FreshLinc specialise in the total supply chain management of temperature controlled fresh, chilled, and horticultural products throughout UK & Europe. Some of the UK’s leading retailers and suppliers are among their customers.
By streamlining technology used in their daily operations, FreshLinc are not only protecting their drivers and meeting compliance, but they are also offering their customers a superior service.
In a bid to simplify some areas of their business, FreshLinc researched the market for a solution that could integrate with some of their existing processes. A few months later, and just as COVID was bringing its own challenges and restrictions, Cubo began installations into over 400 HGV fleet and 800 trailers.
Ashley Holland, FreshLinc’s Commercial Manager, picks out key areas where Cubo’s system has helped the business.
Camera Health Check
Undoubtedly, our solution at the time had its restrictions and was becoming outdated, primarily the fact that we could not access footage remotely and having to wait for the vehicles to arrive back to base was wasting time and money.
Another limitation was in the event of us having to access footage, we sometimes discovered that a camera was not working, or older footage had already been recorded over.
FreshLinc quickly discovered an unforeseen benefit of the technology and its integration. Ashley describes the scenario that unfolded:
Driver Protection
We had an unfortunate, and distressing incident which could have resulted in one of our vehicles being impounded. Our driver found himself in a very challenging scenario at 19:30 on a cold, rainy Friday evening. They followed internal procedures and rapid escalations were made through the business. We were able to download the camera footage remotely and send it directly to a senior manager who was enroute to the incident.
On arrival they were able to show the footage to the enforcement officers on site, which clearly demonstrated exactly what the driver had already described, exonerating them of any wrongdoing at the scene. And as a direct result of that, the authorities were satisfied that there was enough evidence and they did not impound our vehicle.
The daily cost implications this could have had on the business were negated by having the Cubo system available to us. There is also of course the harder to quantify impact of the unknown and had we not had the footage available to us in such a timely manner the stresses involved of not knowing what happened and being able to support and protect our driver.
The integration of the live tacho feeds was a powerful tool in this instance also. As it gave a live representation of what the driver had done in his shift, which we would not have had access to if the vehicle had been impounded due to our inability to recover the tacho cards.
We also have the benefit that our investment makes us compliant with the new Direct Vision Standard legislation and demonstrates that we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our drivers alongside other road users.
Power of Integration
One of the reasons we choose Cubo was because they were able to integrate with Aquarius IT, who supply our tachograph analysis software and other key compliance systems. There is a direct link to vehicle defect reporting, tachograph records and other information with the telematics and vehicle data Cubo provide. Navigating all this information on one platform makes it easy to use for all our operators.”
Ashley Holland, FreshLinc
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Another main requirement for us was the ability to track our mixed Refrigerated and Ambient fleet on the same portal as our HGVs. We installed Cubo's Trailer Smart and Temp Smart Pro Solutions as it integrates with all our fridge and trailer manufacturers. It gives us the ability to view live: fridge set point, supply air, and return air temperature in each zone directly from the fridge engine data set along with any alarm codes.
So, we have accurate and calibrated information for our supply chain from collection through to delivery. For us, the capabilities of the system are just as important as its usability, and the fact that we have all this data on one portal makes it perfect for our requirements.
Now available on the MyCubo Online Portal
- MPG/Fuel Consumption & Idling Fuel Monitoring
- Cruise Control Usage Statistics
- Driver League Tables & Scorecards
- Fuel Level & Useage Reports
- Fuel Auditor
- Odometer Mileage
Benefits to Cubo and Novacom Customers:
- ThermoKing and Carrier compatible for mixed fleets for temperature tracking
- Temperature reports including set point, return air, supply air for multiple compartments
- EBS connection and Data (EBS Warnings, Hooked/Unhooked, Loaded/Unloaded etc.)
- Haldex/Wabco and Knorr-Bremse Compatible
- IP69K Certified EN12830 developed for underside trailer tracking
- Up to 3 months autonomy between charges
- TPMS with fleet reports
- Both scheduled and on demand reporting
- Data analysis across all data points
- Full API integration into existing TMS systems
- High security locking system compatible so driver nor warehouse staff see unlock codes
- EN12830 Certified Temperature sensors
