Introducing ALC Freight

When Yuri Popovic Jr. started ALC Freight in 2017, he knew running an efficient transportation business required having the right tools and processes in place. Coming from a finance background working with both public and private institutional investors at SS&C Technologies, Yuri understood the importance of streamlining operations and the importance of accountability.

Based in North Haven, Connecticut, ALC Freight now operates a fleet of tractors and provides line-haul services supporting FedEx Ground throughout the Northeast. As the company rapidly grew in its early years, Yuri realized they needed a better way to stay on top of inspections, maintenance and compliance.

The challenge

During ALC Freight’s “pre-Whip Around” days, drivers were habitually pencil whipping pre-trip and post-trip inspections using the antiquated paper processes they had in place. This led to miscommunication around defects, potential safety risks due to unaddressed issues, and costly CSA violations during roadside inspections.

“We had a couple of accidents and a failed DOT inspection, so it was a snowball that was starting to develop that we needed to get control of,” Yuri explained. With drivers constantly swapping between trucks, there was a lack of accountability and real-time insight into equipment condition.

ALC brought on a maintenance team in 2020, but still lacked an efficient digital solution for inspection workflows and defect reporting. Yuri knew they needed to ditch the old pencil-and-paper methods for good.

The solution

After vetting multiple options, ALC chose Whip Around as their inspection and maintenance software solution based on its intuitive mobile app experience tailored for drivers.

Using Whip Around’s custom inspection forms and mandatory photo capabilities, ALC could finally ensure drivers were conducting true inspection reports at the level of detail required, eliminating the “pencil whipping” for good.

The ability to immediately identify and assign defects for resolution streamlined maintenance workflows at ALC’s shop. Mechanics could easily access and update repair status directly through the Whip Around app.

“Now we can hold everybody accountable,” said Yuri. “If the driver wasn’t reporting it, the mechanic wouldn’t know, then the next guy coming in would say, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?'”

Whip Around’s flexibility allowed ALC to expand beyond just vehicle inspections. They created custom “dolly inspection” forms to capture photos and notes whenever drivers connect or disconnect equipment from rigs. This improved accountability for proper securement of high-risk components.

ALC also leverages Whip Around’s inventory management capabilities to further control costs and improve efficiency. By tracking PM service intervals and stocking just-in-time inventory of filters, fluids and wear items, they’ve eliminated excess inventory buildup and unnecessary emergency vendor orders.

“Before the inventory management, we were just buying stockpiles of brake pads, drums and other parts,” said Yuri. “Once we figured out how to apply the inventory tools, we started cutting costs on excess purchasing while still having the right parts on hand when needed.”

Key results

By implementing Whip Around’s inspection, maintenance and inventory management solutions, ALC Freight has realized substantial operational improvements and cost savings:

• Reduced vehicle incidents and DOT violations from undocumented defects
• Optimized shop efficiency by prioritizing vetted defects from the field
• Increased accountability across drivers, mechanics and management
• Streamlined proactive maintenance resulting in avoidance of costly repairs
• Decreased overall fleet maintenance costs year-over-year

Using Whip Around’s inventory management system, ALC saw a 53% reduction in supplies and materials expenses from 2021 to 2022 and a further reduction of 48% from 2022 to 2023.

Whip Around also contributed to an overall reduction in repairs and maintenance expenses of about 34% from 2020 to 2022.

“With Whip Around, we’ve been able to really improve efficiency,” Yuri stated. “Our team has been able to get ahead of the smaller issues before they become big ones.”

By embracing inspection and maintenance best practices enabled by Whip Around, ALC Freight has transformed its operations — improving safety, compliance, uptime and its bottom line.

Ready to achieve similar results? Book a Whip Around demo today to learn how this simple mobile solution can pay huge dividends for your fleet.