FITCHBURG, MA – Enterprise fleet management software specialists Chevin Fleet Solutions expanded its North American reach by recently adding Tropical Shipping to its list of North American clients. Chevin's two primary products are FleetWave, a commercially available Web-based fleet management system, and RoadBASE, a PC-based system. 

Operating 18 vessels out of more than 15 facilities, Tropical Shipping manages and maintains more than 20,000 pieces of equipment using Chevin's Web-based FleetWave. In an effort to improve asset utilization and lifecycle cost visibility while improving the productivity of 100-plus technicians, the company completely revamped its maintenance practices from inspection methodologies to inventory management and warranty recovery. After detailed business process review of current and desired process enhancements, Chevin and Tropical worked in partnership to configure FleetWave to support what has resulted in significant efficiencies and ongoing operational savings.  

Using FleetWave's flexible capabilities, Tropical Shipping replaced its paper-intensive container inspection and work order process with wireless data collection devices for work orders, parts requisitioning, fuel management, pre-trip and in-gate inspection procedures, eliminating time-consuming and error-prone handwritten documents. 

With FleetWave's suite of planning tools, Tropical Shipping instituted a centralized scheduling and oversight process for all regulatory inspections, certifications, and preventive maintenance events, deploying a centralized dashboard to present real-time compliance to key management, department heads, and maintenance personnel across the organization. Further efficiencies have been gained by integrating FleetWave to Tropical Shipping's enterprise management systems including PeopleSoft, T-Link, and their fuel management system, TRAK.    

With FleetWave in place, Tropical Shipping has eliminated redundant stand alone information systems and databases, while streamlining and standardizing fleet management practices across the company with a single enterprise Web-based fleet management information system.