While many trucking organizations are embracing the new technology that has swept across the industry, some are still using outdated methods to conduct business. In a lot of cases, trucking leadership simply doesn’t know about the many ways technology can help make improvements business-wide.

For example, we conducted a survey and found that 20% of trucking organizations are still using paper run tickets and spreadsheets to handle their ticketing — an inefficient process that can be easily streamlined with an electronic solution.

Read on to discover the astonishing advantages that come with electronic ticketing, from increased productivity to better-informed business decisions.

Reduced Human Error

When your business uses paper run tickets, there is a less-than-satisfactory chance that some of the data you collect is incorrect.

While it’s rare for a driver to intentionally record false information, each and every employee falls prey to simple human error. Drivers incorrectly fill out papers or lose them through no fault of their own. Even an accidental coffee spill or oil stain can lead to irreparably lost data.

When paper run tickets arrive at central offices, there are even more chances for error. Messy or unfamiliar driver handwriting leads to misentered information. Office workers fatigued by long data entry sessions record incorrect information into trucking spreadsheets. Even though errors are sometimes caught by accounting teams, they may miss them as well.

Electronic ticketing drastically reduces the opportunity for human error by eliminating the need for drivers to record information on paper and office staff to enter it in spreadsheets. With automatically tracked and recorded data, the accuracy of your records and bills will improve.

Increased Productivity

Paper run tickets require drivers to waste time filling out paperwork when they could be either driving or resting in preparation for a drive. Drivers are well aware that better technology exists that would eliminate such unnecessary tasks; in fact, our survey revealed that nearly 70% of drivers are either unsatisfied or moderately satisfied with the technology suite their businesses are using. Only 31% of drivers are very satisfied with their fleet technology.

Once paper run tickets reach back offices, employees must enter data into trucking spreadsheets at a timely pace, but not so quickly that they make mistakes. They also have to take breaks to clear their heads; otherwise, they may fall prone to fatigue and make even more errors. If any errors are noticed, accounting teams have to review spreadsheets for errors, wasting their time when they could be tackling more pressing projects.

Then, sending bills can require faxing or even sending by traditional mail — two slow methods that, compounded with paper run tickets and data entry, lead administrators to struggle with outstanding sales and slow payments.

With electronic ticketing, a bill can be automatically sent to a customer’s inbox as soon as a load is complete. This instant and effortless process eliminates time-consuming employee tasks, reduces instances of outstanding sales, and drastically increases payment speed.

Lowered Costs

Once organizations implement electronic ticketing, even operational costs decrease.

Budget previously spent on administrative costs can be reallocated. While staff used to spend countless hours compiling trucking spreadsheets from paper run tickets, their time can be redirected to higher-level tasks or reduced altogether. Accounting teams that combed through trucking spreadsheets for errors can focus on more in-depth projects instead.

Billing costs are reduced as well; bills sent via traditional mail or overnighted can quickly incur expensive printing and mailing charges, while those sent electronically cost nothing at all.

When bills are sent quickly via wireless communication, payment often comes back quickly, too — giving organizations a higher free cash flow and funds to invest in growth.

Better-Informed Decisions

While you may have relied on semi-accurate, delayed data to make business decisions before, electronic ticketing completely changes the game. Because electronic ticketing enables information to immediately flow to all of your management software applications, your business will have access to real-time, accurate, and extensive data.

With this data, business leaders can review comprehensive, reliable reports of day-to-day trucking accounts, empowering them to make well-informed decisions that can benefit the entire business.

Eliminating trucking spreadsheets in favor of electronic ticketing is an impactful way to start upgrading your business’s technology. Interested in making the switch? We’re here to help — our solutions can handle electronic ticketing and much more.

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