The Fill Up Today app is changing the landscape by connecting companies with drivers for material imports and exports. Founder and Creator Jason Paterson explains how he turned his vision into a reality.
Jason Paterson’s journey to the civil construction industry is far from conventional. In many ways, it’s this journey that has been the biggest contributor in forging his innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.
“I started out in Gippsland and then as a motor mechanic, I moved up to Darwin. Then I moved into the civil construction industry in Queensland. I’ve always been fixing trucks or being around them,” he says.
“When I went out on my own and founded the PatAsh & Civil Group in 2004, it was glaring how many trucks were on site and how many had waiting times. That waiting time is very costly and it’s happening right across the country. There are loose hours everywhere and civil construction companies are the ones that are paying for it.”
With more than 30 years of experience in the sector, Paterson has a thorough understanding of the industry’s current requirements, as well as its legacy issues. He says a lack of trackability was the catalyst for the original idea of an application that could streamline, simplify and monitor trucks on site.
“Without this trackability of anything, all you have to rely on is a paper trail. That’s all you’ve got. That’s all you can sign off on,” he says.
“Nowadays everything can be captured to the minute. It’s rare these days that things can’t be captured to the minute whether we’re talking about timesheets, tracking apps, geofences and those types of things.
“If we have a load of materials coming in, the driver might be there for 22 minutes, but it might be listed as 45 minutes. That was the idea behind the Fill Up Today app.”
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The Fill Up Today app assigns jobs to drivers using the platform, from which they can view site specifics such as the requirements for importing and exporting site materials. Drivers can then use the app for inbuilt navigation, while the operations or fleet manager can track the driver’s progress in real time.
Data around site entry/exit, travel times, time spent on site, and more are captured through geofencing, helping to streamline the invoicing process. This eliminates the continuous delays with paper dockets.
Paterson says increasing the efficiency of cash flow internally and externally is just one of the biggest benefits of the app.
“These types of things are on my mind all of the time, every day. Not every week, not every month, but every day – that there’s thousands of dollars going that’s not being recorded,” he says.
“With the Fill Up Today app, the trackers don’t lie. What it provides is honesty and the truth, the data and information are black and white.”
These features and more were developed in Australia, specifically for Australian industries. An aspect that Paterson takes great pride in.
“I wanted to build it onshore, which I’m very passionate about. The app was built in Geelong (Victoria) and born and bred in Australia,” he says.
“We’re proud of who we are and what we stand for. Everyone with a platform like this can have equal opportunities in an honest way. We’ve set this app up so that everyone is personally tested and verified, also to ensure that they have insurance. It’s very thorough.”
This onboarding process allows drivers of all types, makes and backgrounds to compete for different jobs on an even keel.
“Whether it’s big companies, small companies, experienced drivers or new drivers, people all get the same treatment on this app. After all, why shouldn’t everyone have the same opportunities,” he says.
Paterson says he understands that there’re still people out there who prefer traditional, paper-based invoicing and processes.
From his experience, he says it’s important to keep an open mind and learn more about the potential benefits of the app.
“People don’t like change. I know, because I used to be one of those people,” Paterson says. “I totally agree with where they’re coming from, but I’d tell them to watch this space. That level of understanding and learning will increase.”
The Fill Up Today app team is forging its own opportunities, with upcoming events and industry discussions to provide a platform for further growth.
“I’d just say to people ‘have a go!’ We’ll be getting out there more and more, but we’re not going to push it down anybody’s throats. People will see it, recognise it, and start to talk about it. I’m looking forward to that organic growth for what is a simple system,” Paterson says.
This article was originally published in the March edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.
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