Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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INNOVATORS Maverick's IT team – led by Wayne Brown, vice president of IT – developed dashboards that aggregate the company's data. Three full-time analysts continue to develop and update dashboards. that does everything," says Brown. "Even companies that have a lot of different offerings have different databases that run those systems." Those different formats – especially when they originated from systems provided by different vendors – didn't always work well together. "We had a lot of separate databases and a lot of great data, but we didn't have a way to put it together," he says. was to replace the company's financial reporting across its multiple operations – a process that took "six to nine months," Brown says. It then took another three months to build an operations dashboard. But once Maverick employees saw those initial results from the IT team's first year of work, momentum began building. "Once people starting getting that data, they had their own ideas for their own Maverick made a commitment across the organization to the concept of aggregating all of the data we have to help support our corporate objectives. – Wayne Brown, vice president of IT, Maverick USA Best in class Brown joined Maverick nine years ago and says the company always has been "best in class" when it comes to selecting software for its many operating units – but that high-end preference proved to be a double-edged sword. "We'd bolt on a system to whatever we already had," he says. "We currently have a hodgepodge of software. Add in all of the complexities of dispatch, safety, operations, maintenance – to get a true view of cost and expenses for the entire company, we needed to get more efficiencies out of the system. We needed true key performance indicators to provide a more holistic view of the company and give people a full view of what they needed to work on." The initial goal of Maverick's IT team 48 dashboards, and they started making requests," Brown says. Dashboard development became more robust from that point forward. Maverick has been using the integrated dashboards for about five years now, and now three full-time analysts continue to develop and update new dashboards for virtually every department for functions such as operations, safety, maintenance and financials. The company currently has 50 dashboards that access the same database, providing users with as wide a view of the overall enterprise as necessary. "It's been an organic growth, a continual process, something that we continue to augment," Brown says. "Maverick made a commitment across the organization to the concept of aggregating all of the data we have to help support our corporate objectives. Members on the IT team embraced and implemented the solution from the ground up." Making movies Maverick is no stranger to other technology trends. As part of its growing public relations and marketing efforts, the company has its own in-house video production department – as well as its own corporate YouTube channel. "The role of our marketing and branding efforts has always been to deliver compelling and useful information about our company, and the transportation industry, to our customers and professional truck drivers," says Spring Dixon, public relations manager. "Without a doubt, the most powerful medium in which to communicate a message is through video. This adds a whole new element to our marketing efforts." Maverick chose to keep video production in-house to closely manage its brand, creative content and message. "Having access to an in-house team is important because we need people who are surrounded by this industry on a day-to-day basis," says Dixon. Driver recruiting and sales were the initial primary focuses of video content, followed by several projects in human resources, safety and operations. The fleet films its own in-house safety videos – some as short as 15-second reminders of proper safety procedures – that are beamed out to trucks on the road for drivers to watch at their convenience from their in-cab devices. "The possibilities are endless," says Dixon. "One of the distinct advantages of corporate video is that it can be used across several different platforms, from broadcast to social media." CCJ INNOVATORS profiles carriers and fleets that have found innovative ways to overcome trucking's challenges. If you know a carrier that has displayed innovation, contact Jeff Crissey at jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com or 800-633-5953. COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 CCJ_0313_Innovators.indd 48 2/20/13 10:58 AM