Aquarius IT continues to see a huge increase in demand for tachograph remote downloading services; due in part to the industry embedding digital technologies into all areas of its back-office operation, but also in response to the ongoing driver shortages. For PSVs as well, that might be away for weeks at a time, being able to have a fully automated remote downloading facility makes practical sense, it takes the onus off the driver to ease compliance management – and Phoenix Bussing is a case example.
Phoenix Bussing, which operates a large fleet of purpose-built 45ft long double-decker buses, is renowned in the music industry for supplying luxurious sleeper buses for on-tour artists, and their band and crew in the UK and all over Europe.
Andy Gray, the company’s Transport Manager, is highly experienced at managing the huge logistical operation these tour schedules involve; behind the scenes he also has the confidence in knowing his fleet of 16, 14 and 8-berth coaches and drivers, who will sometimes be out for months at a time without returning to base, are maintaining compliance thanks to investments the company made in remote downloading technology a few years ago.
Since 2012, Phoenix Bussing has been using Aquarius Tachograph Analysis software to manage and analyse all its driver and vehicle data relating to Drivers’ Hours Law. Soon after, in response to the then logistical issues involved in managing long-distance driver and vehicle digital data downloads, the company also integrated Aquarius remote downloading and eSign technology into its software package.
An investment Andy says was, and continues to be, invaluable.
While there has been a surge in demand for remote downloading because of labour shortages; for operators like Phoenix Bussing which might have a driver on a 3-week tour and then be off for a month before they email back downloaded data, remote downloading, and eSign, is fundamentally about logistics, practicality and ease – to ensure compliance.
Andy explains: “When we first took on Aquarius’s Tachograph Analysis software, we had a mixed fleet of analogue and digital tachographs, and we issued drivers with handheld downloading devices for them to email their data; but it soon became clear that some were better than others at remembering to download after the required 28 days or sometimes, they simply didn’t have access to a laptop so couldn’t email.
“It was time consuming chasing drivers and it made compliance difficult to manage, so we embraced remote downloading which took the onus off the driver. By integrating downloading technology, the software automatically tracks and manages the whole driver and vehicle data downloading process at a set time – without the need for human intervention, which has massively freed up my time.”
Phoenix also utilises all of Aquarius’s additional ‘Live Feed’ tools, including ‘Driver Decision Support’, which shows a view of the remaining driving and rest times of each driver.
For further information about all the benefits of remote downloading, please contact the Aquarius team via aquariusit.com/contact
