Digital Take 5 Platform for a Transport Company
A transport operator built a digital Take 5 pre-start safety check in Glide. We moved it off Google Sheets, added multi-tenancy and Stripe billing, and launched it as a commercial safety platform for the transport industry.
Owner-operator transport company: 35 heavy vehicle drivers across metro and regional routes
A Western Australian transport operator running a mixed fleet of rigids, B-doubles and light commercial vehicles. The owner had a background in safety management before starting the business and took pre-start checks more seriously than most.
After watching drivers fill in paper Take 5 forms that went straight into a glove box and never surfaced again, they spent six months building a digital version in Glide. The app connected to a Google Sheet, pulled the vehicle and route list, and let drivers complete the Take 5 on their phone before starting a shift. Supervisors could see the day's completions on a simple dashboard.
What needed to change
The app worked well for their own fleet. The problem appeared when two other operators in the same industry asked to use it. All the data was in a single Google Sheet. Every driver, every vehicle, every pre-start record from every business would end up in the same spreadsheet. There was no way to separate operators' data without multiple copies of the app and multiple spreadsheets — which meant no central reporting, no shared billing, and a maintenance headache.
Glide's pricing model charges per user. At 35 drivers it was manageable. At 200 drivers across multiple operators it was going to be unviable. And Glide does not export meaningful application code — the app exists as configuration inside their system. Changing platforms later would mean starting again from scratch.
There was also no billing system. The owner had been informally charging the two interested operators a flat monthly fee via bank transfer. That is fine for two clients. It does not scale to twenty, and it creates gaps in the commercial relationship: no automatic plan enforcement, no invoice history, no formal trial process for new operators.
What we built
A commercial Take 5 platform rebuilt on proper infrastructure with operator-level data isolation, configurable fleet and form settings per operator, and Stripe subscription billing.
Commercial Readiness Review
Reviewed the Glide app and the underlying Google Sheets data structure. Identified what was worth preserving (the form logic, the vehicle/route configuration model, the supervisor dashboard concept) and what needed rebuilding (the data architecture, the hosting, the authentication model).
Replatform from Glide
Rebuilt the mobile Take 5 interface as a progressive web app using Next.js. Works on any smartphone browser with no app installation required. The UI preserved the same flow drivers were already familiar with, reducing retraining time.
Operator-Level Data Isolation
Each subscribing transport operator has a fully isolated environment: their own drivers, vehicles, routes, pre-start forms, safety records, hazard logs and reports. No data is visible across operators. Operators can configure their own vehicle lists, custom questions, and notification rules.
Fleet and Form Configuration
Each operator can manage their own vehicle register, driver accounts, route categories, and form questions through a self-service admin panel. Custom questions can be added per vehicle type. No developer involvement required for ongoing configuration.
Compliance Reporting Dashboard
Real-time dashboard showing daily Take 5 completion rates, open hazard flags, overdue pre-starts, and historical trend data per vehicle and driver. Exportable for safety audits and Chain of Responsibility purposes.
Stripe Billing
Monthly subscription plans tiered by number of active drivers. 14-day free trial, automatic activation, failed payment handling, GST-inclusive invoices, and upgrade/downgrade logic. New operators can sign up and start a trial without any contact with the owner.
How it works
Driver opens the app before starting a shift
On their phone, in the cab. No installation — it is a web app. They select their vehicle from the pre-configured list for their operator. The correct Take 5 questions load automatically based on vehicle type.
Completes the pre-start check
Works through the checklist on the phone screen. Marks each item pass/fail. If a hazard or defect is flagged, they add a note and optional photo. Submission is timestamped with GPS location.
Supervisor sees completions in real time
The fleet supervisor's dashboard updates immediately. Green icons for completed pre-starts, red for flagged items, grey for vehicles not yet checked. Overdue notifications sent automatically.
Hazard flagged for follow-up
Any flagged defect or hazard stays open until a supervisor marks it resolved with a note. The audit trail shows who flagged it, when, what was done about it, and who closed it.
Monthly compliance report generated
At the end of each month, operators can generate a compliance summary showing completion rates, recurring issues, and trend data. Ready for safety audits, insurance renewals, and CoR documentation.
Measurable outcomes
I built the original app because I was sick of paper forms going missing. When two other operators in my network wanted to use it, I realised what I had was actually a product — but it was not ready to be one. HELLO PEOPLE took it apart and rebuilt it properly. The eight operators we have now found us through word of mouth. I have not done a single sales call.
How we delivered it
Review and Roadmap
1 weekReviewed the Glide app, the Google Sheets data model, and the supervisor reporting logic. Identified what to preserve and what to rebuild. Scoped the replatform, multi-tenancy, billing and compliance reporting as four fixed-price stages.
Replatform and Data Architecture
3 weeksBuilt the Next.js PWA and PostgreSQL database with operator-level data isolation. Ported the Take 5 form logic, vehicle configuration model and supervisor dashboard from the original Glide app.
Fleet Configuration and Admin
2 weeksBuilt the operator admin panel for vehicle register management, driver accounts, route categories, custom form questions and notification settings.
Compliance Reporting
2 weeksBuilt the compliance dashboard, hazard tracking with audit trail, trend reporting, and monthly compliance report export.
Billing and Launch
2 weeksIntegrated Stripe with trial activation, plan tiers, failed payment handling and GST invoicing. Migrated the two existing informal clients to paid accounts. Launched to new operators.
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