TDG Mobile Case Study

PAYLOAD implemented our digital Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) solution, TDG Mobile, into the Canadian produced fluid operations of a global oil and gas producer. The key business objectives tested by this implementation were: 

• The Producer increasing the accuracy of forms. 
• Increasing data capture around TDG process. 

• Carriers wanting to test how going digital will impact their processes, and if more effective could they also digitize their bill of lading/truck tickets. 
• For PAYLOAD it was testing the technology and proving adoption. 
• For Transport Canada it was increasing participation in the TDG Paperless sandbox for better, more accurate results to inform regulation.

Our TDG Mobile solution connects Generators, Transporters, Receivers, and First Responders in one easy-to-use platform. This unlocks many benefits for all parties like enabling paperless operations, increasing accuracy of information, significantly reducing manual effort, and enhancing data capture. It also satisfies the requirements for participation in Transport Canada’s Paperless TDG Sandbox, whose stated goal is to “evaluate whether electronic shipping documents can help us reach a level of safety that is equivalent or better than paper documents, and if so, under what conditions.” (https://tc.canada.ca/en/dangerous-goods/regulatory-sandbox-electronic-shipping-documents). 

 Implementing a Paperless Solution 

 The PAYLOAD team worked with the producer to identify the products and carriers to implement with. We engaged the relevant carriers and regulators, organizing joint meetings to increase understanding of the solution and define desired outcomes. Our process was validated by the producer logistics lead, who stated: “PAYLOAD’s guidance and understanding of the solution and regulations was critical to a successful rollout.” 

The first step of onboarding was showcasing TDG Mobile to Transport Canada and local TDG Inspectors to get their sign off on the process. Following this training sessions were held to provide details on how to communicate forms in an emergency, where forms are stored, general app functionality, and data collection/reporting.  

Our training was efficient and effective, allowing producer users, carrier admins, and drivers to be trained in less than 30 minutes. The key was to minimize impact to the driver workflow, which according to one carrier admin was “very low touch, easy on drivers to learn and adapt to the workflow”. It was also important to keep down the real cost to carriers to adopt the new process, however minimal, to garner the best possible adoption.  

As would be expected, the change management portion of implementation was more challenging than the technical side. There were workflow changes to communicate, technical issues to support, and resistance to move away from paper by some parties. The technical implementation being so low impact helped assuage many concerns, and the documentation and support provided by the PAYLOAD team overcame the rest. The most skeptical group, drivers, were won over by the solution’s simplicity, and once that happened the concerns of carrier admins diminished.   

Since the primary function of TDG forms are to inform First Responder’s of any risks in the event of a trucking incident, it was critical to have redundancies in how forms can be accessed digitally. We built the First Responder’s Portal, a separate web app that allows anyone with proper credentials to access relevant forms. In the event a driver is incapacitated or missing forms can be accessed through said portal even in remote environments, ensuring first responders are properly informed. 

Complementary to the digital functionality of TDG Mobile is the data captured as part of the process. All data found on TDG forms was collected and shown to producers in reports with built-in analytics. Importantly, this data was accessible in real time as drivers were generating the forms, providing unprecedented visibility. 

Outcomes 

PAYLOAD successfully implemented our TDG Mobile solution to three carriers that work for the global oil and gas producer in full compliance with regulations set by Transport Canada. Since implementation we have tracked various metrics, qualitative and quantitative, that reflect the effectiveness of our solution: 

• Producer real-time visibility increased to 100% for created forms, allowing complete oversight of compliance. 
• Eliminated paper form handling and storage costs. 

• Zero misclassified product due to the waste codes being limited by the producer based on product line and the form being autogenerated from pre-selected data. 
• Reduced storage and handling costs since forms are stored digitally (feedback from producer). 
• Significantly less time spent accessing and distributing forms (feedback from carrier).  
• Alignment between solution provider (PAYLOAD), carrier, and producer with relevant regulatory bodies. Leading to a better working relationship and environment for field operations. 

There were no service interruptions and a minor change to driver workflows during this implementation. The producer was able to gain the oversight they desired, and both the producer and carriers were able to free up their employees from manual processes. Transport Canada is now able to collect vital data for their paperless sandbox, and PAYLOAD proved ease of adoption.