Crestwood Transportation Relies On Vector To Decrease Processing Times And Expedite Billing

September 3, 2019

Crestwood Transportation Case Study

At a central supply and logistics hub in Kansas City, transportation services provider Crestwood Transportation LLC is building a new model for modern fleets. Fresh off a re-engineering of business systems primed for today’s competitive landscape, the company now runs on real-time data and streamlined back-office systems.

Amid a push to make the most of new technologies, the Vector mobile document scanning app has become a crucial link between drivers and business leaders at home base. Eight months into a deployment that now covers all 280 trucks in Crestwood’s fleet, the company relies on Vector for high-quality images of crucial documents to decrease processing times and expedite billing.

The Problem

Transporting paperwork used to be a drain on resources for Crestwood. Even after the company phased out faxes and snail mail with an automated legacy solution, the previous solution’s roller scanner located inside trucks often resulted in poor-quality images and slow uploads which stunted potential gains in efficiency.

Once documents arrived back at home office, an entire separate set of processes was also required to input data, resulting in additional delays before invoices could be sent and paid.

To address these challenges, Crestwood sought to:

• Improve quality and upload time for scanned document images
• Integrate a new mobile solution with a growing technology portfolio
• Reduce back office overhead and invoice processing time
• Provide drivers with more convenient and flexible document transmission options

The Solution

Vector’s all-in-one mobile scanning and document upload system tackles problems like blurry images and slow transmission times, said Crestwood Senior Manager of Logistics Systems Jason Meares. Also central to the Vector deployment is integration with the company’s existing suite of tech tools through both PeopleNet and TMW.

Vector is compatible for scanning right from the PeopleNet Connected Tablet (PCT) in-cab display. An integration between Vector and TMW Imaging ensures that whether a document is scanned from the driver’s smartphone or PCT the image is accessible from TMW Imaging, TMW’s Fuel Dispatch application as well as proprietary dashboards. Crestwood relies on its existing imaging system to process cover sheets and load numbers scanned by Vector, which then automatically matches documents with load information in the company’s TMS.

The result is enhanced images and faster upload times — even from drivers in the most remote locations — which are then efficiently ported into existing digital systems. “Effectively, you’ve got automated billing,” Meares said, thanks to the unified process.

At Crestwood we strive to provide best-in-class customer service while maintaining a focus on safety, compliance and the environment. The Vector system plays an integral role in our continued effort to establish synergies across the business, creating a better experience for our customers, our drivers and our administrators.

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Jason Meares
Senior Manager of Logistics Systems

The Results

For Crestwood, Vector illustrates an important next step in a broader business evolution. “Just two years ago, the company had 20 people handling billing related functions, which has decreased to six people today, freeing up manpower for higher-value business analysis,” Meares said.

The company is now able to keep a closer eye on KPIs after its Vector implementation — most notably, declining processing times and a reduction in delayed invoices — thanks to monitors now installed on the trading floor.

In addition to offering flexibility to drivers looking to quickly wrap up deliveries, Meares said vital information can easily be shared with stakeholders across the organization. “From an administration standpoint, the Vector system is streamlined and simple to use, making it one of the most efficient deployments that I have,” he said.