Fleet executives and managers seldom complain about having too much information about their operation. What does concern them, however, is having multiple interpretations from the same set of data, or when it takes hours to build reports and spreadsheets. Waiting hours or even days to find a “single version of the truth” will erode business leaders’ confidence in their information systems and decision-making abilities.

To address these common frustrations, many fleets are using various performance management systems and business intelligence tools. Demand for these applications continues to grow, prompting some technology providers to offer scalable applications and services with little or no upfront investment.

Choosing metrics
Dashboards and exception management systems are perhaps the most popular tools for executives and managers to monitor key metrics and trends in their organization. Dashboards automatically capture, calculate, display and refresh key performance indicators (KPIs) throughout the workday. Exception management systems complement dashboards by sending immediate alerts to decision makers throughout the day whenever key metrics exceed the established thresholds.

Fleets typically use dashboards and exception management tools to monitor two types of metrics — operational and analytical. Operational metrics track results from daily business activities. Analytical metrics give insight into the overall health of a business and help managers stay on top of trends.

Prescott, Ontario-based Kriska Transportation processes more than 6,500 customer orders per month via its TMWSuite dispatch and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, says Paul Dean, chief operating officer. To manage the many possible exceptions based on the information attached to each order, the 400-truck carrier uses an exception management tool by TMW Systems called The Dawg.

Kriska uses The Dawg to monitor 25 different exceptions on a real-time basis, including the number of loads, revenue per mile, empty miles, unassigned trucks and orders without assigned rates, Dean says. The latest version of The Dawg can monitor information from data sources other than TMWSuite, says Steve Pembridge, project manager for TMW Systems.

O&S Trucking, a Springfield, Mo.-based refrigerated carrier, develops its own in-house software for operations and performance management. Chief Executive Officer David Corsaut uses a dashboard on a daily basis to monitor cash, on-time deliveries, days in accounts receivable, and the volume of business by customer.