Author: Ellen Quirke
Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2021

The Four Key Factors At The Heart Of The Logmate System

Logmate is a system built around people. We believe that people should always be made the priority and building tools with that mindset allows us to truly understand the needs of the Industry.

The Logmate Digital Logbook was designed with four key principles in mind.

  1. Simplicity
  2. Visibility
  3. Accountability
  4. Accuracy

In this post, I am going to talk about how these four key principles are visible throughout the platform and why it makes the Logmate Digital Logbook the best choice if you are looking to start using an electronic logbook for your business.

Easy and Simple To Use

We understand that the biggest barrier to entry when switching to a technology solution is often the perception that it is going to be complicated or difficult to use. That is why we have prioritised keeping things simple at Logmate, in every aspect of our business.

  • Entries are made at a touch of a button and a majority of the entry is auto-populated
  • Our design is completely stripped back with only necessary information being displayed
  • Our pricing is transparent and you are only paying for the service that you require.

Visibility of Work Time Records For Operators

From within the dedicated Operator Admin Portal, Transport Operators can have real-time visibility of their Drivers work time balance. When a Driver makes an entry in their Digital Logbook via the Logmate App (on either iOS or Android) this information is pushed back to their linked Transport Operators giving them insight into how much work time the Driver still has available or if they are due for their rest break.

This level of visibility means an Operator can be up-to-date and informed with all their Drivers work-time status' in order to get them back home safely at the end of the day.

Real-Time Accountability

The visibility provided to Transport Operators in real-time also helps keeps drivers accountable for their actions. Drivers are aware that their Operators get updated in real-time. We have seen this level of visibility has deterred drivers from exceeding their work-time allowances. This ensures drivers are operating in a safer manner which improves the safety of all road users.

A bonus side effect is also improving a businesses bottom line. By having a high level of accountability put on drivers there is a reduction in the discrepancy between hours actually worked (recorded in the logbook) and hours claimed to have worked (through a timesheet). Being able to see logbook data in real-time (rather than up to 14 days later on a paper system) means you won’t be paying out wages for hours that weren’t actually worked.

Accuracy Of Entries In The Digital Logbook

We all know that mistakes happen. When that happens with pen and paper there is no line of defence to let you know that something might be a miss. With Logmate we have several features that help drivers make sure everything they are entering is correct.

  1. We display countdown timers that show exactly how much longer a driver has until a break is due or when they can return to work.
  2. We auto-populate the time and location fields when an entry is made.
  3. If something looks not quite right in an entry or what they are trying to enter isn’t possible (like a time in the future) we will display an error message and prevent the entry from being made.

Conclusion

As it stands today we believe the Logmate System is an effective tool for compliance in the Transport Industry in New Zealand. It simplifies keeping a logbook for drivers and provides insights to Operators which improves business management. However, at Logmate we always think things can be improved.

Over the past 18 months, we have been going through a complete redevelopment of the Logmate System which will not only allow us to improve the way in which the current system operates but will enable us to continue to build tools in conjunction with the needs of the industry.

We will have more updates over the coming months both about what the new system will feature as well as when to expect changes.