So you have your new truck scale and now you need all that data it is collecting. Collecting data is good to help keep track of your weight measurements throughout the duration of your work day. Your truck scale is producing data constantly. Depending on what you plan to use your data for will guide you towards a truck scale software package best suited for your needs. Below are some common questions and answers that will assist you in that selection process.
So What is truck scale software?
When we say truck scale software what do we mean? In this case we mean software that performs one of or more of the following functions> scale ticketing, scale transaction data storage, dispatching, inventory management, or other similar items.
As you can see "truck scale software" has a lot of meanings depending on who you ask.
What type of software is out there?
There tends to be two major buckets of software. First is truck scale software designed specifically for a certain industry such as solid waste, aggregates, or agriculture. Examples of these would be WasteWorks, Command Alkon, and Trux. Second is truck scale software that is generally industry agnostic. Examples of these would be ScaleSoft, OnTrak, ScaleIt, Truck Plus, etc.
Who Makes the software?
Truck scale software is designed and owned by two major groups. First are the truck scale manufacturers such as B-Tek, Rice Lake, Mettler Toledo, Cardinal, etc. Each truck scale manufacturer has their own proprietary software packages. Some of these software packages come with the scale indicators they sell while others are standalone and can operate independently. The second group are independent software & technology companies that just make software. Meaning they are not manufacturing physical truck scales like the first group. Oftentimes these are smaller companies that have more software programming expertise but less "scale" knowledge.
How do I connect my scale to this software?
After you have selected your truck software you will need to connect your physical truck scale to the software. This is accomplished through a range of communication options. The most basic and still prevalent is serial data being sent from the scale indicator on your truck scale to a PC / Laptop running the software. Other options include ethernet, wireless, and more advanced protocols like TCP/IP. Once the truck scale is connected to the computer the weight data can start to flow to the software. Connecting your truck scale to the software is a task best suited for your scale service company.
What can the software do for me?
This is a tough question. This entirely depends on what you are looking to do with your weigh operation. The answer is pretty open-ended depending on what software you selected. From a basic perspective all the software will offer:
Scale ticketing. This is the process of weighing trucks in and out and gathering required data to produce a scale ticket. Think of the scale ticket as a single transaction. The ticket can be digital, a physical paperticket, or both. This ticket is then often provided to the driver of the truck along with the company operating the truck scale.
Transaction Data Logging. This is the process of capturing all the scale tickets that were run on a day. These tickets are then stored on a database either locally or in the cloud. From there all the scale data is accessible for reporting purposes, financial records, etc.
Transaction Reporting. This is the process of data visualization, reporting, and transmission. Software is configurable to email daily or monthly transaction reports or to provide batches of data to ERP systems such as Oracle, SAP, or MS Dynamics.
What else can the software do for me?
Some of the other functionality includes invoicing, inventory management, point of sale payment processing, camera integration, RFID tag integration, etc. Bottomline, there is a wide range of software features out there.
Where do you buy the software from?
It depends. If you selected a software package offered by a scale manufacturer such as ScaleSoft by B-Tek or OnTrak by Rice Lake then your scale service company is who you will buy the software from. On the other hand, if you went with an independent software such as WasteWork or ScaleIt then you will purchase it directly from them.
How much does truck scale software cost?
Not surprisingly, there is a wide range of price points for truck scale software. Whether you go for a basic software package or complex package with impact cost significantly. When it comes to pricing some software packages are charged by the month using a contractual obligation while other packages just have a one-time upfront fee. For reference, a basic software package that has a one-time upfront fee is in the $2,500 - $5,000 range. For a truck scale software package that is charged monthly expect to pay $100 - $500 per month.
If you are purchasing a new truck scale, when should you start considering software?
The short-answer is from the beginning. You want to ensure the truck scale hardware you are purchasing is going to work well with the software you are contemplating. Also the more you integrate your truck scale software requirements early into the buying process the less likely you will end up with a software package that doesn't meet your needs. Two groups to reachout to learn more about truck scale software; one your local scale dealer, two any companies in your same industry running software. Your scale service company will have had experience with a wide-range of software packages. They can provide candid advice on which direction you might want to go. Second, talk to other folks in your industry who are running truck scale software and get their feedback. Oftentimes, they are a great resource since they understand your industry specifics better than the scale service company.
So what are some of the truck scale software packages out there?
Below is a list of some of the truck scale software packages that are available on the market:
Scale Manufacturer Specific
Industry Specific: