Company

The Strait & Lamp Group is a leading supplier to the central Ohio building industry focused on providing individual attention to homebuilders, contractors, and remodeling professionals. Strait & Lamp has five physical locations, including three lumberyards, a truss and panel plant, a millwork facility, and it also has a contracting division. Strait & Lamp Lumber has been serving the builders and homeowners of central Ohio for over 60 years.

Challenge

Strait & Lamp needed to know where their 35 fleet vehicles were located to improve dispatching and make their business run more smoothly. They needed to know driver location, ensure driver safety, protect themselves from fraud and false claims.

Solution

Strait & Lamp began with installing the GPS Insight tracking solution for their trucks.

The dispatchers use GPS tracking to see where deliveries are happening in real-time and figure out the best timing. The GPS lets them know when trucks are back in the yard and deliveries have been completed.

Dispatchers also use the information to answer calls. For instance, when they get a call asking when a driver is expected to arrive, they don’t have to call the driver. They can just check the GPS, see where the vehicle is located, and relay the expected arrival time.

The GPS tracking has also been beneficial for complaints. If someone calls and reports bad driver behavior, Strait & Lamp can review the history and see who was there, what happened, and how it can be prevented from happening in the future. Or, they can see that it wasn’t their truck at all.

“We looked back on a complaint, and the driver wasn’t speeding at all,” Foutty said. “So, it’s just nice to have that kind of reassurance.”

In addition, they have also used GPS tracking for theft recovery of vehicles.

Smart dash cameras

They discussed also adding smart dash cameras for some time, but then when they heard stories about using their footage to prevent lawsuits and prove innocence, they decided to make the investment.

Strait & Lamp began seeing the advantages right away. In particular, they have had drivers initiate capturing video when there’s an event happening right in front of them.

“We had one gentlemen driving on the interstate, and the truck in front of him lost a ladder,” Foutty said. “He hit the record button as soon as it slid off the truck, and since he couldn’t avoid running over it, it did some damage to the truck. As a result, we were able to show that the damage was not his fault. The driver saw that as a real positive.”

In another incident, a driver was accused of hitting a garage door. They checked the video, and it showed him approaching the house, and the garage door was open.

“So he couldn’t have hit the garage door like the homeowner said, because the garage door was up when he arrived,” Foutty said. “I’ve been really excited to see that and to talk to drivers who are starting to see a positive result here.”

In another incident, a vehicle ran a red light, and the Strait & Lamp driver had to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

Drivers also initiate videos when they enter driveways that are narrow, so they can show why tree branches scratched the vehicle. They also start videos when they go on a job site where the road is damaged.

“If there’s anything wrong, they just hit the button,” Foutty said.

Integration and customer service

Strait & Lamp also appreciates being able to directly link with Epicor and BisTrack. This integration provides automatic, real-time updates on journey status, time, and odometer when vehicles leave or enter the yard.

“The integration of Epicor and BisTrack is very helpful,” Foutty said. “We’re learning the system so we can make sure that all our locations are utilizing both programs to the best of their abilities.”

Foutty also appreciates that GPS Insight makes it easy to work with the accounting department, as Strait & Lamp has multiple locations.

Strait & Lamp has appreciated the benefits of using GPS Insight for tracking and smart dash cameras, as well as working well with their business practices.

“Videos of getting drivers out of sticky situations are very helpful,” Foutty said. “We’re incredibly happy with GPS Insight.”