Solutions 1 Transport LLC - Orlando Florida

Solutions 1 Transport LLC. of Orlando, Florida, hauls refrigerated commodities across the United States. Owner Timothy Jones recently spoke to us about their Axon experience.

Tell us about your decision to move to Axon software.
“To really grow, we had to get software that could manage what we were trying to do as an organization, and it needed to be user friendly. That was very, very important. Being able to have reminders – about permits, tractors, oil changes, and things of that nature – played a great part in it as well, because as you grow your fleet, you want to be able to maintain your level of control.

The system we used prior to Axon couldn’t provide EDI [Electronic Data] interfaces to our major customers. EDI capability is a pretty big issue with a lot of our larger shippers.

Then we found Axon and, man, we just fell in love with it from day one. The software is very broad, it’s user friendly, and it covers a lot of areas. From entering loads and dispatching, all the way through to our accounts receivables and payables; it’s great. You don’t find too many trucking software systems that have the financial systems built right in like this.

One of the big factors for us was the flexibility of the dispatch screen. You can have several different views in regard to your Orders Against Time. It gives you clear visibility. You can see what’s being picked up and delivered where. It helps us strategize, and we can have regional dispatchers covering different areas. If I want to know what’s going on, I can just hit my Orders Against Time and look at all the orders.

The Executive Briefing was big for me too – being able to see what your company is doing as a whole, at any time – in real time. You can look at your accounts for revenue, available revenue, completed loads, everything. You can look at how much money you have out there on loads that are currently en route. You can gauge your business yourself through the Executive Briefing.”

How have you found your overall experience with Axon?
“The customer service has been excellent. I couldn’t believe how well things panned out. It’s been great. It’s been a blessing; Axon really takes care of you.

The process of upgrading from our old system was excellent. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it a ten. It was a smooth transition. They took all the information that I had in my old software and downloaded into their system. That way I didn’t have to go back and retype every customer that I had in the system.

Another thing that I really love is Axon’s Inner Circle plan. The Inner Circle plan is great, because when you add additional staff and you’re trying to get people trained, you don’t have time to take them through the system to show them how things work. We can call, schedule training for new staff, and they’re trained.

The commitment that Axon gives us to help facilitate our system and create a smooth transition for people coming on board is a great thing.”

Has Axon changed the way you manage fuel tax?
“Before Axon, I was doing everything manually. It was either that or use some third-party agency to do it for you, and that was costly. I did it manually for years and then, when we got Axon, everything just flowed right through the system.

All you have to do is run your fuel tax reports, for the quarter and the year. Just click a button, and there it is. I actually send the Axon report in to the State of Florida.”

Did Axon improve your settlement statement processes?
“Oh, definitely. The settlement statements give our Owner Operators year-to-dates of their revenue, a breakdown for the specific work week that they were paid on, how much money they took in advances, and how much fuel they used, not only for the week but also year to date.

It is excellent; it gives them a quick reference. Now I rarely have any questions from Owner Operators when they get their statements. It’s just plain and simple. Every important detail is on it, right down to the maintenance.”

Has Axon improved your invoicing?
“Previously, we were sending all our invoices through the mail. Now, with one of our big customers, we are actually invoicing through the Axon EDI system. It’s reduced our receivables from between 20- 25 days to 3-5 days. That makes a big difference to our cash flow.

Since we set up the EDI, we have been able to wean ourselves away from factoring companies. That’s now saving us, easily, $160,000 to $170,000 per year that we would have spent in financing fees. With the economy being the way it is, if this wouldn’t have changed, I don’t know if I would be in business today. Thanks to Axon, I’m good to go. I’m happy; I can’t complain.

Another great feature that I want to bring up is Axon’s online tracking for our customers. We have implemented the PeopleNet system in our trucks, and it updates every 15 minutes automatically. So with the online tracking, customers can go onto my website, and they can track their shipment online, at their convenience. That has been an excellent selling point for my company; it’s helped us to pick up bigger and better business.”

Has Axon helped your office productivity?
“Oh, definitely. This is what’s amazing about Axon. Axon has made it so easy, to the point where I actually have all of my CSR teams working remotely, from home, using the Axon system. I have a young lady who works out of her home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and I’m in Orlando, Florida.

She has access only to the areas we want her to in the system, and she’s off and away. She’s doing her own thing, and it works great. And when she needs training, she can log in with Axon, and they can train her.”

What would you say to another manager or owner who is considering investing in Axon?
“I would tell them that if they wanted a system that was going to work effectively, productively, and efficiently, Axon would be the right system for them.

It’s not a complex system. It’s a system that’s user friendly. It doesn’t take rocket science, and being able to learn and maneuver through the system is just awesome.

So I would really tell them, ‘If you want productivity, quality and great, great usage from a system where you can get all types of reports, from the top to the bottom of your organization, you should purchase Axon.’ If they don’t, they’ve probably made the wrong choice.”

How did you find the experience of moving from your old accounting system to Axon?
“We converted to Axon from QuickBooks. With Axon, it’s far easier to segregate all your expenditures and know where your trouble areas are.

The reporting and getting to the right information is a lot easier. I can actually run reports by truck to let me know how much I’ve spent on fuel this month or what this truck made this month. You can gauge driver productivity. You can pinpoint everything. It’s just amazing.

My outside accountant works on our system with ease. He has no problem; he maneuvers through the system like you wouldn’t believe. You need a trucking financial system to be able to really, really know what you’re spending and what you’re making. You need to be able to have that visibility to know where you’re going.”

Has Axon helped improve your customer relationships?
“Oh, definitely. On a service level, when customers want to know details about what might have been loaded on a truck at their warehouse, Axon allows us to have all of that pertinent information within that specific order.

We can go straight to orders and reference them with our order number, give them the quantity and the breakdown of what that customer shipped, and how much it weighed, all the way down to the shipper pickup number.

Whatever they need, we can provide – quickly. They give us the bill of lading number, and we can type in the number they gave us, and just hit Enter, and it will go right to the order.”

Tim, do you have any last comments?
“As an owner of a company, I guess the primary thing, for any person who is looking to buy the Axon system, is to know that it will save you money. It will increase the productivity of your staff and help you provide quality service for your customers.

The financial returns have been a complete blessing for me. With Axon I can send my invoices electronically and get paid in five days. You can’t ask for a better accounts receivable turnaround than that. It’s saved me over $150,000 just right there. Actually it’s anywhere from $160,000 to $170,000 per year I’ve saved, easily.

It has been a great savings for me and my organization. I’m sure that, for any CEO who wants to have a clear picture of what they’re doing with their company, Axon would be the best company for them.”

“How A Better, Faster Invoicing System Can Add Tons of Cash to Your Bottom Line”