Author: Ellen Quirke
Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2021

Work Smarter, Not Harder By Going Paperless

While most write off the slogan “work smarter, not harder” as a way for millennials to get out of doing hard work, in reality, it actually makes a lot of sense. I know you are all collectively shaking your heads thinking “so says the millennial” but hear me out.

We don’t need to look at it as putting in less effort, but rather that every effort we do put in has a purpose and a positive outcome. Why would someone want to spend 8 hours digging a single hole by hand with a shovel when they could get 8 holes dug using a digger in the same amount of time?

At Logmate we believe that we can apply those same principles to the management of compliance and operations in the Transportation Industry. Why should Drivers and Operators still be spending excessive time and resources dealing with paper-heavy manual processes when the same, if not exponentially better, results can be achieved with technology?

The simple answer is, they shouldn’t.

In this post, I want to share with you the ways that you can work smarter, not harder by going paperless with Logmate.

Health And Safety

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the way individuals look at the world and changed the way that businesses need to operate.

While it appears that New Zealand has a pretty good handle on Covid-19 right now it doesn’t mean it’s time to get complacent.

Going paperless enables Drivers and Operators to demonstrate their adherence to stopping the spread of Covid-19 now and other contagions in the future.

The government recommendations at higher risk levels on how we can unite together to stop the spread of Covid-19 include:

  1. Physical Distancing
  2. Cleaning Surfaces
  3. Contact Tracing

Going paperless achieves all these three goals:

  • Drivers no longer need paper logbooks in their vehicle meaning they reduce the number of surfaces that need to remain clean
  • Drivers can deliver copies of their logbook to their TSL holder automatically via email and/or the Operator Portal
  • Operators can work from home and still fulfil their compliances requirements through digital delivery of logbooks

By getting set up with a paperless system now you will have peace of mind knowing that you a prepared for any future disruptions to the way you conduct business.

Save Time And Money By Increasing Efficiency

As the saying goes time is money and by going paperless with Logmate you will save both. Paper heavy and manual processes often take a considerable investment of time and aren’t very efficient.

As a Transport Operator some of these processes may include:

  • chasing up logbook copies
  • manually inputting work time hours into payroll systems
  • double-checking work and rest time to ensure compliance
  • sorting and filing logbook copies in a safe and secure place that is easily accessible

If this sounds like your business you will most likely be paying staff to undertake these processes which can turn into a major cost centre in your operations.

Going paperless seamlessly automates all of these processes, meaning your staff can spend more time on things that can earn you money rather than spending it.

Reduce Errors

Work time compliance regulations for the Transportation Industry in New Zealand are in place for a very important reason. At the end of the day, they are intended to keep all road users in New Zealand safe. But in order for compliance to work effectively, it has to be streamlined and error-free. Something that is not possible in a paper world.

  1. Putting pen to paper means the quality of reporting comes down to the legibility of someone’s handwriting.
  2. Calculating work and rest time durations relies on a Drivers mathematical ability.
  3. An Operator needs to decide if they can trust the logbook they are receiving is error-free, or invest the time (and chance of further errors) through manually revising it.

Going paperless allows technology to do the work for you. Times and locations are auto-populated, work and rest time balances are automatically calculated and real-time feedback means avoiding accidental mistakes.

Conclusion

Here at Logmate, we want to feel like every dollar and minute we spend has a purpose and we believe our customers feel the same way. By going paperless with us you will be saving both time and money by streamlining your compliance processes.

Compliance is an important part of the Transport Industry but if it gets in the way of business operations it is often devauled. We believe by removing the stress of managing compliance by going paperless it can still be made a priority by both Operators and Drivers while not affecting the bottom line.