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The company 3E has been thriving since 2007. Seb, co-manager of Transport 3E, welcomed us and answered our questions about the changes brought by the TMS Dashdoc within the company.
Introduction to 3E
How did it all begin?
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The company 3E was founded in 2007 by Olivier and Blandine Sachot. The couple started their freight transport business with one goal in mind: to combine quality and speed, which is reflected in the name "3E"—Europe, Express, Expedition.
In 2021, Olivier Sachot decided to partner with two of his colleagues for the management of 3E, individuals he had worked with in complete trust for several years. Sonia and Sébastien thus became co-managers alongside Olivier.
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Olivier, Sébastien, and Sonia still occasionally get behind the wheel and handle some transports themselves, fitting into the common category in the transport industry known as "owner-operators."
What types of transport does 3E provide?
We handle both import/export, subcontracting, and on-demand deliveries.
The company carries out several types of operations:
Urgent transport (commonly referred to as express transport)
Regular transport
Refrigerated transport
The goods transported are quite varied, ranging from special machinery to packages, including fresh food products.
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Reminder of the Differences Between Urgent and Regular Transport:
Regular transport occurs daily, weekly, or monthly between the same parties, the carrier and the shipper. Urgent transport, on the other hand, arises from spontaneous or occasional requests. It involves the delivery of packages or large goods within a very tight timeframe.
Where 3E Drivers Operate?
3E drivers cover a wide region, including western France, cities like Nantes and Angers, and Brittany. The company also handles international shipments and contracts beyond France’s borders.
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Two drivers are currently assigned to long-distance transport at 3E.
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Transport 3E with numbers
Today, by the numbers, Transport 3E represents:
9 dedicated employees
4,375 transports per year, averaging about 365 transports per month
Approximately $1 million in annual revenue
11 active vehicles (2 cars, 6 trucks over 3.5 tons, and 3 refrigerated trucks)
What was Transport 3E's need?
What challenges was 3E facing at the time they connected with Dashdoc?
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The scheduling and the waybills were still being done manually.
The transport schedule and the waybill are concrete examples but were indicative of more structural needs within the company 3E! Requests were becoming more frequent, and it was becoming too difficult to have a comprehensive view of all internal transport operations. Losing information was not an option, especially in the express sector where being responsive is crucial without neglecting regulations and administrative tasks. Therefore, it was essential for drivers and operators to be able to:
Save time in execution
Ensure traceability of transport documents
Maintain smooth and instant communication with drivers and customers
All these objectives were clearly difficult to achieve with a paper or wall schedule, which couldn't adapt to real-time changes on the road or took time to be communicated to the right people. The same was true for the waybills.
How does the TMS Dashdoc address these challenges?
The Benefits of TMS in Daily Practice
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For Sébastien, as well as for Sonia, who both alternate in operations, the notable improvements thanks to Dashdoc can be seen on several levels:
Communication: It is now easier to communicate between operations and drivers because they are connected to the app. They receive their assignments and update statuses by confirming steps and signing the waybill electronically (eCMR). Communication is also smoother with shipping clients. They have free access to a dedicated portal, essentially an extension of the TMS, where they can track the status of their orders.
Reduction in calls: Since clients have more transparency regarding ongoing operations, they don't need to send emails for updates or call the 3E offices. In the case of Transport 3E, there are up to three times fewer calls per client!
With one client in particular, who used to call us an average of three times a day, we really notice the difference. Even if a call only lasts five minutes, when you add them up, you can see that we save time and maintain better focus.
Simplified billing: Previously, we had to wait until the end of the week for drivers to return to the office and drop off the transport documents associated with their various deliveries. Only after receiving them on Friday evening could we enter the information into the management and accounting tools. Today, all the information is instantly accessible. A completed transport is a pre-billed transport!
There's no need to wait until the end of the week to start billing. The driver has everything at their fingertips.
How did the Transport 3E team adapt to the software and the app?
The team adapted quite quickly to using the TMS, both in terms of the software and the app.
Less than a month on average!
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Let's remember that even after the onboarding phase and regular meetings until the team is fully autonomous with the software, the phone support and the app chat for drivers are committed to being as responsive as possible. They provide a response in less than two minutes on the app after the first message!
Can we provide examples of the benefits since 3E started using the TMS Dashdoc?
Qualitatively, the major difference is the ability to work from anywhere, on any device, and also the option to work remotely. Being on-site is no longer a necessity, and that changes a lot of things!