Work-life Balance During the Holidays

Fleet Payment Solutions aiding in a work-life balance during the holidays!

On December 18^th, truck drivers across the country will be required to retire the paper logbooks the industry has used since the 1930s and transition to mandatory electronic logging devices for recording the same information. While this digital technology seems to be causing a lot of uncertainty and apprehension to many, to others in this hustle and bustle of the holiday season it is just another sign of progress, helping to get through the season more seamlessly in order to spend quality time with family. And while ELD compliance may seem loaded and often times negative, the technology is meant to make every day challenges easier for everyone in the trucking industry. Change is good and like most innovation, time will allow these new solutions to be accepted and even embraced. Compliance is not the only thing the trucking industry has made more efficient through technology. Huge strides in strengthening the financial supply chain have resulted in benefits to the same drivers and fleet managers by way of Fleet Payment Solutions. If money talks, the development of streamlined and efficient electronic payment solutions speak volumes of how technology can make work and life more stable and balanced for fleets and their families during the holiday season.

Smartphones make electronic fleet payments possible and life easier

Smartphones, tablets and hand-held devices are also streamlining processes and making life on the road easier than ever before. It would seem that these days there is an app for everything, and that includes apps to make the rigorous life of a truck driver more efficient. Along with fleet cards that allow drivers to pay conveniently, there are multi-use cards that make it easier to weight and pay via a mobile app. Drivers can weight and pay using their smart phone or fleet cards never having to leave the truck, creating a more efficient use of time.

Along with apps that provide electronic payment capabilities, there are apps that aid in planning more efficient routes, and others that show fuel optimization. The app TruckSmart is geared toward cutting time spent waiting in line for fuel or parking specifically for trucks, and the trucking industry has even embraced the popular mapping and directions app, Waze. The Waze app not only provides access to traffic patterns, road conditions and speed traps, it also allows drivers to communicate with each other to get real-time updates about traffic or road conditions, and can even share routes. All of this to say that yes, there is an app for everything and the trucking industry is thankful for that particularly during a season where time could be spent at home with family.

Relying on strategic partners like EFS during the holidays is the key to payment success

The sacrifices that drivers, fleet managers and their families make every day during the holiday season is also what makes the industry the most challenging in the country. Fortunately, a lot of Fleet management companies are working harder to make this time of year better for everyone. Trucking companies across the country rely on strategic partners like EFS, a company that is utilizing data and technology to deploy robust payment solutions which will benefit the corporate stakeholders as well as individual employees. Their unique approach incorporates system technology, integrated payments and new product innovation to bring efficiencies and reliability that end-users like drivers may not even recognize, but that make their job much easier.

Fleet Payment tools like fleet cards are critical in streamlining payment processes, providing employees and contractors easy and immediate access to funds. These multi-purpose cards provide fleet managers transparency, and drivers convenient and immediate access to their payroll or settlement funds without waiting for a check. So, while drivers may have to deal with equipment failure or weather delays this season, they will not have to wait for their paycheck or holiday bonus. Benefits with these fleet cards also include:

• Multiple account deposit flexibility so employees can deposit funds or transfer to external accounts.
• Convenient mobile access to manage payroll funds via the mobile app
• Online summary of all load transfers and purchases to help track expenses
• Simplified workload by compiling and sending one file to load funds
• Check fraud elimination
• Access to funds through thousands of ATMs and participating retailers via the debit network
• 24-hour customer service

If they have not already, the holidays are certainly the right time for the fleet management companies to embrace technology.

Along with efficiencies in regulations, these types of innovations bring efficiencies and security to drivers and their families during a season that is meant to bring them closer together. Hard copy checks are becoming a thing of the past and that includes holiday bonuses. Through digital payment programs, funds are loaded on fleet cards or included with electronic fleet payments.

The administrators are rewarded by this innovation as well. Fleet management has access to digital services that allow them to gain greater transparency and visibility into purchasing and volume performance as well as fuel tax reporting and permit needs.

Stress Free Solutions!

So, while the ELD mandatory regulations are causing stress for many, the technology behind it is fueling change and change is good. Through Fleet Payment Solutions, this

change will help bring balance to the life of truck drivers and fleet managers across the nation during this “most wonderful time of the year!”

Resources:

https://www.dat.com/blog/post/5-new-regulations-that-could-change-trucking

http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/fleet-management/article/story/2017/03/14-things-you-need-to-know-before-elds-become-mandatory.aspx

https://eldfacts.com/eld-mandate/

https://www.fueloyal.com/11-mobile-apps-will-make-truckers-life-easier/