Audit of 12 processes in a transport company - what did we find?
In April 2024, we entered a transport base near Radom. 45 tractor-trailers, everything seemed fine, but profit was stagnant. We checked 12 processes – from refueling to document workflow – and found specific gaps.
Where was the fuel leaking? Hard data from GPS
The analysis started with fuel cards and logs from GPS transmitters. We noticed that drivers were adding an average of 18 kilometers to every trip between Warsaw and Berlin. With a fleet of 45 cars and an average of 22 trips a month, this resulted in thousands of empty kilometers that no one paid for. We check facts, not promises, so we calculated this based on data from January to March 2024.
The second issue was idling time. Engines worked on idle for an average of 42 minutes a day during loading. The owner thought this was standard, but we know that your business must earn, not blow smoke. After calculating diesel prices from May 2024, the loss was 840 PLN per car per month. We count every penny, and this was where the most were leaking.
Paperwork bottlenecks were freezing cash
Paperwork in this company was neglected and piling up. The average time from delivery to invoicing was 11 working days. We reviewed the last 314 orders. In 87 cases, signed CMR documents were missing on time, blocking payments from contractors in Germany and the Netherlands. This wasn't a problem with customers, but with the information flow inside the office in Radom.
We introduced a simple control system that shortened this time to 34 hours. We talk straight about money: financial liquidity improved so much that the company stopped using an expensive working capital loan in June 2024. This saved them another 4,200 PLN in interest every month. We check facts, and the facts were that money was lying in unlabeled folders.
Shortening the invoicing time from 11 days to 34 hours saved the company's liquidity without taking out new loans.
Tires and service – hidden costs that no one counted
We checked the technical condition of 180 tires across the fleet. 22% of them had improper pressure, usually 1.5 bar too low. It seems like a trifle for a mechanic, but for the wallet, it's a disaster. This increased fuel consumption by another 2.1% per 100 kilometers. The owner, Mr. Robert, didn't believe it until we showed him a comparison of two identical routes performed in July 2024.
We implemented a mandatory pressure report every Monday morning. We count every penny, and this one simple habit brought savings of 12,400 PLN per quarter. Your business must earn from transport, not from subsidizing tire manufacturers and fuel corporations through negligence during service.
How we sealed the system in 30 days
We don't do theory; we do results. We introduced a 12-point control rule for dispatchers. Each employee received a clear table where they must check off route optimization before approving it. Since May 15, 2024, every liter of fuel must be justified by mileage from the system, not the driver's approximate calculations, which often deviated from the truth.
Results came faster than we assumed. In August 2024, average fuel consumption across the entire fleet dropped from 31 liters to 26.7 liters per 100 kilometers. At current fuel prices, this is real profit that stays in the company. Złoty Standard Marketing doesn't promise miracles – we simply cut unnecessary costs where others don't see them.
