Operating a huge national fleet, truck and trailer rental and lease business TR Group is using smart technology to help manage its assets and ensure compliance.
TR Group first came onto the Australian scene five years ago, with just one branch. Through phenomenal growth it now operates across locations at Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth, with a rental fleet of over 2500 assets, including over 500 prime movers and rigids.
Its extensive trailer offering covers everything from skels to A-doubles, side loaders, fridge bodies, Performance-Based Standards (PBS) combinations, WA road train side tippers and more.
It was about three years ago that TR Group began implementing systems from WHG. This started with the use of asset management software in the form of WHG’s solar tracking technology which has been implemented across the entire trailer fleet, along with many of their trucks.
Fast forward to now, and TR Group is using a full suite of technology from WHG including telematics, the company’s Smart On-Board mass (OBM) system called FleetWEIGH, which was launched late last year, a customised QR code system and WHG’s software platform.
As national fleet and maintenance manager Rian Alexander explained, the business was looking for much more than just a software and equipment supplier.
“As a business, we want to work with a business that isn’t just a supplier. We want to be able to grow together with a partnership and relationship. WHG has been good like that. They’ve become an important asset to the business as we continue to move forward. And of course, customer service and back-up support is key.
“The biggest thing that we keep pushing is that this working relationship is a partnership. There’s no ‘you’ and ‘us’.”
He added that for TR Group, tracking is vital – and for more reasons than you’d think. “For us, tracking is a must. You do need to know the location of an asset when it’s a rental, as you do have cases where it can be dropped where it’s not meant to be,” said Alexander.
“But knowing where the asset is and how many kilometres it has done also means we know when and where it needs to be serviced – and servicing our equipment is key to our business.”
“For example, although an asset might be rented out of our Melbourne branch, it could be heading into Cairns when it’s due for a service, so that means we can get one of our service providers to get it in and get it done.”
“Having access to an asset’s real life location and kilometres is key to ensuring you can service things on time. The reason we take time and kilometres into consideration is because for example, some of our assets only run in circles off a wharf. They don’t do high kilometres but they do high time, so the platform WHG has customised for us looks at both time and kilometres to see which is due.”
Alexander continued, “One of the added values we provide to our customers is that we look after the maintenance in-house. We create our own service plans for our assets to ensure we meet not only the OEM requirements but our requirements as well – so we inspect our equipment on a more frequent level.”
As TR Group has found, implementing QR codes onto all of the trailers is further assisting with this requirement.
Trailers account for a significant chunk of the TR Group fleet. With a quick and easy scan, technicians and managers have access to all of the data for that particular asset. Given that TR Group operates at scale, this has helped to bolster productivity and efficiency – reducing the amount of paperwork.
These QR codes are now being used for pre-starts, safety checks and basic operation guides. “The QR codes have been on our trailers for a while as the system is further developed, so it’s been a work in progress and one that we’ve worked on together with WHG,” said Alexander.
More recently, the addition of WHG’s FleetWEIGH technology has taken things another step further.
A Smart OBM solution for suspension trucks and trailers, FleetWEIGH is a ground-breaking mass management system that is easy to install, with reliable Bluetooth and weight sensor technology for seamless integration with real time in-cabin visibility, plus remote monitoring by back office teams.
FleetWEIGH is the first TCA certified Smart OBM system with embedded telematics monitoring for use in conjunction with the Telematics Monitoring Application, eliminating the need for multiple systems and needing to manage multiple suppliers. Though as a rental and lease business, Alexander admits that OBM wasn’t always high on the agenda for TR Group. “It wasn’t a massive part of our processes but it is now. A lot of customers are requiring smart OBM as their businesses have grown and we want to be able to grow with them. We had tried a competitor’s product. But it’s all about the right product, the right service and the right relationship,” he said – and it’s clear to see that WHG delivers that in spades.
“FleetWEIGH works very well. It’s simple to install, it doesn’t require a lot of wiring, and it’s remote wireless through to the tablet in the cab which is locked into position, so it can’t be removed by anybody.”
For TR Group, WHG really has been able to deliver the full package: a great product, great service and the ability to deliver customised solutions that match the company’s needs.
“One of the key reasons we’ve been with WHG for this period of time is that their support is second to none. If I pick up the phone and have a requirement, it’s addressed then and there. They go above and beyond if we have any issues and are always willing to discuss our needs, and what we can do better and do together,” said Alexander.
“Together we’ll keep growing and looking at different opportunities and challenges, developing new ideas together, instead of as individuals.”
TR Group make Truck and Trailer rental and lease easy for you. Pre-fitted with WHG’s telematics and Smart On-Board Mass, your rig is ready to hit the open road.
TR Group is a specialist heavy commercial truck and trailer rental and lease supplier. Call TR Group on 1800 50 40 50.
Contact WHG Solutions today to find the right solution for your fleet. Call 1800 474 387 or visit whg-telematics.com.