Transport Management

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TruTac software nets Earned Recognition for KB Coaches

KB Coaches has become the first coach operator in Gloucestershire to achieve the prestigious DVSA Earned Recognition accreditation by using four of TruTac’s fleet software systems.

The PSV specialist coach operator has been around for 40 years and has a fleet of 20 vehicles – the average age of which is approximately three years – along with an equivalent number of drivers. It specialises in large-scale transport for the likes of schools and sports teams, but the fleet also includes a pair of minibuses for smaller jobs, such as airport runs.

KB decided to pursue Earned Recognition status – the Government approved accreditation to prove operators meet exemplary driver and vehicle standards – around two years ago. “We read some articles in the trade press and spoke to one or two DVSA reps,” explains director, Andy Francis. “You agree to all the standards of Earned Recognition when you get your Operators Licence, so it’s basically just making sure that you’re doing everything you said you would and ensuring compliance is a key metric across your fleet.”

At the time, the company was already using two of TruTac’s products to assist with its day-to-day operations. “We started with TruCheck about four years ago, just for our own peace of mind,” says Andy. “It was to make sure the daily walkaround inspections were being done correctly and in the best way possible. They can be geolocated, time-logged and the driver takes pictures, because they carry out the checks via an app on their phone.”

The company quickly adopted TruTac’s TruAnalysis PSV tachograph analysis system for public service vehicle operators because it instantly synchronises with the data collected during walkaround checks. This provided Andy with what he describes as a ‘hand-in-glove’ approach to vehicle inspections and digital tachograph downloads. All the data in one place, and instantly available.

The move to Earned Recognition saw the company take on more of TruTac’s systems, namely the TruFleet vehicle maintenance management programme and the TruLicence licence verification software. Those additions allowed KB Coaches to submit KPI’s to the DVSA to prove its compliance and management credentials which, in turn, means its vehicles are less likely to be subject to routine stops by traffic officers – one of the perks of the scheme.

“We added those systems to show that we’re fully compliant and consistently meet the DVSA’s standards for Earned Recognition,” adds Andy. “It’s also just so much easier managing things like maintenance digitally. All of the systems seamlessly work with one another, so the driver knows when the vehicle’s due an inspection in the garage – it just comes up during his walkaround check.”

Andy concludes, “The simplicity of the system and the full integration makes everything easy to manage and we wouldn’t be without it.”

KB Coaches pride themselves on compliance, vehicle standards and safety. Earned Recognition re-enforces this commitment to their customers and their drivers.

TruTac, part of the Microlise Group, are fleet compliance experts and proud to be firm supporters of the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme.