Business owners can find keeping up with changes in technology difficult. But proactive business owners understand that investments in technology can benefit a company financially and provide tactical advantage over the competition. Technology can also lead to new or increased revenue streams, a broader reach of your services, and other benefits.
In the weighing industry you don’t have to look too far to see the continued advancement in both software and hardware technology. A new weigh-in-motion weighbridge is being installed on State Highway 1 at the Rakaia Bridge to support the introduction of High Productivity Motor Vehicles. NZ Transport Agency’s Southern Regional Director Jim Harland says as the Transport Agency works towards moving more freight on fewer vehicles throughout New Zealand, it is important to monitor the impact of heavier loads on roads and bridges to protect the assets from any damage. “The $500,000 weigh-in-motion site will also enable the Transport Agency to collect data for all vehicles travelling over the Rakaia Bridge and enable us to identify freight operators who are in breach of their permit.” (Ref: goo.gl/pXS9Hn)
It is expected the introduction of seven weigh-in-motion sites throughout New Zealand will assist with the recovery annually of $3 million in unpaid Road User Charges. For directors and company owners investigating advances in technology to determine if they offer a positive (ROI) return on investment is the first step. For technology providers it’s about continual research and development so to determine which technology service or product best meets market demand with ROI for the investor.
The unmanned scale solution meaning “not having or needing a crew or staff’ is true of Kiosk or POS (Point of Sale) App software running on a Device (with optional recognition inputs) for the Truck Driver to complete Entry Onsite and Exit processing. With or without a Weighbridge Scale. 
Once Onsite, the Loader Driver’s job is to LOAD. This is achieved with a Loader Scale that is trade certified, fixed to the cab and are ‘Keypad’ type devices in nature.
An opportunity to consider the ROI on the Loader is the time taken to Add or Select vehicle and/or customer data. In today’s Loader Scale devices this is currently measured in minutes not seconds describing the first opportunity. Load Time reduction means greater traffic throughput and is to be considered as one of multiple primary methods with which to calculate your return on investment.
Business Requirements:
- Maintain the existing trade certified Loader Scale.
- Remove required input by the Loader Driver in morphing the Loader Scale from an 18 to 30 plus Keypad device to just five. Required by the loader driver at any point in time.
- Capture all Loader Scale data such as weight, date timestamps, buckets added or subtracted, short total, overloaded, and zero tare. All loader scale, scale related function data.
In achieving Loader Scale simplified keypad input processing, functions removed (above) from the Loader Scale must be replaced. Made easier, quicker and smarter with a tablet Loader Scale Software Solution. Peripherals include a Serial to USB cable from the Loader Scale to a Tablet and adding accessories of a Windscreen mount and Universal protector case estimated at $750 per tablet.
Loader Scale Software on the Tablet.
Truck drivers have been using tablets for years so why not the Loader Driver? The Loader Scale software Onsite Grid (below) shows data that has been entered with or without a weighbridge under manned or unmanned (Kiosk or Point of Sale) Entry Onsite processing. Data between devices is transported in real-time over 3G, 4G, Wireless or Radio connectivity removing CB communications chatter whilst maintaining single entry input and accuracy of data.
Target weights are optional with default as per the vehicle configuration updated and edited by operator users or truck drivers, as per their vehicle ID and are transaction recalled. Status offers all users a Live view of vehicles in the queue Waiting…… In Progress meaning being loaded or Completed, where the Entry Onsite save, timestamp; to the first bucket and/or last bucket and/or transaction Exit save, becomes site performance measures and statistics as does the Target Weight when compared to the Net weight. All of these measures work towards increasing your (ROI) Return on Investment which can be extrapolated out, not only by the quantity of Loader Scales but by Profit Centres (or sites) in addition.
TOUCH only (above, single click) any Onsite transaction to open the Loader Load or Bucket Grid (below). Add software features of hiding or making visible, filtering, sorting and field positioning, means an ability to customise the view specific to the Loader drivers’ preference in addition to the selection of just one product should the loader driver be working from the one pit all day.
The Loader Scale Load Grid (above) is accessed by single touch of a transaction existing within the Loader Scale Onsite Grid where the Add, Delete or Complete (as per the Vehicle Configuration of Truck Only, Truck & Trailer) is controlled by your trade certified Loader Scale device. On Complete the screen is automatically closed and the Loader driver is returned to the Loader Scale Onsite Grid for selection (above) of the next vehicle registration code, transport company and Customer. This simple design also provisions for Loader driver mistakes with the back-end capture of Bucket Warm-Up, Zero Tare, and Overloaded, Loader Scale like data.
Add features to the Loader Scale software solution and follow-up with a question or two.
- Redundancy – Loader Scale Software Online and Offline capability.
- Point of Sale – Modify the existing successful POS system offering a tablet version and allow the Loader driver to:
- Complete Pre-Entry to Onsite save.
- Complete Onsite save.
- Complete Exit save with Docket Print (invoice production).
- Loader Scale ease of process:
- With or without Weighbridge Scale
- With or without Point of Sale.
Can the Loader Scale device be simplified for our Loader Drivers? Could a Loader Scale software and tablet solution provide an ROI within just 6 months to a year? Learn more about the methods of processing Pre-Entry, Onsite and Exiting vehicles Here.
To learn more about our Weighbridge or Loader Scale POS contact us or check out our YouTube channel for demonstration videos.
