It feels more like a partnership than a customer-supplier relationship.
Conway is a Belgian wholesaler of on-the-go food and beverages that delivers food and non-food items daily to more than 1,600 convenience stores, sandwich shops, gas stations, and amusement parks. Since 2020, the company has been securing and tracking its fleet of over 100 vehicles using track-and-trace technology, cargo area security, and an immobilizer from AllConnects.
That transportation is handled by Sutrans, the in-house transportation division of Conway. The fleet is diverse: multi-temperature trucks, semi-trailers, and large and small delivery vans. Every day, they make deliveries to thousands of customers throughout Belgium, carrying cargo that is attractive to those with malicious intent. Therefore, monitoring and security are not luxuries.
The challenge: a single partner for both tracking and security
Before 2020, Conway set out to find a solution that could do three things at once: reduce the driver's paperwork, track the vehicles, and secure them. That turned out to be harder than it sounded.
It wasn't that easy to find a partner that specializes in all those aspects. Or you'd have to go with a massive, cumbersome program that does have everything, but isn’t tailored to our needs. That’s how I ended up at AllConnects, and we decided to separate the device for the driver from the geolocation and vehicle security features.
The reason wasn't just administrative. Conway was dealing with thefts, and a reliable tracking system was needed to track vehicles and verify fines. Those two needs—visibility and security—came together in a single decision.
The approach: three layers on each vehicle
Not a single, all-encompassing package, but three components, each of which solves its own problem and together provide a unified view in the management platform.
Geolocation of the entire fleet
Every vehicle is visible on the map in real time, along with the trips it has taken. This makes it possible to reconstruct a trip after the fact—in the event of a traffic ticket, a complaint, or an accident.
Cargo Area Security
The cargo area is secured separately, because that's where the valuables are. Any opening outside of the agreed-upon times is reported, rather than discovered later during unloading.
Immobilizer
It's not easy to drive off with a stolen vehicle. That makes theft a much more difficult operation and reduces the likelihood that anyone will even attempt it.
How the dispatch department uses it on a daily basis
The web application is used every day by the entire transportation department: tracking real-time locations and responding to them, comparing trips with previous days, checking fines—were we actually there, and who was driving at the time?—and generating reports, such as which vehicles were driven over the weekend.
For those who track our fleet, it’s a wonderful tool. The more you use it, the more you’ll experience its benefits. It’s incredibly useful for tracking both drivers and vehicles.
A concrete example is the icons on the map. Each vehicle type has its own symbol, so that dispatchers can see at a glance what is driving where:
If we need to pick up a trailer somewhere, we open the map showing all the vehicles, and you can tell from the icon which vehicle—one that can actually tow a trailer—is closest.
Koen does emphasize, however, that you have to put time into it. Especially in the early stages, it pays to really dive in: see what reports are available and how you can apply them to your own operations. If you just let the system run on its own, you’ll only get a fraction of its potential out of it.
What's in it for Conway?
Preventing Theft Rather Than Investigating It
A cargo area security system and an immobilizer together make a vehicle a lot less attractive. According to Koen, you’ll recoup part of the investment just from the thefts that don’t happen.
Drivers who feel safer
The drivers quickly recognized the benefits—first and foremost for their own safety, and also for the transparency regarding fines and insurance claims.
Discussions about fines can be reviewed
If a ticket is issued, it can be determined afterward whether the vehicle was actually there and who was driving. That takes the emotion out of a conversation that would otherwise be based on memory.
Faster Decisions in Dispatch
The person closest to a pickup location, with the right type of vehicle, is immediately visible on the map. No need to call around to find out who’s available.
Why Conway Is Staying
We have a great relationship with the AllConnects service team. They listen carefully to our needs and handle confidential information perfectly. For me, the biggest advantage is that they really think along with us. Their proactive approach and quick response time—I think those are top-notch, and that’s important to us.
Sell the package and then just figure it out as you go? That’s definitely not it. That’s one of the reasons you continue to work with them. It feels more like a partnership than a customer-supplier relationship.
For Conway, the comfort and safety of its drivers have always been a priority, and the company doesn't hesitate to invest in them. The fact that this investment pays off by preventing theft is a bonus—but it's not the reason they started out.
Does your shipment also travel throughout Belgium?
Together, we'll determine which combination of tracking and security solutions is right for your fleet — with no obligations, but with an honest assessment of the costs and benefits.
