Transports Blanchard Coutand (TBC) has implemented Trimble’s fleet management solution. The company had been using on-board IT devices for 13 years and decided it was time to update its telematics, move upmarket and access new traceability processes. In the summer of 2019, the carrier teamed with Trimble to equip its French operations in Saint Prouant (Vendée) and Nîmes (Gard). Today, its entire fleet has been equipped with Trimble’s on-board telematics devices.
"The consultation to select a new supplier lasted over a year," said Sébastien Paillereau, the Administrative and Financial Director for TBC. "We got help from a specialised firm so that we had a sound methodology. The call for tenders was made known to the major suppliers in the market. We choose three finalists, including Trimble, which turned out to be the best in terms of their quality and range of solutions best suited for our IT project."
First Criterion for Selection: the Ergonomics
Purchasing a new fleet management solution was part of a complete overhaul of TBC’s IT system. Trimble was selected for its intrinsic performance levels as well as its interoperability with the company's other applications – Andsoft’s Transport Management System and SOLID Expert, Trimble’s social data management software. In terms of the selection criteria, the Director specifically noted how easy the Trimble solution was to use.
"We chose to fit our hundred or so vehicles with Trimble Truck4U on-board computers along with the FleetXPS mobile Android tablet for the driver interface. The hardware is ergonomic, robust and easy to use for drivers, who are the first to use the system. For the back office, Trimble’s solution was selected by our planning, administrative and fleet management departments. We conducted advanced demonstrations with FleetCockpit, Trimble's fleet management software. The planners were heavily involved in our final decision."
Second Criterion for Selection: Integration
For employee management, the company selected SOLID, Trimble's social data management solution.
"The FleetCockpit planning tool gives us a lot of information in real time about the social data management of drivers," said Yann Bossard, operational director at TBC
"Secondly, the employee data is validated and archived by SOLID. The FleetWorks back-office application enables us to programme and automatically empty the memory of tachographs and driver cards. We were also pleased by the close collaboration between Trimble and Andsoft, which supplies our new transportation and fleet software, and we look forward to its planned rolled out at TBC during 2020. The applications communicate very well together."
Third Criterion for Selection: Technical Performance
On the operational side, Yann Bossard was impressed by the quality of the FleetXPS tablet: "We need to be able to track our deliveries and quickly pass on information to our customers in our two distribution businesses. Home deliveries are expanding fast at TBC. So the robust and reliable Trimble tablet was ideal.
Packages are scanned individually and intensively at the rate of 100 to 150 units per day! We performed tests in various environments, including in near-darkness. The Trimble 2D barcode reader recorded the best results from our panel, even when the labels were folded or half torn. In addition, to provide proof of delivery, or record reservations, the Trimble tablet camera is also very effective.
About Transport Blanchard Coutand (TBC)
TBC has 96 motor vehicles and 245 drivers, generating more than €17 million in turnover in 2018. The company is involved in the transportation of industrial freight, refrigerated transportation, powders, equipment rental, chartering and home delivery as part of its Tred Union group's Tred Chariot network. TBC is also part of the Trans Europe Meuble (TEM) network. For more information, visit: www.tbc.fr
