Fleet operators often consume reams of paper, sometimes for no reason other than to comply.
Driver files, logbooks, vehicle inspection forms and receipts of all kinds go through their offices to be processed, audited and stored away.
The paper model has changed due to an ever-increasing amount of information that needs to be managed to stay in compliance, and to become more efficient at doing so.
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability program is a recurring stream of inspection and violation data. Electronic logging devices (ELDs), telematics systems and other technologies create enormous amounts of data too.
A variety of software applications can be used to manage compliance, and outsourcing is a popular option for fleets to reduce costs and focus on what they do best.
Custom Ecology, Inc. (CEI) operates 750 tractors and 2,100 trailers to transfer solid waste to landfills for customers in the commercial waste collection business.
Since 2012, CEI has acquired two companies. The new drivers, equipment and terminal locations it added would require at least seven more people in its safety department to manage compliance, estimates Rob Arbeiter, national safety director for the Mableton, Ga.-based fleet.
