Cary Deason, General Manager of Minn-Tex Express, looks back with a smile on the early days of his company. In 1992, Deason and his parents Edward and Salina started Minn-Tex with a single truck. Edward would drive, while Cary and his mother would handle the office matters.

Today, employing more than 70 owner-operators and an office team of 10, he is realizing growth they couldn't have imagined back then. Along the way they have tried several ways to manage their operation-from manual processes, to spreadsheets, and even a prominent competitor of Prophesy-before trading them all in for the total trucking solution, Prophesy DispatchSeries Software.

"It's true," said Deason. "We used a well-known competitor of Prophesy's for a stretch when we knew we needed something designed for trucking…but also needed to make a quick decision. We made a blind jump to that system, and it cost us."

After struggling with the software for some time, Deason decided to begin a careful search for a new solution which would help him to truly maximize efficiency and analyze the operational costs of his fleet. "It was time to go from 'playing trucks', to making money with trucks; we just needed more power," said Deason.

The company approached their purchase carefully, fully scrutinizing the top 4 vendors of trucking software, including Prophesy. In October 2006, the team at Minn-Tex selected Prophesy Dispatch Software for their business, citing its flexibility and ability to track profitability details such as lane analysis, utilization of equipment, reporting, integrated brokerage capabilities to handle both their asset and non-asset based operation, and overall level of customer service as major factors in their decision.

He had glowing reviews for his Prophesy's National Sales Manager, Kevin Pasternack, as well. "Kevin has been just great. Honestly, he's a big reason why we chose Prophesy. He really knew his stuff," said Deason. "He had real answers to all of my tough questions, and believe me, I grilled him pretty hard during the sales process. I'd really give kudos to Kevin."

But Deason wasn't finished putting Prophesy to the test. Following his purchase he ran the Prophesy Dispatch system side by side with its competition for a full 3 months, keeping a checklist of needed efficiencies. Prophesy immediately proved its worth, trouncing his former system in speed, accuracy, functionality, and reporting.

"I love the Prophesy system," said Deason. "It does a great job of helping me run efficiently. It also keeps things simple for my Dispatch Team, tracking the 3 key elements: time, miles, and money. Those three things equal your profitability, because in this industry the pennies you save are the pennies you add to your bottom line."

Deason has actively pursued new areas to track efficiency and profitability with his Prophesy system, even serving as a beta-tester for the company's upcoming Digital Dashboard module, which includes over 35 Key Performance Indicators (KPI's). "That tool is just the best," said Deason. "It gives me a whole new level of control over my operation. In fact, I'm having a pizza party this Friday for my team if our deadhead miles come in under 7%. Those savings add up to tens of thousands of dollars for me… I'm happy to provide a nice pizza lunch and extra incentives along the way to keep my team excited about keeping costs down. I just couldn't track those things as efficiently without my Prophesy Software."

When asked about any final thoughts on his experience with the software, Cary Deason replied, "You've got to have the right tools to run efficiently in trucking. And I can say confidently…Prophesy is the tool."

More About Minn-Tex Express:
Minn-Tex maintains a thriving brokerage operation, as well as a100% Owner-Operator fleet, running 70 trucks throughout the United States, with their most active lanes in the South. Primary commodities hauled are cheese and meat. The company anticipates continued growth in the coming year due to strong customer relations and steady year-round contracts. To learn more about Minn-Tex Express, visit them on the web at www.minn-tex.com.

For more information about Prophesy's Total Software Solution for Trucking, email moreinfo@mile.com or call (800) 776-6706.