At A Glance
- Fleet tracking has significantly improved Health & Safety management
- eRUC solution streamlines the entire RUC process, saving both time and money
- Scope to grow business with confidence thanks to over a decade of trusted partnership
With a history of over 80 years, DT Kings has come a long way from a humble family-owned business to one of the biggest transport operators in the lower South Island. The company now has divisions and depots across Southland and into Otago, with over 200 employees and 170 trucks and machines. Whether it’s loading logs, spreading fertiliser, carting heavy machinery, or transporting stock, DT Kings is synonymous with providing unwavering service. Its busy trucks heading to various destinations are a familiar sight to people of Western Southland and beyond.
An early adopter of GPS fleet tracking technology, DT Kings has used Teletrac Navman’s tracking services for more than a decade. The company embraces GPS fleet tracking in most areas of its day-to-day operation, and Teletrac Navman’s telematics and fleet management solutions continue to play a key role in the development of DT Kings, General Manager Grant Loader said.
“The training support and the people have been really, really good, and this is what keeps us with Teletrac Navman. Teletrac Navman representatives are excellent at listening to us figure out a solution.” - Grant Loader, DT Kings General Manager
A valuable addition to the Health & Safety system
GPS tracking and telematics technology has played a major part in Health & Safety management at DT Kings, contributing to a great improvement from the Health & Safety perspective, especially for logging.
“We use it two-fold, in our back-office admin to ensure the drivers aren’t overworking themselves to the ground. We can also get reporting and alerts to confirm breaks, making sure that the trucks sit still during their half-hour breaks,” says Grant.
“We also use the reporting system to investigate incidents. The system provides us with really detailed high-definition information, so it’s the first place we go to get speed reporting and have a full picture. It’s accurate and indisputable.”
In the event of any incident or injury, they can immediately track the location and direct services to the site. “Everybody can just have a quickly login from anywhere and see where truck is,” says Grant. In the aftermath, Grant says he can rely on the data to work out what could have been done differently and provide targeted training.
Putting an end to logistics nightmares with eRUC solution
Starting out as a local, rural transport company, over the years DT Kings has grown fast with plenty of acquisitions. As the business evolves, different challenges demand different solutions.
“Eight or nine years ago we got a machine in the office to print our own labels, but the real problem is the distribution,” says Grant. When its fleet got to over 100-150 trucks spread across Southland and into Otago, distributing all those labels became too much of a hassle. “For our business, eRUC successfully solved this problem.”
There is another significant advantage for DT Kings from the compliance point of view. “Purchasing smaller licenses benefits us, but if you get one overloaded weight, you’ll have to purchase the upgraded license for that entire road license. We have compliance audits that add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Grant and the DT Kings’ team no longer have to spend hours and hours on claiming off-road rebates, a process that he describes as “arduous and time-consuming”.
“Having geofence enabled, we can identify the exact limits, even around the yards, which is fantastic because that requires a bit of local knowledge. The process is slick and easy, all the evidence-based claims can be accessed and there’s never a question.”
Now RUC management is completed in a fraction of the time, adding hours back to each week. In fact, the hours saved add up to almost 40 hours a week, the workload of a full-time employee. “For us it’s not all about that economic benefit, but it is more about being able to get those labels out and make sure we know they’re always on the screen, and compliance management is vastly improved.”
With automatic off-road activity tracking and off-road distance calculation, as well as off-road claim forms prepared automatically and emailed directly to Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, he can have more time to focus on things that really matter.
Trusting partnership paves the way for business growth
It’s challenging to win a new customer but keeping existing customers happy isn’t something you can take for granted either. DT Kings has its own reasons for having been Teletrac Navman’s customer since 2011.
The training support and the people have been really, really good. This is what keeps us with Teletrac Navman. Our representatives are excellent at listening to identify problems and figure out how to improve. We can have open discussions and brainstorm ideas to see how their services can integrate with our business.”
“As we identify problems and areas to increase efficiency, Teletrac Navman have a part to play. They work seamlessly with our rural and logging dispatch systems, and we’d be a clumsy dinosaur making mistakes without telematics systems.”
Looking ahead, Grant appreciates that the fleet management system has allowed DT Kings the scope to maximise potential growth. Again, it’s the peace of mind that it provides: “There’s no fear for us to pick up new businesses or acquisitions, as we know we’re able to handle the workload perfectly with the aid of the right technology.”
When you supervise the day-to-day operation of a large transport company like DT Kings, it’s the peace of mind that is most valued.
About DT Kings Transport
From its humble beginnings originating in Pukemaori in Western Southland in 1938, to its expansion across Southland and Otago, DT Kings Transport has spent the past eight decades providing diverse transport and contracting solutions for a wide variety of industry needs. DT Kings has a proud, family-owned history. Since it was established by Dave King, the business has been passed through generations and continues to be serviced by the King family. With several depots across Southland and Dunedin, DT Kings Transport has extensive expertise and resources to meet any transport need.
