Axon Software

Blom Transport, a Hamilton, Ontario-based company, was struggling with the management of its fleet operations. The company, which services the metal recycling industry and mill services for the metal-making industry, was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the paperwork associated with its operations. The company was manually managing its operations using spreadsheets, which was time-consuming and inefficient. The owner, Jukka Blom, initially thought that they couldn't afford software to streamline their operations. However, the amount of time spent on paperwork made it clear that they couldn't afford not to have it. The challenge was to find a solution that could help them manage their operations more efficiently, reduce the time spent on paperwork, and allow them to focus more on their core business.

Dennis Floyd Trucking Company, a family-run business based in Santa Rosa, California, was facing significant operational challenges due to outdated software. The company, which has been in the trucking industry for generations, was struggling with inefficient processes that were time-consuming and labor-intensive. The old software program was not only outdated but also required a lot of manual work, including looking up information, resolving past issues, and extensive filing. This resulted in a high workload for the team, leading to long working hours and a slow invoicing process. The company was also expanding its operations into Nevada, which necessitated a more efficient and streamlined system that could support remote work.

AEC Trucking, a Texas-based company specializing in hauling aggregate, experienced rapid growth over a span of three years, expanding their fleet from 30 to over 70 trucks. The company was struggling with their existing system which was unable to handle the complexities of their industry, including ticketing, invoicing, payroll, and payments to owner operators. The system was also incapable of managing different rates for billing, drivers, owner operators, leased owner operators, and brokers. The company was in dire need of a robust and efficient system that could handle these variables and streamline their operations.

Hourglass Transport, a company specializing in the transportation of horse, camping, and cargo trailers, faced significant challenges in its early stages. Founded in 2003, the company quickly grew from a two-person team to a fleet of nearly 100 owner operators within the first 10 months. This rapid growth, while impressive, brought with it a host of organizational and administrative challenges. The company lacked office equipment and a structured program to manage its operations. By October 2003, Hourglass Transport was generating almost $500,000 a month in gross receipts without a trucking program. The company needed a solution that could help them organize their operations, manage their accounts receivable, and improve their driver retention rate.

IMT Transport, a family-owned trucking company based in Iowa, faced significant challenges in managing its operations. The company, which has been in business for over 50 years, experienced most of its growth in the past 15 years. However, the company was struggling with an outdated, Excel-based program for managing its operations. The program was not capable of handling the company's diverse operations, which included trucking equipment, agriculture, construction, gas, and oil. The company was also struggling with transparency issues, particularly with its owner operators. The company was paying trucks, fuel tax, and cargo insurance based on the odometer, which resulted in overpayment. Furthermore, the company was struggling with invoicing, which was affecting its cash flow.

JNB Heavy Haul, a heavy haul trucking company based in Mitchell, Ontario, was facing several operational challenges. The company, which handles oversized, overweight loads across Canada and the USA, was struggling with inefficient workflows, particularly in accounting and dispatching. The company was heavily reliant on paper bills of lading, which often led to misinterpretations and errors. The invoicing process was also problematic, with a lot of duplication and re-entry of information. Tracking permits and extra costs for each load was a difficult task, often managed through Excel spreadsheets. The company was growing, and the existing systems were not scalable, leading to inefficiencies and a need for a better solution.

Point Gray Contracting, a Canadian company that specializes in hauling fuel and other materials, was facing significant operational challenges. The company, which started with just three trucks, had grown to a fleet of eight or nine, but was struggling with tracking and managing its operations. They were using Simply Accounting, but it did not provide a way to track their operations effectively. The company was also grappling with issues such as potential loss of paperwork on a load, difficulty in keeping drivers' pay straight, and challenges in generating and managing reports. The lack of an efficient system was causing operational inefficiencies and was a potential risk to the company's growth and expansion plans.

In 2019, the company faced a significant challenge when their outdated computer system, last updated in 2000, completely shut down in the middle of the year. This unexpected event posed a serious threat to the company's operations and financial stability. The company needed a quick and effective solution to get their operations back on track. The situation was further complicated by the impending pandemic, which would require the company to adapt to new ways of working and managing their business. The company needed a modern, reliable, and efficient system that could handle their payroll, accounts receivable, and other financial operations.

Alta Rose Freightlines, a transportation company based in Okotoks, Alberta, faced a significant challenge in managing their rapidly expanding fleet. The company, which was only three years old at the time of the interview, had grown its fleet from zero to 25 trucks. This rapid expansion was managed with minimal office staff, including just one accounting person and two dispatchers. The challenge was to maintain operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness while managing the increased workload brought about by the fleet expansion. The company needed a solution that would allow them to handle the increased volume of work without having to hire additional staff, thereby keeping costs down.

BDS Group Inc., a trucking company specializing in heavy haul and fluid hauling, was facing significant operational challenges due to its rapid growth. The company, which operates out of Camrose, Alberta, and Watford City, North Dakota, had expanded from 11 trucks to 80 in less than six months. This rapid expansion put a strain on their existing operational processes, particularly in terms of paperwork and invoicing. Prior to implementing Axon software, the company was using multiple software programs for different aspects of the business, which was inefficient and time-consuming. Invoicing was a particularly cumbersome process, with tickets having to go through three sets of eyes before being processed. This was not only slow but also required drivers to physically bring paperwork into the office, further delaying the process.

Grandridge Carriers, a flatbed carrier company based in Ontario, Canada, was facing operational challenges as the company continued to grow. The company, which delivers farm equipment and other goods across North America, was struggling with managing its invoicing, dispatching, and load coordinating processes. The existing systems were not efficient enough to handle the increasing workload, and the company was concerned about the potential need to hire more staff to manage these operations. The company was also looking for a solution that could help improve its customer relations by providing easy access to reports and other information as requested by customers.

Long Run Transportation, a West Virginia-based company specializing in coal and flatbed hauling, was facing challenges in accurately tracking their business operations. The company had difficulty breaking down expenses per truck, a crucial aspect of their business, as they needed to monitor each truck's performance and expenses at a granular level. The company's president needed detailed reports to understand how each truck was running and to make informed decisions. Additionally, the company was struggling with invoicing, particularly for their flatbeds, and was looking for a solution that could streamline this process. The company was also keen on improving productivity in the office and reducing manual entry to minimize the risk of errors.

ME3 Corporation, a Pennsylvania-based trucking company, faced a significant challenge when their comptroller, who had been with the company for 20 years, announced her retirement. The company was heavily reliant on her expertise in managing a complex system of spreadsheets, programs, and their interrelationships. The system was fragmented, with data stored in Dropbox, financials managed on QuickBooks, and compliance handled through an external web-based program. The company realized that training a new employee to handle this intricate system in a short period would be a daunting task. They needed a solution that could simplify their operations, reduce the learning curve for the new employee, and improve efficiency.

Metro Transport Inc., a Brighton-based company that hauls sand and gravel, was facing challenges in managing their billing and operations due to an outdated system. The company was experiencing rapid growth, with sales and ticket numbers doubling in a short period. The old system was not integrated, making it difficult to look up information and duplicate tickets for data entry. The company was unable to email invoices to customers, and had to manually write down invoice numbers to look up account information, which was time-consuming. The ticket entry process was also cumbersome, especially with repetitive loads. The company was processing between 800-1000 tickets in a week, and the old system was not equipped to handle this volume efficiently.

Mihm Brothers, Inc., a family-owned business operating out of Fort Atkinson, Iowa, was facing challenges in managing their growing and constantly changing business. The company, which has been in operation since the 1960s, hauls a variety of goods including livestock, refrigerated products, and hopper products. As the business grew, they found their old system was not able to keep up with the changes. The trucking world is always changing, with rates constantly fluctuating, requiring frequent adjustments to invoices and orders. Their old system made these changes difficult and time-consuming, often requiring them to leave incorrect entries and make notes for future reference. Additionally, the support for their old system was limited and not always readily available. The company also wanted to expand their business by adding a shop and repair station, but with their old software, this would have required hiring additional office staff.

RAAF Logistics, a Texas-based company providing door-to-door service between Mexico and the US, faced significant operational challenges. The company, which started with 10 trucks and 15 trailers, quickly grew to 34 trucks, 62 drivers, and 125 trailers. This rapid expansion led to an increase in administrative tasks, particularly in managing orders and payroll. The company's general manager, Rodolfo Boehringer, was responsible for all the paperwork, including obtaining DOT permits and running the company. The company's growth also necessitated the need for a system to keep track of orders and invoices, as losing an invoice could result in financial losses. Additionally, the company was looking to establish an EDI connection with its customers to provide regular updates on their loads.

Trevis Berry Transportation, a California-based company with over 82 years of experience in hauling various products, was facing significant operational challenges. The company was using a DOS-based system that had been in place for about 20 or 30 years, which was outdated and inefficient. The company's operations, including order entry, dispatching, invoicing, billing, and quoting, were largely manual and time-consuming. The company was losing track of many invoices due to the manual process. The invoicing process was particularly cumbersome, involving a lot of paperwork and taking up to a week and a half to bill the current week’s work. The company was also struggling with cash flow tracking, outstanding invoices, receivables, and payables tracking, which were all done manually. The company's payroll operation was also inefficient, requiring a full-time employee to manually generate checks for payroll.