Abbey Logistics has transformed the management of its 1,000-strong fleet with a system from Freeway Fleet Systems.
Used across three internal workshop locations, Freeway extends digital working into the hands of staff in the workshop, with engineers equipped with tablets to digitally record their timesheets, inspections and job cards.
Abbey Logistics is the UK’s largest bulk liquid and powder transport provider, serving a diverse range of sectors, including food-grade products, plastics and polymers, minerals, animal feed, and construction materials.
Abbey also provides logistics services, including warehousing, bag-to-bulk materials handling, silo evacuation, open-top bulk tippers, and European distribution, alongside its parent company Sitra, and intermodal logistics through a fleet of ISO tank and silo containers.
The company first introduced Freeway in 2021 to improve vehicle reliability and utilisation.
The new workshop devices are synchronised in real time with the Freeway central asset maintenance system, giving Abbey 24/7 visibility of the status of all maintenance work and costs associated with parts and labour.
“Our previous system was fine for monitoring vehicle and parts costs, but it provided no information on labour, and that’s our most valuable asset,” said Paul Jamieson, finance director, Abbey Logistics Group. “Crucially, Freeway joins up the dots between the fleet team, the operations team, and drivers, and what’s brilliant is that it gives us a single point of access to all the information we need.”
Abbey is also using Freeway’s driver app, so drivers can use their mobiles to record their walk-around safety checks. This gives the workshop immediate visibility of any issues, so decisions can be made immediately on the urgency of the rectification of any reported defect.
“Freeway has become an invaluable tool for managing the fleet, as it not only provides a real-time view of work in progress but, by collecting data on everything, it reveals a lot of useful information,” added Liam Murray, workshop controller, Abbey Logistics.
Abbey’s road to improved fleet utilisation
