Driver workflow is the nucleus of trucking operations—holding everything together and shaping how the entire system functions. And like elements in the periodic table, every fleet needs its own unique composition.
But let’s leave the chemistry lesson there. If you’re still relying on generic “circle of service” workflows in your in-cab or mobile systems, chances are they don’t align with the real-world complexities of your load-stop activities.
The consequences are friction, wasted time, and reduced efficiency. Luckily, there is a solution. This article discusses how a custom mobile app platform makes it easy and affordable to provide drivers with vital information and features, without unnecessary clutter, at the right times and places throughout the load cycle.
The Hidden Cost of Poor Driver Workflows
Inefficiency in trucking often occurs in small increments. For example, a driver is unsure of his next step and calls dispatch or misplaces a bill of lading (BOL), causing billing delays. Across a fleet, moments like this could cost hundreds of dollars per driver every month.
The source of this dysfunction often arises due to in-cab and mobile driver apps with inflexible, vendor-defined workflows. The terminology, functions, and steps do not match a fleet’s unique requirements and driver preferences. When technology doesn’t adapt to your needs, it creates a patchwork of manual steps that can compound inefficiency and confusion.
Operating Without a Clear View
Disjointed workflows are more than an inconvenience. They collect and spread data haphazardly across your operations and back-office systems. Bottlenecks go unnoticed. Minor issues grow into bigger problems. Blind spots increase, and leadership is forced to make decisions with incomplete information.
A unified workflow, by contrast, brings everything together into one clear view for drivers and gives the office a complete record of what occurred and the next steps.
What Modern Workflow Optimization Looks Like
Uniquely, the Eleos custom mobile app platform allows fleets to build driver workflows that match every piece of information, instruction, function, and sequence to their exact requirements.
With a well-constructed workflow, fleets provide certainty for drivers, eliminating phone calls, texts, and manual record-keeping. The terminology and steps on their screens mirror how your fleet talks and operates, helping drivers act quickly and confidently.
As one example, suppose you want to use “Shipper” instead of “Pickup” as a label for loads. Similarly, you can name data fields and place them where drivers expect to see them, such as trailer numbers and POI details for stops. This flexibility helps transform the workflow into a helpful guide at every step.
From there, you can implement load- and customer-specific logic, reflecting the nuances of hazmat moving differently from flatbed loads; reefer loads requiring different checks than fuel hauling; and dedicated customers with their own expectations and documentation needs.
Eleos makes it easy to account for these differences. The impacts of custom workflows quickly become evident, as these examples show:
- Nebraska-based K&B Transportation deployed a custom workflow in Eleos that automates the validation, approval, and processing of driver lumper payment requests. The integrated system saves up to 20 minutes per load, getting drivers on the road faster by eliminating office phone calls to handle lumper payments.
- A flatbed fleet boosted compliance and reinforced a key customer relationship by integrating a steel-coil securement video in the loading workflow at the precise moment drivers need it.
- Tulsa, Okla.-based Melton Truck Lines reduced missing BOLs from 200 per week to just 20 after making real-time document scanning part of its driver workflow, rather than a separate task drivers had to remember in its previous system.
The same idea applies to tracking detention. With Eleos, fleets can add a button to a driver’s workflow that appears at the right time to help them accurately record detention events, thereby assisting in revenue recovery and removing delays that used to slip through the cracks.
When Workflows Actually Work
Custom workflows that mirror your customer and operational requirements simplify driver tasks, saving minutes at every stop. For a fleet of 500 trucks, saving five minutes per stop per driver equates to 10,000 hours of extra productivity annually.
Besides drivers saving time, dispatchers spend less time clarifying information and more time focusing on critical tasks like optimizing loads. Leadership also has greater visibility as systems are updated more frequently and accurately.
Don’t Let Inefficiency Become Your Default
Custom driver workflow doesn’t mean adding more screens or steps. It’s about simplifying the driver experience, removing friction, improving clarity, and making interactions smoother.
By contrast, fleets that rely on generic workflows will continue facing the same problems with processes that do not closely align with how their customers, drivers, and operations teams work.
With Eleos, fleets create workflows that exactly match how they operate, enabling them to adapt quickly to new customers, freight, or processes. Reach out now to see Eleos is action.
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