Former owner-operator Tom Allnut and his two sons, David and Tommy Jr., have paid their dues working in the trenches over the years. Like many independent drivers, they grew tired of the less-than-stellar treatment they would commonly experience on the job. So, in 2004, the three men put their heads together and founded Southern Delivery, Inc. Based in their home city of Columbia, South Carolina, Southern Delivery is now a full-service for-hire carrier, hauling everything from furniture to beer to all corners of the United States.
Over the year following the company’s founding, the Allnut family’s independent success was finally realized as their business began to prosper. However, the sheer amount of incoming business caused new challenges and a need for more efficient organization. “Back then all of our dispatching, billing, and any other accounting needs were handled with spreadsheets and notebooks,” said David Allnut. “We knew we needed to find a way to automate our operations as much as possible, keep the books straight, and give us the behindthe-
scenes visibility we needed.”
First they purchased Intuit QuickBooks® accounting software, which helped them to handle many of their accounting processes. But still the company needed a stable dispatching system and other organizational and compliance tools. The three men began their search for a fitting solution, and through an Internet search they found Prophesy’s Dispatch- Series software. They were immediately turned on to its ability to interface directly to their QuickBooks software and handle all of their dispatching and billing needs. Working with Prophesy Account Representatives Joan Wentworth and Jay Votzakis, David Allnut put together a powerful software suite built on Prophesy Dispatch with QuickBooks interface. To fulfill his company’s other operational
needs and ensure DOT compliance, he also added modules for mileage and routing, fuel tax reporting, driver management, and log auditing. Key Southern Delivery personnel then attended the University of Prophesy’s phonebased training classes, allowing them to remain in the office and continue business as usual while learning the software. After putting Prophesy to use, David Allnut noticed an immediate improvement in several areas. “We are dispatching more efficiently and at a faster pace, with virtually no issues,” said Allnut. “Also our paying, billing, and payroll are a lot easier to manage and are more accurate. It’s very difficult to make mistakes now, and if anything does go wrong, we know right away and can fix it quickly.” After some time using the software, Southern Delivery added Prophesy’s SQL upgrade, adding a welcome boost of speed to the already improved accuracy
and efficiency.
In times when Allnut and his staff have questions, they can always depend on Prophesy’s attentive Account Representatives and expert Support Team for answers. “Jay and Joan are always available for quick answers to my questions,” said Allnut. “And if I ever need technical help, the Support Team is always knowledgeable and courteous.” “We have been pleased to watch Southern Delivery truly thrive following their implementation of Prophesy DispatchSeries,” said Prophesy Vice President Bill Ashburn. “What’s more, they have gone out of their way to recommend the solution to several of their industry colleagues…and we just couldn’t ask for a better testament to the value of our software than that.” Southern Delivery continues to thrive, employing a fleet of
sixteen drivers, a full-service brokerage, and a dedicated office team. Allnut is currently reviewing other Prophesy options including Mobile Comm GPS tracking to manage his fleet, and Document Imaging to save paper and keep important documents always at his staff ’s fingertips. Even more steady growth is expected in the coming years. From its humble roots to its current status as a major trucking operation, Southern Delivery stands as a true example of selfmade success.
For more information about Prophesy’s Total Solution for
Trucking, email moreinfo@mile.com or call 800-776-6706.
