Smith & Jennings is a prominent full-service contracting and grading company that has been serving North Carolina for several decades.
Because this is an on-demand sector, time management, and organizational skills are essential.
It is critical to use resources intelligently; this is how Samsara and Whip Around assisted Smith & Jennings in simplifying fleet management operations through better time and team management.
“We use Whip around for all of our fleet and heavy equipment.“
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
About Smith & Jennings
Chet Jennings and Earl Smith founded Smith & Jennings in 1947 and specialized in all grading and utility construction elements. It is currently run by Earl Smith’s son David.
The business has grown significantly since 1981 when the firm only operated in the Triad. Smith & Jennings today employs 125 people who work on projects all around North Carolina.
Smith & Jenning’s business goal is to establish trustworthy crews with specific skills that allow them to provide the most satisfactory service possible.
Their answer to the general contractors’ test question is safety, which makes a construction firm successful and affluent. That is something Smith & Jennings take very seriously, and it is their top priority.
The Challenge
Smith & Jennings takes pleasure in having a beneficial influence on the community since many projects they embark on include public infrastructure. The firm required a comprehensive fleet management solution to manage its fleet efficiently, allowing its grading and contracting services to expand and grow and protect its reputation.
The vehicles and equipment required to perform tasks, whether grading or other contractual duties, must be properly maintained and ready to run – sometimes at short notice.
The organization uses Samsara and Whip Around to improve maintenance efficiency.
Samsara is a cloud-based fleet management software with GPS tracking, dashboard cameras, routing and dispatch, trailer tracking, reefer monitoring, and more.
“We use Samsara for driver cameras inside our commercial trucks.”
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
To keep everyone informed, personnel may transmit maintenance status updates, make notes, and offer images of any finished work using Whip Around, all while avoiding manually entering data.
The Whip Around app allows drivers to snap photographs and make observations using voice-to-text functionality when technicians aren’t given a clear picture of the components and equipment required to repair a problem.
“We use Whip around for routine maintenance of all of our vehicles as well as our heavy machinery. The Drivers use the app for all Pre-trip inspections.”
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
Dismantling the Competition
Repairs and upkeep of the Smith & Jennings fleet were exclusively dependent on word of mouth from operators before Samsara and Whip Around.
“Before Whip Around, our repairs and maintenance was up to the operators to inform staff what was needed mostly by word of mouth.”
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
However, the business rapidly discovered that this was damaging to its operations.
The constant usage of words among its personnel did not correspond with Smith & Jenning’s corporate expectations and values. That’s when Samsara and Whip Around came into play.
With Samsara and Whip Around, the organization automated its fleet maintenance operations, resulting in a collaborative process. Drivers can now submit inspections while on the job, technicians can update repair orders from their tablets, and shop managers can examine and approve requests in real-time. This changed the processes, increasing efficiency, and accuracy.
The Samsara is also used to create vehicle odometer updates automatically. This allows Smith & Jennings to detect when a vehicle is needed for service, even if an operator forgets to submit odometer values during daily vehicle checks.
When we asked Kevin Gallimore if there have been any benefits to the business since they started using Samsara and Whip Around, he promptly replied that there has been better maintenance and productivity. “All Managers can see what is going on with the equipment and help make decisions upfront on repairs and cost.”
It is critical to be proactive with maintenance to stay on budget and avoid unforeseen expenses. Managing fleet maintenance in a complete FMS maximizes uptime, extends vehicle lifespan, and assures the safety of your assets on the road.
You may even customize maintenance routines and develop strategies to improve fleet processes. Creating preventative maintenance (PM) schedules for your assets is one of the greatest ways to manage maintenance.
Creating customizable service schedules based on odometer readings or calendar intervals guarantees that your assets are serviced on time.
While managing vehicle issues quickly reduces downtime, you could send out your vehicles on assignments with serious issues if you don’t have a simple means to manage difficulties.
Using Samsara and Whip Around, your drivers may report problems on the spot, allowing you to write repair orders and schedule maintenance. You may carefully track service by line item with Samsara and Whip Around to keep organized and under your maintenance budget.
“Cost has not really changed much with the inflation of parts now, but we are able to determine an issue before it actually breaks more than before.”
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
Smith & Jennings has had a positive impact regarding increasing fleet uptime since they integrated Samsara and Whip Around into their fleet management system.
“Fleets are more aware of issues now than before, which allows us to fix the problem before it becomes more costly.”
—Kevin Gallimore, Transportation Manager at Smith & Jennings.
Integrate Samsara & Whip Around for Your Fleet Management
Having a diverse crew of drivers and specialists might make it challenging to get acceptance of new technology.
The intuitive mobile interface and easy-to-navigate design of Samsara and Whip Around make it simple for even the least tech-savvy user to utilize the app. After using Samsara and Whip Around for a day or two, a team member is already educating others on how to utilize it by the second or third day.
Managing a fleet is a collaborative effort, and having a tool to collaborate on duties has increased productivity across the Smith & Jennings fleet. Kevin Gallimore, Smith & Jennings Transportation Manager, even recommends Samsara and Whip Around for any company with a fleet— “I think it’s worth a try for any company that has drivers and/or a fleet.”
Combining Samsara’s robust IoT (Internet of Things) data with Whip Around’s extensive fleet maintenance processes to identify faults and be preemptive with routine fleet maintenance intervals will enhance a company’s overall fleet operating efficiency, resulting in lower emissions and cost savings.
Contact us today to book a demo or learn more about how these integrations can take your fleet management to the next level.
