Vehicle Walkaround Checks are an important part of keeping commercial vehicles safe, roadworthy and compliant. But for the software developers behind the technology, there is another challenge: how do you make completing those checks as simple as possible for a driver standing beside their vehicle?
At Aaron’s Department, this was one of the considerations behind the development of Asenea, our mobile application designed to connect users with services provided by different organisations.
One example of Asenea in action is its integration with TachoMagic, where drivers can use the app to complete digital Vehicle Walkaround Checks from their mobile phones.
The result connects two pieces of software developed for very different purposes: a mobile application designed around the user and TachoMagic’s fleet management software designed around the operator.
What is Asenea?
Asenea is a mobile app developed in-house by Aaron’s Department.
Rather than developing separate apps every time one of the systems we work on needs mobile functionality, we wanted to create one central application capable of supporting services from different organisations.
A user signs into Asenea using the credentials provided by their organisation. The services available to them then depend on the organisation they are connected to and the functionality they have been given access to.
This gives Asenea the flexibility to support very different types of software without expecting users to install a collection of separate apps.
For TachoMagic drivers, one of those services is Vehicle Walkaround Checks.
Using Asenea for TachoMagic Vehicle Walkaround Checks
TachoMagic Vehicle Walkaround Checks allow operators to replace paper-based daily vehicle inspection forms with digital checks.
The management side of the service sits within TachoMagic, while Asenea provides the mobile interface that drivers can use when carrying out their inspections.
A driver can open Asenea on their phone, access the TachoMagic service and complete the relevant Walkaround Check for their vehicle.
Instead of filling in a piece of paper that then needs to make its way back to the transport office, the information is recorded digitally and connected with the TachoMagic system.
For the driver, the aim is to keep the process straightforward.
For the operator, there is considerably more happening behind the scenes.
More Than Turning a Paper Form Into an App
When developing Asenea’s support for Vehicle Walkaround Checks, simply recreating a paper checklist on a phone would not have been enough.
Digital software provides an opportunity to make the information collected during a check far more useful.
Through TachoMagic’s Walkaround Check system, operators can create and manage check templates for their drivers. These can be structured around the checks relevant to their vehicles and operations.
If a driver discovers a problem, the system can do more than record that something has failed.
Defects can be assigned different severity levels, helping determine how the system responds when the check is completed.
Operators can also request additional information and require drivers to provide photo or video evidence when reporting particular defects.
This means the software can help create a much clearer record of what the driver found at the time of the inspection.
Giving Operators Control Over Their Vehicle Checks
One of the areas we focused on during development was flexibility.
Different fleets do not necessarily want identical Vehicle Walkaround Checks.
Through TachoMagic, operators can build templates containing their own sections, inspection items, questions and possible answers. They can also determine which departments should have access to particular templates.
Defect reporting can then be configured around the organisation’s requirements.
Defects can be categorised as:
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Critical
The severity of a reported defect can affect the warning displayed to the driver when they finish their check.
These end-of-check messages can also be customised. For example, an operator may only want a prominent warning when a High or Critical defect has been identified. Another organisation could choose to display a message even when the highest reported defect is Low.
If several defects are identified, the system can use the highest severity reported to determine the appropriate message.
This is an example of the difference between simply collecting information and developing software that can respond to it.
Reporting Defects From the Vehicle
A major benefit of connecting TachoMagic with Asenea is that the driver is entering information at the point where the inspection is actually taking place.
If a defect is discovered, additional questions can help gather the information the operator needs.
Photographs or videos can also be requested as evidence.
For example, rather than receiving a paper form later in the day stating that there was a problem with a tyre, the operator can have a digital record of the defect together with supporting evidence supplied by the driver.
Critical defects can also be flagged for immediate attention as soon as they are reported.
For businesses managing vehicles across different locations, getting that information into the right system quickly can make a considerable difference.
Maintaining a Record of Every Check
Another important part of the development was ensuring there is a clear record of what the driver was actually asked to inspect.
TachoMagic’s Walkaround Check templates are versioned.
When changes are made to a template, a new version can be created rather than simply overwriting the previous one. The latest published version is then made available to drivers, while the version used for an individual check is recorded.
That creates a much more useful historical record.
If an operator looks back at a previous inspection, they can establish not only what answers were submitted but also which version of the Vehicle Walkaround Check the driver completed.
Why We Developed Asenea
Asenea, like the other software we develop at Aaron’s Department, has been created by our own development team.
There are significant advantages to that approach.
When functionality needs to be added or an integration needs to be changed, our developers understand the systems involved because we built them.
For a project such as TachoMagic Vehicle Walkaround Checks, that means the mobile experience does not need to be treated as a completely separate product.
We can develop the Asenea side alongside the functionality required by TachoMagic and continue improving how the two interact.
It also gives us greater control over development, security and the way information moves between systems.
One App, Different Organisations
TachoMagic’s Walkaround Checks also demonstrate the wider idea behind Asenea.
Asenea is not the TachoMagic app.
It is a separate platform capable of providing users with access to services from different organisations.
What someone sees after signing in depends on the organisation they are connected with and the services available to them.
This gives us a reusable mobile foundation on which different organisations and software platforms can provide mobile functionality without every service requiring an entirely separate application.
For TachoMagic, that foundation is being used to put Vehicle Walkaround Checks directly into drivers’ hands.
Why Use TachoMagic for Vehicle Walkaround Checks
For transport operators looking to introduce digital daily vehicle inspections, we recommend taking a look at TachoMagic Vehicle Walkaround Checks.
Its Walkaround Check software goes beyond simply asking a driver to tick boxes on their phone. Operators can create their own inspection templates, customise defect reporting, request photographic or video evidence, set defect severity levels, control the warnings shown to drivers and maintain digital records of completed checks.
One of the biggest advantages for existing TachoMagic users is that Vehicle Walkaround Checks are included for vehicles with an active TachoMagic remote download device subscription.
The TachoMagic Automatic Download Device (TADD) automatically downloads tachograph data remotely, removing the need to manually visit each vehicle to retrieve files. The same subscription also gives operators access to Vehicle Walkaround Checks for that vehicle, alongside GPS tracking, route history and geofencing.
This means an operator already using TachoMagic for remote tachograph downloads can introduce digital Vehicle Walkaround Checks without paying for a separate Walkaround Check system for those vehicles.
TachoMagic also provides tachograph analysis and other fleet management tools, allowing operators to bring more of their day-to-day fleet and compliance processes into one place.
For businesses comparing Vehicle Walkaround Check software, particularly those that also need remote tachograph downloads, this makes TachoMagic particularly worth considering.
Developing Software That Works Away From the Desk
TachoMagic’s use of Asenea is a good example of the type of software development we enjoy at Aaron’s Department.
There is a web platform being used by an operator. There is a driver standing beside a vehicle using a mobile phone. There are configurable templates and questions. There are photographs, videos and defects being submitted. And all of that information needs to reach the right place and create a useful record.
What appears to the driver as a straightforward Vehicle Walkaround Check is supported by considerably more software behind the scenes.
That’s exactly what we wanted Asenea to enable.
By developing the app in-house and connecting it with platforms such as TachoMagic, we can create mobile experiences that are simple for the person using them while supporting much more sophisticated systems in the background.
You can learn more about Asenea and how the app works, or visit TachoMagic’s Vehicle Walkaround Checks to see how the technology is being used for digital vehicle inspections.