C.R. England Deploys Platform Science to Its 4,000-Truck Fleet

Evolving with technology is vital for fleets to keep their operations optimized for the road ahead. Fleets that have been around for more than a century especially know the value of future-proofing their business.
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Founded in 1920 in a small farming community just outside of Plain City, UT, C.R. England has become one of the largest temperature-controlled carriers in the U.S. What started as a single-truck operation driven by its founder’s first Model T truck has grown to a fleet of more than 4,000 specialized trucks.

Future-Proofing a Fleet

While the C.R. England team had embraced early telematics tools—and even developed their own mobile apps—they recently recognized the need for newer technologies that kept pace with other industries. Their top priorities included: 

• Improved driver communication and connectivity
• Greater system reliability, stability, and sustainability
• Ability to deploy proprietary and third-party apps to in-cab tablets

After meeting with Platform Science representatives at an industry conference and learning more about what the platform had to offer, C.R. England’s Vice President of Technology, Rich Farr, says he felt Platform Science would be able to help future-proof their operations for years to come.

“When I saw Platform Science and the architecture they were following, I knew this was the right way to do it. I felt like they had a good vision,” Farr explains. “When we decided it was time for us to start looking for a new telematics system, Platform Science was the first one we reached out to.”

A More Efficient Technology Rollout 

Following a consultation and solutions package agreement, it was time to implement the new telematics system. The Platform Science team worked closely with C.R. England to roll out their platform across their entire fleet as quickly as possible and with minimal disruption to their operations. C.R. England also felt strongly about training their teams well to ensure everyone was ready to make the most of their new tools once deployed.

Together with Platform Science, they created a phased rollout plan, which began with a 10-truck pilot program, followed by an additional 20 trucks, then a full-scale rollout to the rest of the fleet. Working terminal to terminal, C.R. England strategically scheduled times for trucks to be taken off the road. Diligent planning and a simple installation process enabled their technicians to update the required hardware and install a new system within 30 minutes.

While their trucks were in the terminal, drivers received training tools and videos to complete to ensure they would be fully onboarded as soon as their trucks were ready to go. In all, the full fleet rollout took only five months to complete.

From Easy Installation to Immediate Improvements

C.R. England says their drivers were especially happy with the new telematics system's features for simplifying their daily tasks—like PS Messages and PS Workflow—and how seamlessly they integrated with their existing navigation system. Working together, C.R. England and Platform Science continue to explore new possibilities driven by the data now available from their telematics infrastructure. C.R. England continues their legacy of success by optimizing their operations both for today and in the future. 

Want to learn more? Check out the C.R. England case study and video testimonial for an in-depth look at their collaboration with Platform Science.