement. Less entries means less errors, less complaints, and happier drivers.
Alice Lingenfelser, Redbird Trucking, says the driver settlements are one of her favorite Axon features. “I am able to quickly recap for my drivers, in a single statement, everything they did all week long,” she explains.
Jeremy Gouge, IMT Transport, emails his drivers with their year-to-date on a weekly basis, letting them know what they are on track to make in a year. “It’s great to remind them how good they are doing,” he says. “Or if they’re not doing good, it reminds me as well, because they’re not always wrong. Sometimes they do get the short end of the stick.”
