Based in the West Midlands, WAC Light Haulage is a family-run general haulage firm that has grown significantly since its inception. In this article, we talk to Wayne Cooper about his role as the Director at WAC Light Haulage, how he works, and how a Transport Management System has helped improve his processes.
HaulTech: Can you tell me a little bit about your company?
Wayne: We began in 1991 with just one pick-up and started by moving timber and steel cutting, after our success there we began to do multi-drop deliveries with some local hauliers. I brought my dad into the business along with my brother at that time, my dad had been a driver his whole life and loved working with and alongside me. We moved up a gear to larger vehicles in 2003 and have not looked back since. It has allowed us to work for some major local companies along the way and develop a large sub-contractor base as well as good working relationships with other hauliers.
HaulTech: What are your responsibilities at WAC?
Wayne: As Director of WAC Light Haulage Ltd, I’m responsible for all financial issues and new business development. I also look after company growth strategies moving forward, one of the strategies actually included introducing a transport system to help us handle our workload.
HaulTech: How were you managing your workload before a transport system?
Wayne: We did everything manually and had endless amounts of paperwork. The amount of storage we needed for all the paper was overwhelming and could become quite confusing.
HaulTech: How has the system supported you and the rest of your business?
Wayne: We now have a digital system meaning we don’t have to store tonnes of paperwork anymore. The whole system has saved me so much time, we invoice so much faster now which has made a mega difference to us.
HaulTech: How have the drivers found the technical changes?
Wayne: The guys on the road have an app which allows them to take photos of the deliveries and get signatures on their phones. They use their own phones and were hesitant about that at first but they find it a breeze to use and actually quite like it. It lets us see signed copies of our customer’s paperwork straight away which has really helped with building our customer relationships.
HaulTech: Did you experience any troubles using the system?
Wayne: Yes at the initial use, it was a bit confusing as we were ancient in our methods but it has now brought the company into the new digital era and we’re better for it.
HaulTech: Would you recommend the system to other hauliers?
Wayne: Absolutely! It’s done so much for us and we’ve already recommended it to several companies who are starting to use it and love it.
If you are wanting to enter the digital era like WAC Light Haulage then contact us today by clicking here, calling 01782 662244 or saying hello@haultech.co.uk.
