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Hello and welcome to the sixteenth edition of InTransit eq, the newsletter that will be “e”-mailed you on a “q”-uarterly basis. We try to include articles that appeal to our clients and/or our prospects and other friends in the industry. If there is something you'd like to read in future editions please provide feedback. Of course if you are not interested in being included in our circulation list, please unsubscribe where indicated right at the bottom of this email.
On behalf of the Transit team, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, happy and successful 2007.
Nicola Williams
Managing Director |
David Miller Is Transit's New Business Development Manager |
I’m pleased to announce that we have appointed David Miller as our new Business Development Manager. David has been working with us on a contract basis for the past few months, via the Advisory Firm - the company who recently helped us with our strategic business planning. As a result of that work, we’ve found that David fits in well with the Transit team and, as such, we would like to continue the relationship on a more permanent basis.
David has a broad range of experiences in management, marketing and sales across a wide range of industries, particularly Technology, Information Communication and Health Infomatics. David recently spent time in the logistics software industry as CEO of Sanderson Logistics, specialising in Warehouse Management Systems. |
He was involved in the development of leading edge technology for one of the earliest GPS location systems through Patrick Corporation at their Melbourne Container Terminal. David has also managed at COO and General Management levels with AXICORP during its massive growth phase (now Primus Telecom) and Phoneware (now Sirius Telecommunications).
At Transit, David will generate new business opportunities, close new and existing leads, assist our Management Team with business and strategy planning and implementation, and act as a mentor to key staff in the sales, sales management, account management, marketing and strategy planning areas.
“I am delighted to be joining the Transit team,” David states. “There is no doubt that Transit offers a superb application in assisting transport companies contain and reduce their costs, at a time when not only is the sector booming, but also regulatory and operational costs are rising at an equivalent rate . I am greatly looking forward to re-involvement in the industry.”
Nicola
Williams
Managing Director
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| Odyssey Includes New Driver Break Functionality |
Although Odyssey has always included driver breaks, some of our clients have asked that we add extra functionality to help them better manage the fatigue management legislation.
Over the years, we have implemented various incarnations of driver breaks to meet the different needs of our clients. One of the most recent innovations was the ability to manually drag a driver break onto a trip in Odyssey’s Schedule manager; however, this simple solution was always a stepping stone to the final solution.
We are, therefore, pleased to announce that Odyssey now allows you to specify not just how long breaks should be, but also how often they should be taken. The scheduling engine then takes this information and automatically slots in driver breaks in line with the rules you set.
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For example, if you specify that a break of 30 minutes should be taken every 5 hours, the scheduling engine will include a 30 minute break in any shift that lasts for more than 5 hours, and two 30 minute breaks in a shift that lasts for more than 10 hours.
The feedback we have received from our clients indicates that this new functionality suits the types of operations they run. Given that optimised routing is predominantly used for local distribution, a complex system taking all the variations of legislation that each state dictates was not deemed necessary.
A complex system would be unwieldy to use and difficult to teach, and there are going to be exceptions to any computerised driver break scheme, no matter how detailed the specification. As always, the scheduler can review the schedule and manage the exceptions if required.
From all reports, Odyssey’s new driver break functionality is a great success.
Scott Dowell
Operations Manager
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| Odyssey Handy Hints - Schedule manager and map window integration |
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Odyssey’s map display of your schedule integrates with the Schedule manager for an easy way to identify call details by simply clicking on the call on the map.
To use this feature, open the Schedule manager and then open the map window, select the required map (right click on the part of the map you wish to view and select the appropriate map page or scale) and zoom to the appropriate level using the toolbar buttons. |
Make sure you have the relevant vehicle layer/s turned on by clicking on the Layers button and selecting from the Vehicles list.
You can then click on individual calls on the map and the Schedule manager will automatically navigate to that call in the Schedule window (as shown in the image). This feature is useful for quickly editing the order, customer or vehicle information for the call you have selected, or to review schedules on a geographical basis with a great visual representation.
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| FAQs |
How do I schedule deliveries after midnight?
We have some clients with operations that require deliveries to be scheduled after midnight of the current day, ie: after 23:59.
To cater for this, Odyssey utilises a 50-hour clock, whereby depot and vehicle work hours and delivery windows can fall anywhere in the range of 00:00 to 50:00.
For example: on Tuesday you run a schedule for deliveries that take place between 8pm Tuesday night and 4am Wednesday morning - your deliveries will occur between 20:00 (8pm) and 28:00 (4am the next day).
It is important to note that if you wish to utilise this feature, you must carefully modify your depot work standards (first driver starts / last driver finishes), your vehicle work standards (start and finish time), the default time windows in the Parameters editor (Demand tab) and the time windows against Orders or Customers accordingly.
If you think that your operation may benefit from this feature and you require some assistance, please contact the Client Support team.
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