Driver
Once a driver has opened the application on the pocket pc device the GPS receiver will pinpoint their exact location to the controller / despatcher showing road name and postcode and also displays that information on a map. The driver is notified of any insurance / MOT data etc that is to expire within the next 30 days, should they choose to ignore these messages he will be locked out and the duty controller notified.
Once a trip has been allocated only the necessary information will appear on the PDA, leaving out anything that may cause the driver to reject it, i.e. an account paid journey or a particular destination. Once the driver has accepted the booking the ‘timestamp’ process begins, marking each stage of the journey;
- Accepted
- Arrived at pick up point
- POB passenger on board
- Soon to empty
- End of journey
Once they have accepted the screen shows the type of vehicle, reference, and whether it is cash or account. A contact number is displayed now along with the destination, if the driver has a problem at this stage he can hit the ‘Menu’ Button and select from a series of canned messages to communicate with the controller.
If the driver is not sure where they are going they can hit the ‘Nav Me’ button which will satellite navigate them to both the collection or destination.
The final part of the process is entering the journey details for account or credit card journeys, here the driver enters waiting time car parking charges etc. Once the trip is complete the journey is priced and ready for invoicing.
Other advantages include the ability for the driver to leave the vehicle with the PDA and wait in a more comfortable area, or answer a call of nature without missing a job. Also when collecting from an airport the unit can be taken with to ensure the correct spelling of the passengers name and also receive fleet messages from the controller.
Drivers also have their own self-reporting login to an area of the system, here they can print off job reports / account sheets for any period they want. For those companies that pre-allocate early morning work the night before, drivers can;
- Log in to the drivers portal in the evening
- Confirm that they have received the details, a note appears to the controller that the driver has received it
- Just before they leave in the morning, log back in and despatch the job to themselves either to their mobile phone or to their PDA.
Breakthrough innovative technology has just given us the edge over the competition, we have changed the way that the devices communicate with our servers. For you this means that you can now source the best deal with any service provider and encourage your drivers to upgrade their existing devices and supply their own!