From Frustration to Flexibility: How Fraley & Schilling Turned Driver Confusion into Clear Communication
Fraley & Schilling
Fraley & Schilling is a performance-driven carrier focused on delivering high-value transportation solutions in specialized freight, particularly flatbed. As Director of Continuous Improvement, Nikki Cupp works across departments—from drivers to customers—to ensure every process is meeting real-world needs. Her role centers on listening, learning, and optimizing systems to reduce friction and improve the experience for everyone involved.
- Challenges Overcame: Better Driver Communication, Customization & Flexibility, Improving Driver Experience
The problem
Fleet managers at Fraley & Schilling were ending driver phone calls feeling frustrated—not with the drivers, but with the process. Drivers were frequently calling in for information they should have already had—pickup numbers, delivery appointments, directions, or customer-specific policies. The underlying issue? The information was being sent to the drivers too early, too generically, or through the wrong channels.
“We’d send a message to the driver as soon as the load was planned—but it might be days before they actually needed that info.”
Their ELD system offered limited communication capabilities, mainly relying on static messages and route notes. As a workaround, the team created a #help feature in messaging that let drivers request the info when needed—but it was clunky, limited, and still message-based.
“It worked, but it wasn’t perfect—nor exactly what we wanted.”
The tipping point came when Nikki heard a fleet leader at a 2023 conference mention that their biggest driver complaint was too many messages. That insight stuck.
“I left that conference thinking, ‘What else can we do?’ That was one of the biggest influences behind developing F&S Connect.”
The solution
Fraley & Schilling built F&S Connect, a custom mobile driver app powered by Eleos, to deliver a better, more context-aware experience. With it, they moved away from static, message-heavy workflows and toward on-demand, in-context communication—tailored to each trip and load.
“We no longer have to rely exclusively on messages. Drivers can tap into exactly what they need, when they need it, and where they need it.”
With F&S Connect, drivers now have:
- Location-specific trip notes including turn-by-turn instructions, gate info, dock assignments, and customer quirks—all surfaced when needed.
- Load securement videos for specialty loads (e.g. suicide coils, eye-to-the-sky) displayed contextually within the app.
- Customer requirements such as site policies, safety certifications, or specific actions required for entry—all integrated into the trip workflow.
“Everything is there at the right time. No more digging through old messages. No more calling dispatch for things we could’ve delivered better.”
What really set Eleos apart was the platform’s flexibility. While traditional ELD vendors have limited abilities to update or configure their systems, Eleos gave Fraley & Schilling the tools and control to build their own solutions.
“It’s such a creative toolbox. We’ve been given all of these tools—and it’s up to us how we use them. We have the keys to do anything we want in our app.”
The results
Reduced call volume and frustration between fleet managers and drivers
On-demand access to route notes, customer policies, and instructions
Fewer missed steps through timed, load-specific task delivery
Better training based on load requirements, using embedded videos for securement procedures
Flexible development environment—tailored tools without ELD vendor bottlenecks
More empowered drivers and fewer communication breakdowns
See Eleos in action for yourself
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