Roadco Transportation Services saves thousands with Motive.

More reliable tech with Motive

Brian Adelman, Co-Owner of Roadco Transportation Services, a Chicago-based business, remembers a time when the company’s drivers on the road used payphones to call and check in. Brian, who owns the business with his father Robert, reflects on how the business has evolved over the years. “My dad’s been in the business since ‘79. In the 1990s we were operating 200 trucks through payphones at truck stops. Drivers would call us each time they were at a facility or truck stop.”

Adelman, who helped run the business over the years, did everything from dispatch to operations to finance, and goes on to say how technology has made it easier to do his job.

However, the stress of running a 50-vehicle business comes with its challenges. “My father is always in a stressed-out situation, but knowing where the trucks are and how long they’re at a location is super important. Switching to Motive is one of the best decisions we’ve made,” Adelman said.

Before using Motive, Adelman spoke of a very “ugly situation” with a big-name fleet management provider. He said Roadco purchased the software due to the free tablets that were included in the signup offer. After using the system, Adelman quickly noticed it wasn’t reliable.

Brian and Robert decided to switch to Motive with the Buyout Program, with Brian saying, “It couldn’t have been easier.”

Easier dispatching of ad-hoc deliveries

Roadco uses Motive’s Smart Dashcam and GPS Tracking to keep its operations running smoothly. Efficiency translates to being able to serve customers who need loads delivered at the last minute. “Our services are ad-hoc or on-demand. We work with Fortune 500 companies to package deliveries, so whenever a customer calls, we just go straight to Motive to find and dispatch the closest truck,” Adelman explained.

By knowing where Roadco’s vehicles are with Motive’s GPS tracking means Adelman and his team can respond quickly to customers. This helps the business meet the high demands of customers and stay competitive.

Keeping tabs on Roadco trucks came in handy when Robert noticed one of its vehicles was missing. Brian recalled, “One of our drivers was trying to steal the vehicle, but didn’t realize we had GPS tracking on it.”

After pulling up the location of the truck, Robert drove to its location and recovered the vehicle in one fell swoop. The entire vehicle theft recovery probably took about four hours.

Added value courtesy of dash cams 

As anyone in the industry knows, the cost of insuring vehicles can be astronomical. Adelman points out that having dash cams allows him to use it as a bargaining tool when shopping around for new insurance companies.

“We can now go to the insurance company and let them know we have dash cams installed in our trucks. It allows us to go to the table and say, ‘Hey, I’m helping you out too, because when we exonerate a claim together, it’s both of us, not just me.’”

Better equipped to avoid costly collisions

Like many small businesses, Roadco experienced its share of vehicle collisions that cost them time and money. Fearing these moments could come back to haunt them in the future, Brian and Robert decided to do something about it.

These are the two main reasons that drove their decision to install dash cams. The first reason, Alderman explains, is “One of our brand new trucks burned to the ground.” Adelman spoke about a new truck that was carrying $800,000 worth of freight. Due to an engine malfunction, the truck burned to the ground.

“This claim was filed on a brand new truck, and we still don’t really know what really happened because there was no footage. If we had a dash cam, you’d be able to see where the flames started,” Adman explained.

The second reason Roadco decided to install dash cams was due to a fatal collision with a bicyclist. The collision happened a year ago, but the family of the bicyclist took legal action against Roadco. Adelman and his father believe video footage would’ve strongly aided in the legal defense of their driver and company.

Despite the challenges that come with navigating the tricky streets of Chicago, Roadco’s business continues to grow with the support of Motive’s Smart Dashcams and technology.

Learn more

Explore the features that sold Roadco on Motive, like GPS Tracking and AI Dashcam.