Golden State Express Trucking Achieves 100% Compliance with Matrack ELD

“Matrack has pretty competitive pricing. Some companies want an upfront cost of $300 just for the device, which is crazy! Matrack is very reasonable.”—JT, Fleet Manager, Golder State Express

Golden State Express, a mediumsized trucking company, based in Fresno, CA; “The Golden State.” JT’s truckers cross nearly 3000 miles from coast to coast, three times a week, transporting produce. With so many miles to go, JT needs to be confident that he’s ELD compliant and that his drivers have reliable GPS systems they can count on;
And that’s what brought him to Matrack

What are the short and long term benefits Golden State Express sees in using Matrack Inc. products and services?

ELD Compliance
By now, everyone in the trucking industry knows that ELD compliance is a must. The deadline is December 16, 2019, for all drivers using AOBRDs to convert to ELDs; and it is approaching fast. It has even been referred to as, “The ELD implementation race.” Being an experienced fleet manager, JT knew that he had to find a GPS tracking device that would ensure 100% ELD compliance for his company.

“I’ve been in the trucking business for over 15 years. The biggest issue is tracking the drivers. Matrack is one of the few companies that offer ELD compliant devices. I looked at those other companies, but we ended up going with Matrack!”
Reliable GPS Devices

GPS accuracy is a must to ensure that you easily reach your destination on time, especially when driving cross country. It even has the potential to improve the overall operation of trucking companies. Accurate GPS technology helps trucking companies become more responsive and reliable in their transportation business; including faster and more efficient transportation processes and improved time management.

“Honestly, (the benefits of GPS technology) are not for me since I don’t drive the trucks! It’s for my drivers. We transport produce all the way from the west coast to the east coast. Products like lettuce, romaine, strawberries and more. It’s usually a 2-day drive when two drivers are working. (If we have an issue), the support I need is re-programming the devices. When Matrack Tech Support Team does that, it solves the issue.”-JT
Accurate HOS Record
Truck drivers don’t spend all their time on the road. As anyone in the trucking business knows, drivers may have to wait many hours during the loading and unloading of their trucks. It’s estimated that most drivers spend at least 3 to 5 hours at the shipping dock.

Golden State Express’ drivers often have long waits like this. This made it difficult for JT to get an accurate record of the actual HOS of his drivers, many times cutting their allowed drive time short. JT experienced that after switching over to Matracks AOBRD system, he was able to get a more accurate record of HOS for his drivers, thereby helping JT to be more efficient and profitable in his business.

“The biggest issue is tracking drivers, tracking their miles for the quarterly fuel tax. The reason we chose Matrack is that the AOBRD system allows us to monitor our drivers better and more accurately. If a driver has to spend a whole day just picking up a load in a city, it will eat up most of his hours so Matrack’s AOBRD system helps prevent this. It allows us to give lee-way and adjust it to where we can actually monitor the hours accurately.”—JT
Outstanding Pricing
Many trucking companies earn just enough to make ends meet. With the deadline to convert from AOBRDs to ELDs just around the corner, those in the business who have not yet invested in ELD compliant devices worry that prices will be unreasonably high, forcing them to fork over large amounts of cash just to make it through the transition. JT also expressed his concerned about what the ELD mandate would mean economically for his company and the solution that he found with Matrack.

“(The ELD mandate), it’s just another cost for me at the end of the day. I looked at other companies (that offer ELD device) and Matrack has pretty competitive pricing. Some companies want an upfront cost of $300 just for the device, which is crazy! Matrack is very reasonable.”—JT
Driver Transparency
The Grandfathers of the trucking industry know that driver ethics have been on the decline. In the good old days,truckers were known for their dignity, politeness, and helpfulness. It was not rare for them to spot a stranded motorist on the road and stop to give a helping hand. Unfortunately today the world is not the same as it once was. It’s important for fleet managers like JT to have 100% driver transparency and know what is happening 24/7 in real-time with their drivers. The Matrack app provides real time insight into drivers’ route, speed, aggressive braking, and more so that managers like JT can rest assured that their drivers are on good behavior.

“People don’t realize; the trucking industry isn’t the same as someone working in other industries where you have better control over your employees. With trucking, (without electronic logging) you don’t have control over your employees. (Without it) 99% of the drivers are not responsible these days. (That’s why) we ended up going with Matrack.”—JT