How To Use
[in detail]
In this section you will be walked through ‘how to use’ the MiKro-Z app in detail, screen by screen: from downloading at the Apple App Store or Google Play, to using the app at an RDC.
To jump to a particular section select from the headings in the index.
For a quick refresher on the MiKro-Z app, select ‘how to use’ [brief].
Download
1. Download the Free to use MiKro-Z app from the Apple App Store or Google Play on to your phone.
2. Select Mikro-Z icon to launch app.
3. The MiKro-Z Opening flash screen will briefly appear followed by Location Permission (if opening for the first time).
Location Permission
1. You are now asked to give permission for the app to access your GPS location when you use it.
This is a standard requirement in apps that use ‘Location’ as a core function.
Select > Allow
2. Confirm ‘when’ GPS access is allowed.
Select > Allow While using the app’.
If you decide to deny GPS location permission then unfortunately MiKro-Z will not work for you.
Sign-Up
1. After giving Location Permission, you will be taken to the ‘Login’ screen.
2. If you are a registered MiKro-Z user already, input your email and password.
Select Login to access MiKro-Z.
3. If you have not yet registered you need to do that now
Select > Signup with Email.
4. At Sign up add first and last name.
5. Add an email address: this should be one you regularly use incase your password needs resetting, or we need to update you on important information.
6. Add a password and confirm it.
Select > GET STARTED.
7. As a registered user you are asked to Login with the email address and password given at Sign-Up.
Select > Login to access MiKro-Z.
Putting Truckers First
1. After Logging-in to MiKro-Z you will come to the Home Screen. Below the logo you will see our mission statement and corporate aim of always Putting Truckers First.
2. At the top left of this screen is a Menu icon: which we will cover later in this ‘How to Use’ section.
3. Almost ready to start using MiKro-Z in your day to day trucking work: just one more formality. Give permission to access the phone’s camera when using the app: this is asked for when you first activate the app’s BAY light monitoring feature BAY WATCH.
4. On arriving at an RDC, launch app. Touch the MiKro-Z logo on the Home screen:.
“As soon as MiKro-Z is monitoring the BAY lights a truck driver can stop watching their mirrors, take a break and perhaps rest their eyes and recharge a little. ”
ON SITE
1. The ON SITE screen is now visible.
2. Select > pulsing ON SITE button
3. ON SITE button will stop pulsing and its blue border disappear to indicate it is now active. It will also start a timer which will appear at top left of screen..
Note: The ON SITE timer measures how long you remain at a location before leaving. It will also register the actual time you arrive at an RDC,
4. At the bottom of the screen you will see ‘EARLY’, ‘ON-TIME’ and ‘LATE’.
Depending on if you have arrived at the RDC on schedule pick the option that applies.
Select > Right arrow
5. In the search box add the name of the RDC or company you are delivering to or collecting from and confirm by selecting from the list of those within a 1-km radius (correct spelling is required as data is drawn from Google Maps).
6. Select ‘COLLECTION’ or ‘DELIVERY’
7. Indicate type and temperature of your load from;
‘AMBIENT’, ‘CHILLED’ OR ‘FROZEN’.
Select > Right arrow.
Note: If you don’t see your RDC in the companies listed within a 1 km radius of your location, select the X button at the top right of the screen to go back one screen as this will refresh the GPS map locator.
If you still don’t see your RDC or the company you are delivering to or collecting from, please select from one near by so you can record the data (and make a note later in the Activity Tool to remind you), then get in touch with us and we will contact the facility to let them know they are not appearing on map data, so this can be corrected for your future visits and help make your data record as accurate as possible.
ON BAY
1. The ON BAY screen is now visible.
Note: At bottom left of the screen is a small OFF SITE button: selecting this will take you to the main OFF SITE screen. If you then select the pulsing OFF SITE button it will stop the ON SITE timer and save the data in the Activity Tool. Use this feature if you want to leave the site without capturing your ON BAY data.
2. As soon as you have been allocated a Bay (or loading area) And moved on to it
Select > the pulsing ON BAY button.
3. At this point you might leave the vehicle to drop off your keys at the office, or hand in paperwork, before returning to your truck.
Note: The action of selecting the pulsing ON BAY button starts a timer visible top right, to record how long you are on a BAY (or at a LOADING / UNLOADING area).
Note: At the bottom of the ON BAY screen are 3 buttons: OFF SITE (covered earlier), Bay Watch and OFF BAY.
Select OFF BAY if you just want to use the ON BAY and ON SITE timers without taking advantage of the Bay Watch feature of MiKro-Z: perhaps its only a short drop or pick up at this RDC, or it doesn’t have loading Bay lights.
Once the small OFF BAY button is selected, you will move to the main OFF BAY screen. Selecting the pulsing OFF BAY button there will stop the ON BAY timer: then select OFF SITE to end your MiKro-Z session.
4. To use MiKro-Z to monitor the BAY lights - and perhaps rest your eyes a little until your vehicle is ready - do the following now;
Lock vehicle’s doors to avoid interruption
Secure your phone upright in a standard window mount holder, ensuring it is firmly held in place and not wobbling about. Angle it towards the driver side mirror
5. Select > Bay Watch
Camera Permission
1. When using the app for the first time, this is where you are asked to give camera access permission to MiKro-Z. The app uses the camera in its Bay Watch feature to monitor the Loading BAY lights and to inform you when they change colour, indicating a shift in their operational status.
2. Select > While Using the App’.
If you decide to deny camera access permission then unfortunately the MiKro-Z app will not work for you.
BAY WATCH
1. When you select the Bay Watch button an information notice will let you know how to enable MiKro-Z to accurately monitor the BAY lights.
It will also ask you to confirm OK.
Note: In a future update it will be possible to turn off screen notifications.
2. Your phone’s camera will now have been opened by MiKro-Z.
3. Adjust the phone as required in its holder so that you can see the active BAY light reflected in your truck’s side mirror and visible in the Bay Watch screen.
4. Now ensure the active BAY light is positioned in the centre of the corresponding Red or Green box. Use the zoom slider to make the light fill the box, trying not to go outside its border.
Note: If the Green Bay light is on, adjust your phone so that the light is in the Green cursor box: And vice versa if the active light is Red.
5. When you have positioned the active light as well as you can in the relevant box - after following the instructions
Select > the Bay Watch button at the bottom of the screen.
6. If you now see a pulsing blue border appearing around the phone screen, this indicates you have accurately positioned the active light in the correct cursor box - filling it as much as possible - and MiKro-Z has accepted it, and is ready to move forward.
Select > Confirm to proceed with this Bay Watch session.
Note: If you decide to not proceed in this BAY WATCH session for any reason, selecting > the X at the bottom right of the screen at this point will return you to the ON BAY screen. Then you could start the BAY WATCH process again, or just use the ON SITE and ON BAY timers and save this information to the Activity Tool.
Note: If you see a pulsing Yellow border it means that you did not quite position the active Bay light correctly.
Select > Try Again and have another go - it just takes a little practise.
If you see a pulsing Red border it could mean that MiKro-Z can no longer see the Bay light it was monitoring, possibly because the phone was moved or is loose in the holder. In this case..
Select > Check Status this will allow you to reposition the active light and restart the Bay Watch process; but without any loss of timing data.
See later in this section for Alerts and Error Notifications.
“All operational information from when a truck arrives ON-SITE at an RDC, to what time it goes ON-BAY, how long it is Waiting, Loading or Unloading, to when it goes OFF-BAY and eventually OFF-SITE, is recorded in the MiKro-Z Activity Tool.”
WAITING
1. The WAITING screen indicates MiKro-Z is monitoring the BAY lights and that it started on a Green light.
Note: If the active light was Red when you started the BAY WATCH process, then at this point you would see the Red LOADING or UNLOADING screens.
2. The timer in the centre of the screen indicates and records how long the vehicle remains on the Green WAITING light.
3. A STOP button is visible at the bottom centre of the WAITING (LOADING/UNLOADING) screen.
If you need to select the STOP button it will halt the Bay Watch process and return you to the ON BAY screen (all timing data will be saved in the Activity Tool).
Note: Do Not remove your phone from the window mount holder once MiKro-Z is actively monitoring the BAY lights as this may disrupt the Bay Watch process.
LOADING & UNLOADING
1. The LOADING or UNLOADING screen at this stage indicates the MiKro-Z app has observed a shift in the BAY’s operational status with the lights changing from Green to Red.
2. The timer in the centre of the screen indicates and records how long the vehicle remains on the Red LOADING or UNLOADING light.
Note: Whether you see LOADING or UNLOADING at this stage is determined by if you selected Collection or Delivery in the app earlier.
READY
1. The READY screen and Alarm sounding in MiKro-Z indicates your vehicle has finished being Loaded or Unloaded and the lights have changed from Red back to Green.
2. Select > the Alarm icon to turn it off. This action will then move you to the OFF BAY screen.
“As soon as the BAY lights return to Green, MiKro-Z sounds an alarm to alert the truck driver they are Good to Go.”
OFF BAY
1. The OFF BAY screen indicates that MiKro-Z has stopped monitoring the BAY lights at this stage.
Note: You can now remove your phone from its holder if you wish to do so: the LOADING (or UNLOADING) timing data has been saved to the Activity Tool.
3. Time to get your paperwork sorted out, collect your keys if they have been handed in, then when you’re back in the truck and almost ready to leave this location…
Select > the pulsing OFF BAY button.
Note: This action will stop the ON BAY timer, but the data will remain visible until you select OFF SITE.
OFF SITE
1. OFF SITE screen is now visible. When ready to leave the RDC
select > the pulsing OFF SITE button.
Activity Tool
After confirming going OFF SITE you will see a notification asking if you want to view the Activity Data from your most recent RDC visit. If you select Yes, My ON SITE Record will open.
2. If you select NO, the MiKro-Z SAFE JOURNEY! flash screen will appear before returning to the Home screen.
“One of the biggest challenges for a trucker is the over-tiredness fatigue that can result from unnecessary time spent at RDCs staring at loading bay lights in their vehicle’s mirrors, waiting to be processed. ”
3. In My ON SITE Record each RDC activity entry is listed in the order in which it was visited.
Data can be expanded by selecting the arrow to reveal more details.
Features
RDC Name, Location
DAY, DATE, TIME, YEAR
Time arr. ON SITE
TIme arr. ON BAY
Total Time WAITING
Total Time LOADING or Unloading
Time dep. OFF BAY
Time dep. OFF SITE
Total Time at ON SITE
BAY WATCH Time
COLLECTION or DELIVERY
EARLY, LATE, ON TIME
AMBIENT, CHILLED, FROZEN
Notes on RDC visits
4. A filter allows you to search MiKro-Z data in a number of ways; by RDC name and location, for example if you want to view entries for ‘Acme Frozen, Anytownshire’, or just all your UK (or other country) records.
5. If you cross national borders, RDC activity data can be displayed by the countries where they are located.
6. Searches by timeframe; date, months and years is also possible
7. The share feature allow you to show your latest MiKro-Z data to other truckers in the industry using social media or other communication tools. This is particularly useful if contributing to forums that track and comment on Waiting times at RDCs.
Menu
1. At the top left of most screens in MiKro-Z you will see a 3 bar ‘Menu’ icon. Here you can find information about the app and our company, including; Our Story So Far.
2. You can also access the ‘My ON SITE RECORD’ ‘Activity Tool’: which records operational data from your time ON SITE at each RDC location where you use MiKro-Z.
3. Other sections include; How to Use MiKro-Z’, our ‘Privacy’ statement and ‘Frequently Asked Questions.
Alerts and Error Notifications
1. There are a number of Notifications and Error Messages that might come up when you are using MiKro-Z, which will mainly relate to the BAY WATCH process of monitoring the BAY lights.
2. For example If you move the phone when it is in its holder after you have started BAY WATCH - so that the camera can no longer see the active BAY light - the app may detect an error in the process and send an alert.
The notifications may include a pulsing Blue, Yellow or Red border around the phone; an alarm sounding; and a message appearing at the bottom of the screen like;
Confirm
Try Again
Check Status
Note: If during the Bay Watch set-up process you see a pulsing Blue border appear around the phone screen this indicates you have correctly positioned the active BAY light in the centre of the correct cursor box - filling it as much as possible without going outside its border - and MiKro-Z has accepted it and is ready to move forward.
Select > Confirm to proceed with the Bay Watch session.
If you see a pulsing Yellow border it means that you did not quite position the active Bay light correctly and it needs adjusting.
Select > Try Again and have another go - it just takes a little practice.
If you see a pulsing Red border it could mean that MiKro-Z can no longer see the Bay light it was monitoring: possibly because the phone was accidentally or deliberately moved, or it is loose in its holder. In this case..
Select > Check Status this will allow you to reposition the active light, and restart the Bay Watch process; but without any loss of timing data.
Refer to the Bay Watch section.
