Since its formation in Middlesbrough in 1988, Pendragon Haulage has firmly established itself as a key player in the regional distribution industry.  Based in Shropshire, the business offers a range of major road haulage, warehousing and distribution solutions.

To enable its 16-strong fleet to cut costs and save time on field service activity, the firm was keen to find the best vehicle tracking system for its operation.

Having previously bought into competitors’ vehicle tracking technologies that failed to meet the company’s requirements and expectations, Pendragon Haulage turned to Navman Wireless.  “We have had a number of vehicle tracking systems in place in the past, but they didn’t really offer the kind of service we expected,” said Pendragon Director Hefin Rees.

 

“They seemed fairly useful when we first got them, but we soon discovered they didn’t really keep up with the times and became progressively ineffective as our business developed.”

 

Eventually the company opted for Navman Wireless in a last bid to curb rising fuel costs and help drivers avoid potential problems en route to jobs.  Hefin said: “We spent a long time looking for a new vehicle tracking system we hoped would satisfy our needs. We have been anything but disappointed.  “Our customers expect the very best service from our business so we needed a superior vehicle telematics system to streamline our efforts and minimise overheads.  “It is clear that Navman Wireless understands the needs and expectations of the haulage industry. Other vehicle tracking and telematics systems we have used have simply not offered the same kind of reliability.

 

It is in a league of its own and continues to offer a level of service we had not experienced before. We simply could not ask for more.”

 

Pendragon utilise Navman Wireless’ OnlineAVL2 software, which allows managers to monitor a wealth of information such as vehicle location, speed and distance from jobs in real time.  By integrating full aerial photographic images with traditional street level mapping, off-road areas such as depots and car parks can be easily identified from any PC.

 

“It has worked great for us,” said Hefin. “Everybody in the office is now using it, thanks largely to it being so much easier to use than systems we have had before.

 

“Being able to see our vehicles using the photographic maps has proved invaluable to us.

 

“Now we can direct our drivers to locations that do not show up on standard road maps for example, a loading bay or depot.”

 

A reliable vehicle telematics system was vital to Pendragon due to its long list of prestigious clients, which includes several rock bands and even the Rugby Football Union (RFU).   Hefin said: “Getting the right tracking system was incredibly important to us because we wanted it to become an established, integral element of our business operation. We have tried the competition, but we are only now discovering the true potential of what vehicle tracking can bring to the business.

 

“With a great vehicle tracking system now installed we are able to identify where we are wasting money on diesel as well as where we can boost productivity by increasing the number of jobs our drivers complete in a working day.

 

“Having this information at our fingertips has ensured that we are already making significant improvements to our bottom line.”  Pendragon also praised the support team at Navman Wireless for their continued guidance since the system was installed.

 

“They have been superb,” Hefin said. “They are very friendly and very helpful, and are always there to answer any queries we may have.”