Debetra: From Disk by Disk to One Click — 15 Years of Growth with AllConnects
Even though it’s very comprehensive, it’s very simple and pleasant to work with. We’re a family business and we don’t have that kind of time—and we’ve been able to figure this out for ourselves because it’s so simple. — Sofie Declercq, co-director of Debetra
Debetra is a family-owned business in the transportation sector. Sofie Declercq runs the company together with her brother Kristof and her parents, Chantal Verhamme and Bernard Declercq—the four of them, as she puts it, with 15 trucks on the road every day. They have been working with AllConnects for about 15 years, and over that time, the partnership has gradually evolved into a fully customized digital solution for their transportation and payroll administration.
This conversation with Sofie Declercq took place in 2022–2023 and is part of the long-standing partnership between Debetra and AllConnects.
From analog discs to one click: the tachograph story
Anyone familiar with the transport sector of the past knows what tachograph discs used to entail: receiving a stack of discs every week, manually reading them one by one, day by day, driver by driver. With 15 trucks, that was an almost insurmountable administrative burden.
Today, Sofie can see at a glance how each driver has performed over the past week, two weeks, or month. Driving hours, working hours, rest periods—everything is clearly laid out in AllConnects’ FLEET platform. And that’s not all: the system automatically flags drivers who have taken their rest period too late or who have been behind the wheel just a little too long.
Driving and rest times at a glance
Viewable by driver for any desired time period. Automatic alerts when limits are exceeded.
Automatic tachograph download
Every week, all data is automatically retrieved and uploaded to Debetra's server in DDD format.
Always ready for inspection
Data for each period is immediately available during an inspection. No searching, no manual work.
Automatic tachograph download: never get a ticket for forgetting again
The law requires transport companies to download the driver card at least once every four weeks. If you forget to do so—whether because a driver hasn’t been on the road for a while or simply because it slips your mind—you risk a hefty fine.
AllConnects completely resolved this issue through automatic downloads: every week, all data is automatically retrieved and uploaded directly to Debetra’s server in the DDD file required by the government. If an auditor visits and requests data for a specific period, Sofie can provide it immediately, without searching or manual work. That brings peace of mind—and eliminates a risk that is always lurking with manual follow-up.
Maintenance Management: The System That Never Forgets
All technical matters at Debetra—purchases, maintenance, and repairs—fall under the responsibility of Kristof. AllConnects supports him in this through a maintenance system linked to each truck’s mileage. Every truck is connected to the platform, and as soon as a vehicle approaches a preset mileage threshold for a service, a notification is automatically sent to the inbox.
Real-time view of the road: fewer calls, safer driving
The FLEET platform also gives Debetra real-time insight into each driver’s location and the current traffic conditions—including color-coded traffic jam information on the map. This has a direct practical benefit: Sofie can proactively inform a customer of the estimated arrival time without having to call the driver.
That may sound like a minor detail, but it isn’t. A driver who constantly receives calls from the office while stuck in traffic on the Antwerp ring road is a driver who is distracted. Road safety starts with concentration—and that concentration starts with fewer unnecessary phone calls. Debetra solves this problem by using real-time data instead of phone calls.
15 years as a customer: a partnership that grows with us
Debetra has been an AllConnects customer for about 15 years—so long that Sofie doesn’t even remember the early days herself. What she does remember clearly is how the partnership has grown: from a simple system for basic vehicle tracking to the comprehensive FLEET platform, which includes tachograph management, maintenance alerts, payroll administration, and real-time traffic insights.
According to Sofie, the fact that this growth went so smoothly is entirely due to the way AllConnects listens to its customers. Whenever Debetra had a need, AllConnects worked with them to find solutions and developed customized ones. The result today is a digital infrastructure that is fully tailored to how this family business operates—and which they have largely learned to use on their own, without any training, simply because of the platform’s simplicity.
