DG McArdle International, a leading Irish hauler, reports Eureka’s transportation management system is helping it decrease vehicle downtime and improve productivity.
The 30-year-old, family-owned logistics firm, which is based in Inniskeen, County Monaghan, delivers domestic and European freight, including refrigerated loads, using more than 200 vehicles. DG McArdle also maintains a depot in Dublin and maintenance shop in Damastown.
“Eureka is a comprehensive system that helps us control many facets of our business from one platform,” DG McArdle’s David McArdle said in a release. “It has undoubtedly made us more efficient and has significantly reduced vehicle down time.”
DG McArdle uses Eureka MoveIT as its end-to-end TMS. The platform is suitable for all types of hauling work, including full load, tipper, multi-drop, pallet, and crane hire. It enables operators to plan and implement transport operations, monitor them in real time, and measure performance, Eureka said. Features include a customer app, driver web portal, and automated job importing, plus templates and schedules. The electronic document interchange enables MoveIT to import jobs from a variety of files and sources.
Haulers can automatically allocate loads based on configurable rules such as vehicle capacity and location; or build loads quickly with drag-and-drop functionality. It also includes route optimization to save time and fuel, and integration with telematics providers, as well as managing ferry bookings for overseas freight.
The ferry bookings management module enables real-time monitoring and control over bookings, amendments and cancellations from within the TMS. Features include real-time status updates on ferry departures, as well as key events such as checked in, cleared customs, sailed, arrived, and disembarked.
Furthermore, the Eureka system can handle all rates, surcharges, and rebates, including those for different times of day, day of week, and equipment type.
“The ferry booking module is an extremely useful feature for us,” David added. “It streamlines the whole process for the transport operator.”
Additionally, Eureka integrated its TMS with the Transics fleet management platform and TK Tracking for DG McArdle, offering real time insights and reports on drivers’ hours and vehicle ETAs. The hauler imports and plans jobs, then sends them to the drivers, who also have mobile devices for electronic proof of delivery.
DG McArdle also uses Eureka’s MaintainIT module to manage its Damastown garage. MaintainIT allows the user to set up maintenance schedules based on dates, or odometer and fridge hour readings. The dashboard provides a user-friendly colour coded overview of fleet status. Features include creating job cards to allocate to mechanics, logging inspection checks for compliance, and an app for daily vehicle defects checks.
“MoveIT and MaintainIT work very well together and the usability for haulers is tremendous,” David asserted. “Combined, they give us great insights. We get fast access to the information we need and in the right format.
“The customer service from Eureka has been great and we would highly recommend them.”
