Ontime Delivery Solutions is modernising fleet operations by replacing legacy systems with real-time logistics technology.
For transport operators managing large, complex fleets, legacy technology can become both a constraint and a risk. Systems that once supported basic tracking and dispatch often struggle to meet modern expectations around real-time visibility, customer communication and operational flexibility. Replacing those systems is rarely simple, particularly when they are deeply embedded across fleet operations, customer service and internal administration.
For Ontime Delivery Solutions, the decision to transition away from legacy software followed growing pressure from customers and the need to modernise operations at scale. The business operates more than 600 vehicles and services clients with specialist delivery requirements, where visibility, certainty and responsiveness are increasingly non-negotiable.
“We are partnering with a publicly listed business that already provides solutions for companies such as Amazon and Amart,” says Walter Scremin, CEO of Ontime Delivery Solutions. “From our point of view, we are probably the biggest transport company that they are transitioning over.”
The move represents an operational shift rather than a simple software replacement. Ontime has spent more than 12 months working through development, testing and staged deployment to ensure the new platform aligns with the realities of its service model and customer expectations.
Modernisation driven by customer expectations
At the core of the transition is a clear gap between what legacy systems could deliver and what customers now expect from logistics providers. As delivery networks become more complex and end customers demand greater transparency, technology has moved from being an internal tool to a visible part of the service experience.
“It was about overall modernisation,” Walter says. “I believe their technology is leading edge and they are providing everything that is required of the marketplace right now. People are about information, people are about wanting transparency, it is about ease of use, and it is about it looking good.”
While GPS tracking and vehicle visibility have existed for years, Walter notes that usability and presentation now play a far greater role in how customers engage with logistics platforms on a daily basis. While vehicle tracking can be delivered in many ways, presentation and usability play a growing role in how customers perceive service quality. Equally important was the technology provider’s ability to continuously evolve the platform in response to operational feedback and changing requirements.
“They have a team of people that are continually developing the software,” Walter says. “To be quite honest, we have been working with them for the last 12 months getting prepared for it. We have the bulk of our clients already experiencing it, and the feedback has been absolutely wonderful. They love it.”
Migrating core systems across a fleet of more than 600 vehicles presents a level of complexity that goes well beyond smaller transport operations. For Ontime, the transition required careful sequencing to avoid disruption while accommodating the business’s highly specialised service model.
“It is an incredibly big decision when you are running 600-plus vehicles to transfer everything over,” Walter says. “The period of time it has taken is a result of all the new development they have needed to do, because we are quite particular and idiosyncratic in the service that we provide our clients.”
Ontime’s approach differs from standardised logistics models that prioritise uniformity over flexibility. Instead, its technology is shaped around specific customer requirements rather than forcing customers to adapt to rigid systems. Ontime does not take a one-size-fits-all approach, instead developing its technology around specific customer requirements rather than standardised solutions.
That differentiation required close collaboration during development.
“It has been a massive eye opener for them as well,” he says. “Just understanding all the differentiation that we need.”
Real-time visibility and route flexibility
One of the most notable outcomes of the new platform is the level of real-time visibility now available across Ontime’s fleet operations. Customers are no longer limited to static tracking or delayed reporting, instead gaining live insight into vehicle locations, delivery progress and order sequencing. This visibility has been particularly valuable for customers managing time-critical or complex deliveries, where certainty around execution directly affects downstream operations.
“The main feedback we get is certainly the ease of use,” Walter says. “You are not just able to see your vehicles tracking, but you can see the orders as they are delivered in real time. You can see the actual order sequence as it is being done.”
The platform also enables dynamic route optimisation in the field, allowing drivers to respond to changing priorities without disrupting the broader delivery run.
“Drivers have the ability to do route optimisation while they are out in the field,” he says. “If a client’s needs change all of a sudden and they say, ‘Forget about delivery number three, go straight to five because it is urgent,’ they go and deliver five and then they optimise the whole thing again.”
According to Walter, this flexibility delivers efficiency benefits across the supply chain, from drivers and contractors through to customers.
“It is about efficiency gains,” he says. “It is making the driver’s life easier, and as a result it is more efficient for everybody. The client gets the cost benefit and the service benefit, and our contractors get the benefit of doing it in the most efficient manner, which helps reduce their costs so they are not running around all over the place.”
Previously, Ontime’s legacy systems did not support real-time visibility, in-field flexibility or dynamic route optimisation.
Improving communication and customer confidence
Beyond operational efficiency, the new system has changed how Ontime’s customers communicate with their own end customers. Automated messaging and live updates are now embedded into the delivery process, helping manage expectations and reduce uncertainty. Delivery runs are planned with estimated times of arrival before vehicles leave the depot, allowing customers to proactively communicate delivery windows.
“Prior to the driver leaving, the run is sorted and it has an ETA beside it,” Walter says. “From a customer service point of view, they can advise their clients approximately what time the driver will be there or what time window they will be there.”
As deliveries progress, those estimates update automatically.
“If they are running behind or running ahead, it alters,” he says. “They have that live information all the time where they can keep their clients informed.”
For Walter, the impact on customer confidence is clear.
“There is nothing more frustrating than sitting at home because you are told there is a delivery coming and you are just sitting there going, ‘Is it coming or not?’” he says. “We have all taken a day off and then it never shows up. That is what people want to avoid.”
Data and reporting as a partnership tool
The transition has also expanded Ontime’s reporting capabilities, providing customers with deeper insight into delivery performance and service outcomes. Rather than relying on static reports, customers can now generate their own data views that support analysis across service windows, driver efficiency and last-mile performance.
“The reporting tools are more comprehensive,” Walter says. “It is easier, and all the information is being collated. Clients have the ability to produce their own reports.”
For Ontime, the availability of this data strengthens its role as a transport partner rather than a transactional provider. Ontime positions itself as a long-term transport partner, using performance data to support more informed, collaborative discussions with customers.
Rollout progress and early results
While the transition is well advanced, some internal functions remain on legacy systems as final elements are completed. Customer-facing operations, however, have largely moved to the new platform. Ontime has identified a small number of critical issues that must be resolved before full go-live, largely related to internal functions such as invoicing. Walter expects the full rollout to be completed by the end of the first quarter of the new year.
“There will be ongoing development forever,” he says. “But certainly by the end of the first quarter it will be done.”
Enabling specialist service models
The new technology also underpins Ontime’s growing presence in specialist sectors such as food distribution and mobility and healthcare equipment. These industries place higher demands on service quality, communication and delivery execution. In mobility and healthcare deliveries, services often extend beyond drop-off, requiring in-home or on-site setup at hospitals and private residences. These services require trained drivers capable of working with elderly or mobility-impaired customers in sensitive environments.
“That is a great example of needing a specialist carrier with a specialist service,” he says. “Once you get that foothold, it grows. People see you are doing it for someone else and it gives them reassurance.”
For Ontime Delivery Solutions, the move away from legacy systems is not simply a technology refresh. It represents a structural shift in how the business delivers transparency, flexibility and trust across the last mile, at a scale aligned with the evolving expectations of modern supply chains.
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