Customer Company Size
Mid-size Company
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Spireon’s FleetLocate
- Spireon’s NSpire Intelligence Platform
Tech Stack
- GPS technology
- M2M-based
- Cellular technology
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Productivity Improvements
- Brand Awareness
Technology Category
- Sensors - GPS
- Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
- Oil & Gas
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Maintenance
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Asset Health Management (AHM)
- Theft Detection
Services
- System Integration
- Training
About The Customer
Tutle & Tutle Trucking, Inc. is a company based in Cleburne, Texas, and has been in business since 1994. The company manages a fleet of 650 bulk trailers, the majority of which haul sand used for fracking by natural gas producers. Tutle & Tutle’s fleet serves many of the natural gas producers that are extracting gas from the Barnett Shale, a geological formation located in the Bend Arch-Fort Worth Basin in Texas. Experts estimate that the Barnett Shale might have the largest producible reserves of any onshore natural gas field in the country. However, Barnett Shale is known as a “tight” gas reservoir, meaning it can only be extracted efficiently through fracking. That means growing business opportunities for firms such as Tutle & Tutle – but also a spike in criminal activity associated with equipment and cargo theft.
The Challenge
Tutle & Tutle Trucking, a Texas-based company that manages a fleet of 650 bulk trailers, was facing a significant issue with theft. The company was losing two to three trailers each year, each worth an estimated $60,000, often carrying up to $20,000 worth of sand. The loss of these trailers not only represented a direct financial loss but also resulted in a significant loss of productivity. Without any sort of tracking solution in place, the recovery of stolen trailers was nearly impossible. The company was stretched so thin that if one trailer was stolen, it might mean one or two of their employees would be out of work for a while until a replacement trailer was up and running. The company was in need of a solution that would provide real-time information on the location and status of its fleet.
The Solution
In search of a solution to tighten security and more effectively monitor and manage its trailer fleet, Tutle & Tutle selected Spireon’s FleetLocate rich data trailer management platform. Spireon’s next-generation GPS technology and M2M-based NSpire Intelligence Platform provided rich data the company could use for state-of-the-art tracking and analytics. The Spireon platform was a good fit to effectively secure, track, and provide real-time visibility into the movements of Tutle & Tutle's large and far-flung fleet of trailers. However, due to the rough, rocky, and remote terrain where the trailers operate, there was a challenge to ensure the devices could be attached to the trailer securely enough so that they would not be jostled or become dislodged in the process of hauling sand to wells. Working with Spireon’s installation services, they quickly devised a solution to fit their specific needs.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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