Coach and minibus specialist Alpine Travel is aiming for maximum compliance with the help of TruTac’s suite of tachograph analysis and fleet management systems. 

Based in Llandudno, the company was established in 1972 and claims to be the largest independently owned coach operator in North Wales. An accredited member of CoachMarque and the Guild of British Coach Operators, its fleet comprises passenger vehicles with anything from 6 to 70 seats.  

Compliance is high on the company’s agenda, which is why it selected TruTac’s CPT Tacho Analysis software, a dedicated PSV tachograph analysis and reporting system. The software is specifically designed to help passenger vehicle operators tighten up their fleets and is fully accredited by the CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport). 

“My aim is to have all Alpine drivers compliant to the nth degree, with no exceptions,” said Transport and Compliance Manager, Michael Spotswood. “CPT Tacho Analysis helps in various situations, because I can speak to someone at the organisation if I need a question answered to confirm if I’m on the right track, and it is always good to have an external sounding block to fall back on.” 

Michael adds that the CPT-approved software has also helped the company to win and maintain business. Some of its larger clients have enquired about such accreditations with a view to ensuring a high standard of service prior to commissions and have subsequently become regular customers.  

“A lot of bigger customers send us a check sheet before they hire us, to find out if we conform to their requirements. Invariably, they ask if we are accredited by any professional bodies. This can dictate whether certain companies use us just once or multiple times – and we do have a high percentage of returning customers.” 

On top of CPT Tacho Analysis, Alpine also uses TruTac’s TruTime software, which monitors employees’ time and attendance for HR purposes. These are complemented by three DigiPostPro boxes in its respective depots, which track the times at which drivers begin and end their shifts.  

“We are now running our payroll from the accurate driver hours recorded by TruTime, which makes for a smoother operation. The simple to use DigiPostPro boxes easily download digital tachographs to the drivers’ calendar, which is much more efficient than me chasing them every 28 days,” says Michael.   

The company is planning to apply for the DVSA’s Earned Recognition status – the Government-approved scheme for consummate driver and vehicle operators – and TruTac’s systems will form an integral part of the application. The CPT Tacho Analysis portal includes an Earned Recognition dashboard as standard (customers are not charged for the privilege) which presents the ER KPI’s in a simple graphical format. Thus, enabling an instant view of fleet compliance performance data and associated reports directly through the software which, for Alpine, will hopefully pave the way for yet another prestigious endorsement.  

To learn more about TruTac products and how they can improve compliance and save time, contact TruTac on 024 7669 0000 or email sales@trutac.co.uk.