Luxury coach hire company Golden Boy Coaches is saving around 60 hours a month on administration and cutting its operating costs since it moved its tachograph analysis to PSV-specific software provided by TruTac eight months ago.
Family-owned Golden Boy specialises in high-quality coach hire, rather than excursions packages, focusing on private hire and contract hire. Customers include corporate clients like Tesco, councils, schools and travel and tour companies.
Hoddesdon-based Golden Boy runs 37 vehicles, including 14 large coaches (53/57-seaters) and two 70-seaters. The rest of the fleet is taken up with midi vehicles (29 and 33 -seaters) and 11 minibuses (16/19/22 -seaters).
Golden Boy had been using another tachograph analysis supplier for around eight years since digital tachographs were introduced in 2007. However, when the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) became a commercial partner of TruTac Golden Boy decided to look at CPT Tacho Analysis. The system is fully web-based, with complete digital and analogue tachograph analysis and automated reporting, specifically designed for PSV operators. Golden Boy has been using the system since November last year.
CPT Tacho Analysis is used by CPT members of all sizes and in all sectors to provide a secure system to manage their tachograph analysis and compliance requirements.
Golden Boy’s Transport Manager Andy Wing says that the main benefits of using the software is the time saving on administration, as well as the cost savings and the user-friendliness of the system, including the ability to see everything “live”.
“The biggest time saver for us is when it comes to monitoring the working time directive – previously our drivers would use time-sheets and at the end of the day we would have someone in the office actually adding up those times manually, putting them on to a spread sheet. However, the TruTac system records everything for us and displays it in the way we want so I can see it live and can see who’s coming near the driving time limits and who’s not.”
With 43 drivers’ cards to process, the time saving on administration is easily 15 hours a week, says Wing.
In terms of compliance Wing is pleased with the automatic generation of infringement letters feature of CPT Tacho Analysis. He is also happy that the system can analyse both domestic hours and EU hours – Golden Boy’s work is mixed but the majority of it is EU hours.
Additionally, moving to CPT Tacho Analysis has saved Golden Boy money. Under the previous system Golden Boy had to pay for every vehicle data download and driver download but with the TruTac system the company now only pays for the driver card downloads, and they receive a significant discount for being a CPT member.
“The fact that the TruTac system is specifically aimed at PSV operators helps the business overall,” adds Wing.
“A lot of tacho software is aimed at anybody that uses tachos – it’s not broken down by type of transport – but we operate very differently to HGV operators. This system from TruTac is specifically aimed at PSV operators and I don’t think there’s many tacho software companies that do that to be honest.”
Wing has been particularly impressed with the online training and support that Golden Boy has received, along with the flexibility built into the system, for example if a few additional drivers need to be included.
“I am very happy with CPT Tacho Analysis – I cannot fault the support…it’s fantastic. And, having sampled this, I definitely wouldn’t go back to the old system!”
Golden Boy Coaches first took to the road in 1968 and is still owned and managed by the same family. Over the decades the company has grown in size and has earned an enviable reputation for providing high-quality coach hire.
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