The past year 2020 was dominated by a topic that posed significant challenges, especially for the transport industry. The global Corona crisis was accompanied by numerous restrictions that directly affected the already time-sensitive business in transport.
Despite the more challenging conditions also at our company, for example, the shift to working mainly from home, our customers’ needs still come first at DAKO. Thus, in 2020 we also improved our web platform TachoWeb with numerous new functions and adaptations in order to support transport and logistics companies in optimising their processes in the best possible way and enabling a smooth workflow.
In our review, we have summarised the essential TachoWeb improvements in 2020 for you.
Plan orders even more flexibly and process them on the move
We are developing TachoWeb more and more into a comprehensive system for your transports. To this end, we put a lot of development effort into the Order management in 2020.
Let TachoWeb plan your tours
Short summary
The fully automatic tour planning with Smart Planner is now even easier to use and has more options. For example, when moving orders between tours in the history, you can now decide where the order should be inserted. Similarly, unplanned individual orders can be merged into their own daily tours.
Smart Planner then automatically creates optimised tours from the selected orders, which relieves you of a large part of the planning. In addition, you immediately receive a message if, for example, delivery windows cannot be met.
The fully automatic tour planning with Smart Planner is now even easier to use and has more options. For example, when moving orders between tours in the history, you can now decide where the order should be inserted. Similarly, unplanned individual orders can be merged into their own daily tours.
Smart Planner then automatically creates optimised tours from the selected orders, which relieves you of a large part of the planning. In addition, you immediately receive a message if, for example, delivery windows cannot be met.
Also, we have significantly optimised Smart Planner concerning tour quality. By improving the calculation basis, the calculated tours now correspond much more precisely to your requirements so that you do not have to make many adjustments.
Whereas 50 orders previously took about 5 minutes to calculate, up to 100 orders can now be calculated in one minute. The same applies to quality: Whereas previously instances with up to 50 stops could be calculated with good tour quality, now up to 400 stops can be distributed into suitable tours at once.
Optimised Tour quality
Orders in one minute
Instances per calculation
Also, we have significantly optimised Smart Planner concerning tour quality. By improving the calculation basis, the calculated tours now correspond much more precisely to your requirements so that you do not have to make many adjustments.
Whereas 50 orders previously took about 5 minutes to calculate, up to 100 orders can now be calculated in one minute. The same applies to quality: Whereas previously instances with up to 50 stops could be calculated with good tour quality, now up to 400 stops can be distributed into suitable tours at once.
If the number of vehicles specified by the user is insufficient to supply all stops, Smart Planner also creates additional drivable tours. These can then be subsequently assigned to a vehicle.
Optimised Tour quality
Orders in one minute
Instances per calculation
Optimised Tour quality
Orders in one minute
Instances per calculation
Save time and costs already during planning
Short summary
With the batch editing of orders, we have introduced another time-saving function. In the order overview, several orders can now be selected and edited at once via “Edit selection” concerning status, type, service time and comments. It is also possible to save several orders immediately as a daily tour or to transfer them directly to the Smart Planner to have tours planned automatically.
The interlocking between the order overview and tour planning makes the compiled editing and scheduling of orders much easier and faster.
We have also integrated the uniformly defined EC vehicle classes, which are included in all route calculations. You can now also specify address data even more precisely via GPS coordinates, for example, if the actual delivery location does not match the postal address in the case of large company premises.
Mobile order processing made easy
Short summary
Contactless delivery has become enormously important, especially in the last year, to avoid infection risk. But even aside from the pandemic, flexibility and well-documented processes play a significant role in goods delivery.
Our app DAKO drive enables delivery drivers to process orders entirely on the move, without a lot of paperwork or complicated processes. Here, too, we have integrated improvements in 2020. For example, drivers can now specify various reasons and procedures in the app if delivery was not possible. Dispatchers then also receive this information in TachoWeb via the status of the tours in the order list.
In addition, drivers can now decide whether they want to drive to the undelivered stop again or, in case of delivery services, drop off the goods at a parcel store. There is now also a special function for media logistics specialists: When a driver accepts a new tour, he can see directly in the app how many copies of various print products with which publication date are to be loaded onto the vehicle. This prevents paperwork and misunderstandings when accepting orders, as these figures can be stored directly in the tour.
All these improvements give you an even more powerful range of functions for your job planning, enabling you to save time, costs and resources and work more efficiently.
Driving and rest times safely under control
Detecting incorrect operations of the tachograph
Warning:
Violations under Regulation (EU) 165/2014 involving incorrect operations of the tachograph are punishable by fines in the same way as driving time violations.
Better overview in tracking
Better management of expenses and deadlines
Save time with the expense module
Expense calculations can be time-consuming and require efficient control options. To make your work easier, we have integrated some improvements in 2020.
The expense “traffic light” in the overview shows users not only whether all the necessary data for a driver is complete and correct but also which information is missing in detail. The lump sum for overnight stays in the vehicle has also been added and can now be entered in addition to the regular lump sums for meals.
If all expense data is complete, all or only specific employee reports can now be exported together with details in a PDF document. This saves a lot of time and reduces the effort involved in expense management.
Import function for deadline changes
To incorporate several deadline changes quickly, there is now an import function in the deadline management. An import template can be generated from individually selected deadline types and makes handling much more comfortable. However, deadlines relating to the administration of driver cards and driving licences are still controlled exclusively via the readout or the initial check data. With these innovations, we have further improved the deadline management for you so that important deadlines are not forgotten and everything remains transparent.
Focus on user-friendliness
- Customisable dashboard
- Platform-wide search
We continue to grow TachoWeb into an intuitive portal to make your work and that of your employees easier. That is why we have worked a lot on user-friendliness over the past year and integrated new functions.
On the start page, each user can now create an individual dashboard with the required information. Up to 8 tiles are possible, which can be arranged and moved as desired. Each user can select the information relevant to him or her from all the subordinate dashboards, such as evaluation, administration, deadlines, etc., and save the dashboard so that the data is available at a glance, directly after login.
In addition, we have integrated a TachoWeb-wide search, which allows access to the sub-pages. This allows you to find pages quickly, for example, if you are unsure to which section they belong. Even as you type, various suggestions and keywords are displayed so that you can go directly to the relevant page.
On the start page, each user can now create an individual dashboard with the required information. Up to 8 tiles are possible, which can be arranged and moved as desired. Each user can select the information relevant to him or her from all the subordinate dashboards, such as evaluation, administration, deadlines, etc., and save the dashboard so that the data is available at a glance, directly after login.
In addition, we have integrated a TachoWeb-wide search, which allows access to the sub-pages.
This allows you to find pages quickly, for example, if you are unsure to which section they belong. Even as you type, various suggestions and keywords are displayed so that you can go directly to the relevant page.
The new functions, together with the improved user-friendliness and the mobile extended arm through our apps, bring TachoWeb further along the path to becoming a holistic system for optimal transport organisation. The deep networking of dispatchers, drivers and fleet managers and the high data quality provide you with a strong companion in your day-to-day business, allowing you to plan precisely and master exceptional situations in a relaxed manner.