In May, fleet management software company BOLT System responded to the demand for increased delivery efficiency by creating its app, Tandem Workflow.
Four months later, the app gained 100 users, and Chief Technology Officer Jerry Robertson projects 400 percent growth by the final quarter. FreightWaves editor Brian Straight covered the BOLT System in April, providing context regarding the Nashville-based company’s 18-year track record.
BOLT System, owned by Silicon Valley veterans Jerry and Gayle Robertson, is a cloud-based fleet management system built for trucking firms. Its customers’ typical fleet size is 75-150 trucks, many of those either private or dedicated. Being cloud-based allows the offering to be both affordable and easily scaled, depending on the size of the fleet.
BOLT is an acronym for Best Online Tracking. Customers may be attracted to BOLT’s unique history. Before building an intuitive software system to manage everything from route analytics to photographs of damage, Jerry Robertson earned a commercial driver’s license and purchased his own fleet.
The Robertsons’ willingness to drive a truck and manage a fleet in multiple states increased their credibility when moving from California to Nashville to open their cloud-based BOLT System in 2006.
BOLT continues to evolve. Like its name suggests, the Tandem Workflow app operates in conjunction with the newest electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track freight, delivery, detention time, proof-of-delivery, weather and fuel preferences. Additionally, the app allows for immediate invoicing and allows drivers to quickly comment on each delivery. It’s designed to improve the driving experience, as well as reduce paperwork.
“Based on BOLT being a cloud-based-system, we range from 10-3,500-truck fleets,” Roberston said. “The app is intuitive and easy to operate. Customers like the layout of data specific blocks, [hours of service], loads, traffic and weather.”
While the software works optimally in relationship with a unit’s ELD, drivers with non-ELD units can still download the app on their phones or tablets. The problem with non-ELD use lies in the software following the driver, instead of working directly with the unit’s ELD. Robertson reported that it creates an influx of “erroneous locations,” therefore compromising the data.
Most carriers use ELDs, but many of those that don’t use automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDS), which are only legal until December 16 of this year. At that point, all non-exempt trucks will be required to run ELDs.
One obstacle to growth is that some drivers require more training on downloading and using the app, so BOLT is in the process of creating training materials to compensate for this.
On a positive note, the audience and compatible ELD brands proved to be more expansive than expected. The initial marketing of the Tandem Workflow promised compatibility with Geotab, but ultimately integrated with other ELDs like Samsara and KeepTruckin’.
Tandem Workflow, using the same customer-centered ethic that branded BOLT from the start, continues to broaden in capacity, types of freight and user audience.