Time Logistics are no strangers to the upsides and pitfalls of choosing the right Transport Management System provider.
Jason Palmer is the Managing Director of Time Logistics, a well-known haulage company located on the outskirts of Birmingham. Jason and his team are experienced players in the transport industry, having amassed valuable expertise with their fleet of 45 vehicles and their 52,000-square-foot warehouse with 4,000 pallet positions. They partner with The Pallet Network and also offer a general haulage service, as well as pick & pack options.
The team at Time Logistics are well-versed with transport management software, having previously worked with Stirling Solutions for a number of years. However, as we all know, things change and you have to move forward. After searching the transport software provider market, Time Logistics made the decision to switch to another provider. And who better to tell us all about the switch than Jason himself? In this article, we’ll chat with Jason about his role, the move to a new software provider, and the ins and outs of comparing different systems
HaulTech: Can you tell me about your role at Time Logistics?
Jason: I’m the managing director so I dip my toes across the whole business, wherever I am needed, really. For the most part, I oversee the operation, make sure it’s running smoothly and keep an eye on the essentials. If I need to step in and make changes, I will, just like I did with changing transport systems and moving providers.
HaulTech: Why did you move Transport System provider?
Jason: We were with Stirling for years and it did the job well but the support element wasn’t quite there anymore and when you are running your whole business on a system, you need the support, if not, you’re kind of done for. Then with the acquisition of Stirling by Mandata, it just made the decision final for us, we needed to know we would get support and quite often with larger companies like that, you don’t get it. We’d heard pretty good things about HaulTech from other people and when we spoke to Clare (one of HaulTech’s Directors) we knew it was a company we could depend on. Everyone we have dealt with so far has been attentive and it feels like they know us and we know them, which is what we wanted.
HaulTech: Was the transition period difficult?
Jason: Nah, not at all. We thought it might be but it was pretty simple. HaulTech were honest and told us from the get-go the transport systems operate differently and we accepted that fact early on. They explained that although the systems can do many of the same things our old system could, there were a few things it didn’t do in quite the same way but there were many more features in other areas that we didn’t have before. And now, to our benefit, we much prefer HaulTech’s system to the old Stirling one.
HaulTech: How do the service and product compare to your previous supplier and their system?
Jason: The system is a lot better, it’s faster and it feels so easy to use. None of the team has had any negative feedback. The training was a bit difficult for us because we’ve been working a certain way for years now, so we had to adapt but also HaulTech adapted the training for us to work with us which just goes to show the quality of the support we are getting.
HaulTech: Have there been any drawbacks to moving from Stirling to HaulTech?
Jason: The only struggle we had was training because we had to adapt to a system that was different but no matter where you go, it’s going to be a leap going from using one product to using another. Once the leap was made, everything was great.
HaulTech: Where do you find the system most helps your operation?
Jason: We have every integration we need whether that be with TPN or our accounting platform so it’s really streamlined our process and when we needed another integration, HaulTech built it for us so now we have an integration to help us with some of our airfreight and sea freight customers. Our accounts team are flying with the invoicing, it honestly helps us run the business more easily and efficiently than what we did before.
HaulTech: Lastly, would you recommend other hauliers to make the jump?
Jason: Sure. After the initial shock of moving transport software provider, everything seems so much easier. And for many at the moment, they don’t have a choice but to move because of the Stirling system being shut down soon, and they’re going to have to relearn a system anyway. They might as well make a choice that they know is going to be more beneficial for them.
Are you considering moving transport provider? Why not contact us today and see how we can help you? You can reach us by clicking here, calling 01782 662244 or saying hello@haultech.co.uk.
