TruckandTrackSpring2020

Truck and Track Spring 2020 www.truckandtrack.com 6 BUSINESS NEWS Norwich-based entrepreneur, Jonny Billing, has set his sights on revolutionising the car-washing industry for the better, by making it easier for customers to pay for services, while also providing somemuch needed transparency and cohesion to the industry in the process. The app itself, named GoWash, will allow you to: ■■ Search for sites near your location ■■ View opening times, prices and facilities at the car wash ■■ Pay through ApplePay, GooglePay and all major credit/debit cards ■■ View/save your receipt ‘We have all been there’ said Jonny, ‘frequently passing your local hand car wash because you have no cash on you, or even worse, having your car washed and then realising you forgot to swing by the ATM and have no cash!’ ‘In an age where payments are only a card or phone tap away, it baffles me that the car wash market hasn’t gone cashless.’ Jonny cut his teeth in the haulage industry, working alongside his father, who founded the business SNAP. ‘We changed the haulage industry for the better, by removing cash and allowing HGV drivers to pay for parking andwashing services through their licence plate.’ SNAP’s rapid growth and commercial success caught the attention of industry leaders and they were bought out by DCC PLC, one of the largest PLCs in the UK, in 2018. After recently leaving SNAP, Jonny set about putting his own stamp on the business world. ‘My father helped me hone a business ethic centred on solution-based ideas and never surrendering to a problemif you feel youcanfix it. I amincredibly excited to launchmy app which I feel will change the car washing industry dramatically, but also educate people about the importance of using legitimate businesses to wash their car and to avoid the illegally run sites.’ But it is not only customers who will benefit from the platform. For car wash site owners, the GoWash app will provide a timely relief to the struggles of running their site day-to-day by streamlining the payment process: one less thing for them to worry about so they can focus on other areas to develop their business. ‘The sites have a fight on their hands every day to try to gain more customers as advertising is expensive. Being free to join, if registered before the February launch, car wash owners have nothing to lose by joining the GoWash app.’ said Jonny. The GoWash app itself launched at the end of February and is free to download on iOS andAndroiddevices.Withmore than twohundred car wash locations already listed as interested to be included on the app, the GoWash network projects to have partnerships with 300- 400 locations across the UK for launch! There are around 10,000-20,000 car washes in the UK so if you have a favourite site please get in touch with GoWash and they will try and get them on-board for launch. GoWash is a new app set to transform the way drivers pay for car washing & valeting across the UK Microlise, the telematics and transport management solutions provider, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of TruTac Ltd. TruTac is the leading UK provider of fleet compliance and management software for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) and Public Service Vehicle (PSV). The terms of the acquisition were not disclosedandaspart of theacquisition, TruTac will remain an independent company as part of the Microlise Group. The acquisition underscores Microlise’s ongoing commitment to forge new partnerships and opportunities to increase product and service innovation to support its international customer base in the UK, France, India, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Microlise, headquartered in Nottingham, is the UK’s market leader of telematics and transport technology products, with over 500,000 connections around the world. Its Fleet Performance, JourneyManagement, Planning & Optimisation and Proof of Delivery products are used by fleet operators while its solutions are also successfully deployed by OEM partners including MAN Truck & Bus UK, JCB and Tata Motors in India. Founded in 1990 and operating throughout the UK and Ireland, TruTac has successfully established itself as the leading designer and provider of fleet compliance software for HGV and PSV operators. Its online product suite allows operators and transport managers to simplify and streamline tachograph and compliance management via one easy-to-use portal. TruTac’s range of products helps clients to protect their Operators Licence, reduce risk, increase fleet efficiency and reduce administration costs. Nadeem Raza, Microlise’s Chief Executive Officer says: “We are delighted to announce this acquisition and we welcome the TruTac team to Microlise. This union strengthens our presence in both the HGV and PSV sectors, and complements our group offering of real-time fleet management systems to enable smarter and more accurate operational decisions. We have identified strong synergies between the businesses, particularly across the development of new products and services. We look forward to actively pursuing our ongoingmutual success.” Terry Ramsey, Managing Director of TruTac adds: “I am proud of everything TruTac has achieved in becoming the UK’s compliance software market leader and this is great news for both old and new HGV and PSV customers. Microlise and TruTac are guided by the same ethos and passion for transport and this union is a positive one. Combining our expertise will deliver greater customer and partner value across the commercial and passenger transport industries. I look forward to accelerating the development of new products and services and to entering new markets with a strengthened and complementary fleet management offering.” MicroliseChiefExecutiveOfficer,NadeemRazacommentsonTruTac acquisition: https://www.youtube.com/embed/NZWPyc2AUis Microlise Completes Acquisition of Fleet Compliance Management Provider TruTac Microlise Completes Acquisition of Fleet Compliance Management Provider TruTac (left) Terry Ramsey, MD TruTac (right) NadeemRaza, CEOMicrolise