By his own admission, veteran Queensland transport operator Chris Dryden is no expert when it comes to modern software solutions in road transport.
But when the creators of new driver management tool SAFVER – a blend of safe and driver – came to him asking for his input, he jumped at the chance to get involved.
With 43 years of experience in the industry, the boss at M&C Logistics could see the gap in the market for a tool like this to help owner-drivers.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Dryden, who was won over by the passion that the creators, brothers Sourabh and Gourav Vachher, had for their platform.
“It’s a one-stop-shop for everything from pre-starts, medicals, BFM certificates, compliance, driver training, you name it.
“I can see that once it’s up and running, big companies saying that they don’t have to worry about training new drivers because they’ll know they’ve already done the proper training through SAFVER on things like load restraint.”
Dryden, who will soon start teaching load restraint workshops on the platform, says SAFVER is incredibly easy to use.
“It provides all the tools we need to ensure compliance and safety. From driver profiles to training modules, SAFVER has made our operations more efficient and streamlined.”
Dryden’s driver Barry Rose, another with more than four decades behind the wheel, has been an early adopter, trialling SAFVER on his regular runs to Mackay as a subbie for Team Global.
“Barry is using it on a tablet and loves it,” Dryden said.
“He mostly uses it for his BFM and for his weights, CML, pre-starts, trip costs, fuel…it’s getting him used to the future, and it’s easier.”
Dryden believes the simplified driver management solution will be an indispensable tool for newcomers who often don’t keep a close enough eye on the bottom line.
“Just take tolls for instance. A lot of people go through them and take them for granted. But with SAFVER, it adds them up and at the end of the day, you can see how much you’ve spent and how much fuel you’ve gone through.”
SAFVER director Sourabh Vachher has a long history in education and IT and could see the need for a simplified management solution after launching his own transport company, the Rocklea-based QLD Freight Logistics.
He was especially keen to find a way to improve and verify the skill sets of newly licenced drivers.
Sourabh said too many drivers are dissuaded from upskilling at institutes by the time and money involved.
“They won’t want to take a day off, they don’t like it.”
He said SAFVER, developed in partnership with his engineering brother Gourav over more than two years, can bridge that gap with its suite of free training tools, including toolbox tips from the National Road Safety Partnership Program.
SAFVER also offers free biweekly live non-accredited training sessions, all designed to help drivers stay up to date on the latest safety and compliance regulations and best practices.
“I realised that drivers don’t have time to do certification like Cert 4 qualification to be professional, so using SAFVER in day to day activities makes them more professional,” Sourabh said.
“Job ads can also be placed on SAFVER, which provides a platform to companies and drivers to connect and make the hiring process easy. Companies can see drivers’ profiles in SAFVER which includes traffic history and police check,” Sourabh said.
“If you hire a driver through us, they can start work the next day because everything is done and sorted.”
The Vachhers stress that SAFVER is more about making the industry safer and more professional than a money-making venture.
Access is free for the wage-earning truckie, and a nominal $17 per week for the owner-drivers to reflect the added data storage needed.
“It’s customisable too, depending on what type of management you want,” Dryden added.
For more information, visit safver.com.au.