Company: Knife River (Portland Metro Operations)
FleetWatcher Customer Since: October 2017
Resistance to change in an industry that has relied heavily on manual processes is one of the largest hurdles to overcome. But longtime Knife River employee Jessica Vanderzanden saw an opportunity to do something different and jumped at the chance.
Knife River is one of the nation’s top 10 aggregate, ready-mix and sand and gravel producers. Its metro operations in Portland, Oregon, had been using FleetWatcher since October 2017 to manage their trucking haul costs.
Vanderzanden, employed as the company’s FleetWatcher administration and aggregate/asphalt dispatcher at the time, saw the benefits of using the software on day one. Because of her proactivity, her role recently evolved into a dedicated FleetWatcher manager, something that is very unique with the customer base.
“I … presented the idea of creating a full-time position for a FleetWatcher Specialist to my company in order to utilize this amazing tool to its fullest ability,” Vanderzanden said. They agreed and my role moving forward will be solely FleetWatcher. I am the only one in the metro area who is focusing on this 100%.” In the new position, it is easier for her to get real-time data for crew members, analyze it, and send out spreadsheets on jobs.
“It’s just been amazing to watch people and their minds change from when I first started. Being able to make believers out of people who have been in the field for so long and aren’t known for accepting change easily. Watching them see the magic has been my absolute favorite part. I have seen FleetWatcher evolve and even truly invest in us as a whole.”
Different teams benefit from using FleetWatcher in different ways. Each crew member has their own take on the best aspect of the construction fleet management software.
Dispatching: “One of my favorite features honestly is just the ability to have the app on my phone, look up a truck and see real-time where that truck is. We have a lot of contractors who are wondering where their truck is at any given time. So this function has been amazing for us in dispatch to have readily available.”
Quarry Manager: “He loves having the plant production daily totals at his fingertips. He came running up to me one day when it was down and was so broken up about it insisting I get tech support on the phone, showing he really relies on it.”
Asphalt Foremen: “They love the ability to look at the job after it’s done and look at what they can improve on moving forward. They haven’t quite started to get into the habit of watching the data as the job is actually moving, but we will get them there.”
Aggregate Sales: “Jarred Walker would tell you he’s most interested in the time card function and paying-off drivers via geo-zones.”
Vanderzanden also touts the responsiveness of the customer service team. If she calls, they answer immediately. She usually receives a response to emails with questions within 30 minutes. She recalls having a lot of questions when her tonnage wouldn’t populate on certain jobs. “Fleetwatcher has just been impeccable with customer service,” she said. “T.K. not only fixed the issue, but also sent a how-to to work through those issues myself in the future.
Creating a dedicated FleetWatcher position was a smart move, and Vanderzanden is grateful that Knife River was willing to try something new. “I feel really, really lucky to have landed this position as well as being a part of this amazing team. When I say amazing team I mean my Knife River team, as well as my FleetWatcher team,” Vanderzanden said.