How can transport and logistics companies improve their profitability in the age of digitalisation? One option is to create greater transparency. The Werner Ruploh Group, for example, uses Trimble's Performance Portal and the Coach Assistant extension module to gain a precise overview of the braking, acceleration and shifting behaviour of its drivers.
Significant improvements in only two months: Coach Matthias Huckebrink is delighted with the drivers’ progress and sends them a special thank-you note. With the help of Trimble's Performance Portal, the Werner Ruploh Group is now able to analyse all relevant information on driving behaviour. At the end of the analysis, each driver receives an overall score on a scale of one to ten, summarising the individual results.
"The Performance Portal provides us with a holistic picture of driver performance and allows us to identify early on where training is required and where not. What's more, we can give out targeted praise when progress is made, which is also very important for us," says Dominik Fröhlich, project manager at the Werner Ruploh Group.
In addition to the Performance Portal, the company, which specialises in silo transport, has also recently started using the Coach Assistant extension module. The program provides driver trainers with all the relevant information on driving behaviour and also serves as an important organisational and planning tool. It is not only possible to view all current and past key performance indicators and to identify trends, but also to define targets, log conversations and plan future measures using a practical calendar function. This eliminates disruptions due to changes in data format, such as those caused by copying information into Excel spreadsheets.
"As is generally the case when introducing a new solution, we first had to overcome a few minor hurdles. However, we quickly managed, and after a only a short time, we recognised the many advantages and achieved positive results," says Fröhlich.
For Matthias Huckebrink, a driver trainer at Ruploh, the transparent, user-friendly interface stands out in particular:
"With the Coach Assistant, I can see right on the start page which drivers have recently seen their performance improve or decline. In addition, the calendar function displays all previous training sessions and conversations, so that I can optimally prepare for each training situation."
One of the main goals of the measures the Ruploh Group has taken is to work towards a holistic collaboration between driver trainers and drivers. The company is also including integrated training methods such as e-learning in its considerations. For this reason, Ruploh is also participating in the Driver Coaching Academy, which was launched a few months ago. As part of this joint venture between Trimble, INN-ovativ, the company behind the Spedifort e-learning programs, and Economic Drive Stein, a provider of driver training courses, drivers from four transport and logistics companies are being trained, both via a learning and video platform and in person by driver trainers, over a period of six months. The final results will be presented in September.
Ruploh uses the CarCube on-board computer to transmit driving data. The company has been using Trimble's telematics solution, including the FleetCockpit back-office application, for more than ten years. Today, these applications have become an integral part of the Ruploh's everyday operations.
"Almost every internal process – from the transmission of orders to expense reports – relies on telematics. A high level of data transparency as well as fast access options are therefore crucial for us," explains Fröhlich.
The Werner Ruploh group specialises in the transport of bulk dry goods. Headquartered in Beckum, Germany, the company not only transports various building materials but also hazardous goods and different types of industrial fuels. The group currently employs 350 people at three different locations. For more information, visit www.ruploh.com