{"id":2524,"date":"2010-05-20T15:27:12","date_gmt":"2010-05-20T21:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/?p=2524"},"modified":"2019-10-16T09:55:17","modified_gmt":"2019-10-16T15:55:17","slug":"zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

McMahon Cartage is a gasoline hauling and delivery company that services gas stations and trucking companies in the Chicago area. It employs 32 drivers to deliver approximately 5. 5 million gallons of gas a week to more than 300 gas stations.<\/p>\n

Challenge<\/h3>\n

Three years ago, McMahon Cartage determined that its delivery system was inefficient and decided to streamline the process. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In the old system, a gas station owner called the distributor; then the distributor called us and we entered the load into the system; finally, we called the driver to give him the information,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d John McMahon, vice president of McMahon Cartage, explains. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Each delivery had to go through four people before it made it to the driver. As a result, there was a lot of miscommunication and wasted time. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Because we had so many steps in the process,\u00e2\u20ac\u009dMcMahon continues, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153there were more chances of making mistakes. Plus, we had no way to track our orders. If something went wrong, everyone was pointing fingers at someone else. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

In addition to the lack of accountability, drivers often got lost on their routes or wrote down the wrong name of the gas station on their order, resulting in the driver being held responsible for the billing inaccuracy, which could mean as much as $30,000 taken out of his or her paycheck.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I spent a lot of time organizing the drivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 schedules. In order to keep route errors down, I placed drivers only on routes that were familiar to them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d notes McMahon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wanted to ensure that our drivers could focus on driving safely to their destinations instead of having to worry about looking down at a map or getting lost. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

So, the company began searching for a solution that would track orders more efficiently and make deliveries faster, as well as minimize the time customers spent placing orders.<\/p>\n

Solution<\/h3>\n

McMahon Cartage selected an integrator of wireless, bar code and mobile solutions<\/a>, to establish an online ordering system for scheduling delivery to gas stations. With Digital Fuel Solutions, the Web-based program developed by McMahon Carthage, delivery process time has been cut in half by allowing customers and distributors to order their gas online. The online orders are then given directly to the drivers via a Motorola\u00c2\u00ae handheld device<\/a>. After the driver delivers the gasoline, he prints a receipt using a Zebra\u00c2\u00ae printer<\/a>, eliminating errors and illegible writing.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153After completing a lot of research, we decided the Motorola handheld and the Zebra RW 420\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 printer<\/a> formed the best application for the job,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says McMahon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The easiest part of the whole project was integrating the Motorola handheld and the Zebra printer with my software application. Plus, it only took the drivers two hours to learn the system. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d As the only mobile printer to meet the stringent IP54 dust and water resistance rating, the RW 420 can withstand the harsh demands of a number of route accounting and field service printing applications, including invoices, delivery receipts, service estimates, sales orders, and inventory management. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The primary feature we wanted in the mobile printer was the ability to sustain extreme cold and hot weather because of the varying Chicago climate. We also required mobility because there was nowhere to put wires in the truck. Finally, we needed durability because the truck bounces quite a bit,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d states McMahon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Zebra printer was the perfect fit and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m very happy with it. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

McMahon continues, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Our drivers love the Zebra printer because it saves them time and is virtually error-free. The problems with the old system that occurred when a driver wrote down the wrong delivery information have been completely eliminated with the printed receipt. The drivers also comment on how surprised they are that the receipt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image never smudges, even if it is folded in half. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Motorola PDA features a number of applications that save McMahon Cartage time and help drivers better navigate their routes. Drivers use several applications such as Google Maps<\/a> to quickly direct them to their destination, and the Weather application to get the daily forecast for driving conditions. Two favorite applications for drivers include the Dollar Sign, which gives drivers a running total of their pay for each delivery and a Mobile Alert application, which notifies drivers of special circumstances that may arise on the route.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Overall, the drivers love the new system and applications. The coolest application is the Mobile Alert. It pops up for each account and gives a safety warning to the driver. In the past, I had one station where the drivers knocked down three telephone poles. So, one of my alerts reminds the driver to \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPlease watch out for the pole\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d explains McMahon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153In addition, distributors request to add Mobile Alerts such as \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMake sure you see the customer before you drop off the fuel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, etc. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a huge plus for everyone. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

With the Google Maps and Mobile Alert applications, McMahon is able to simplify scheduling. He no longer has to match drivers to particular terminals and stations by virtue of the alert and directions. He notes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You can send anyone anywhere and be comfortable that they will find their way and know all the special delivery alerts. The system is much more efficient because we can now schedule based on geography. In addition, the drivers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 paperwork is 80 percent faster\u00e2\u20ac\u201da huge plus for drivers, who can spend more time concentrating on driving then doing paperwork. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Results<\/h3>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Since I implemented the new system, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen a ton of benefits,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d comments McMahon. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One distributor,World Fuels, has praised the system, saying it has significantly improved the company\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s billing process because the Zebra printouts are much clearer and there is never an error in reporting. Plus it takes World Fuels about 16 seconds to order its gas online, which has saved them approximately 42 man hours per month on one entry. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Digital Fuel Solutions also does forecasting for McMahon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s customers. With record gas prices earlier this year, it was a huge help to better forecast how much gas to sell. McMahon notes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is inventory at its best. \u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

In addition, McMahon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s payroll and customer billing is done 93 percent faster. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It used to take me close to two days to complete payroll. Now, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s taking me around 12 minutes. With 100 percent accuracy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said McMahon.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The system also has brought us significant safety benefits. For example, if a truck has a flat tire or something is wrong, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re able to eliminate it from the route with the push of a button. This prevents other drivers from accidently using the truck,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said McMahon.<\/p>\n

The new delivery system quickly yielded significant business benefits and cost savings for McMahon Cartage. However, the company gained the most impressive cost efficiencies via a reduction in shifts. With the new system,McMahon Cartage was able to eliminate a whole shift, resulting in savings of $3,500 per week and a 55 percent reduction in the number of dispatchers. With its mobile delivery system, the company is operating more leanly and efficiently than ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

McMahon Cartage is a gasoline hauling and delivery company that services gas stations and trucking companies in the Chicago area. It employs 32 drivers to deliver approximately 5. 5 million gallons of gas a week to more than 300 gas stations. Challenge Three years ago, McMahon Cartage determined that its delivery system was inefficient and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[135],"tags":[189,13],"yoast_head":"\nZebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"McMahon Cartage is a gasoline hauling and delivery company that services gas stations and trucking companies in the Chicago area. It employs 32 drivers to deliver approximately 5. 5 million gallons of gas a week to more than 300 gas stations. Challenge Three years ago, McMahon Cartage determined that its delivery system was inefficient and […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Barcoding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2010-05-20T21:27:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-16T15:55:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BarcodesInc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BarcodesInc\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/\",\"name\":\"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2010-05-20T21:27:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-16T15:55:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4887305f61b70f8fa89a8ca7343ec6d4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Case Studies\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/category\/case-studies\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Barcoding News\",\"description\":\"Barcode, Auto-ID, Point of Sale and RFID News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4887305f61b70f8fa89a8ca7343ec6d4\",\"name\":\"BarcodesInc\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News","og_description":"McMahon Cartage is a gasoline hauling and delivery company that services gas stations and trucking companies in the Chicago area. It employs 32 drivers to deliver approximately 5. 5 million gallons of gas a week to more than 300 gas stations. Challenge Three years ago, McMahon Cartage determined that its delivery system was inefficient and […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/","og_site_name":"Barcoding News","article_published_time":"2010-05-20T21:27:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-16T15:55:17+00:00","author":"BarcodesInc","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BarcodesInc","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/","name":"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers - Barcoding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2010-05-20T21:27:12+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-16T15:55:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4887305f61b70f8fa89a8ca7343ec6d4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/zebra-mobile-printers-and-motorola-mobile-computers-help-chicago-gasoline-hauling-company-improve-efficiency-and-service-to-customers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Case Studies","item":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/category\/case-studies\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Zebra Mobile Printers and Motorola Mobile Computers Help Chicago Gasoline Hauling Company Improve Efficiency and Service to Customers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/","name":"Barcoding News","description":"Barcode, Auto-ID, Point of Sale and RFID News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/4887305f61b70f8fa89a8ca7343ec6d4","name":"BarcodesInc","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2524"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23146,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2524\/revisions\/23146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.barcodesinc.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}