“Alvys is the Difference Between Us Being in Business and Not”

When Patrick Brown, President of PBJ Express, brought Will Kalamaras on board, the goal was simple: make the business run better. What they didn’t expect was how transformational Alvys would be to their operations—and their bottom line.

When Will Kalamaras first stepped into the world of trucking at PBJ Express in Joplin, Missouri, he wasn’t expecting to overhaul the entire operation.

“My background actually has nothing to do with trucking or logistics in any way, shape, or form,” Will shared. “When COVID hit, I lost my job. That’s when Patrick asked if I could help out part-time.”

What started as part-time paperwork turned into a front-row seat to chaos.

“Some of the systems that we had in the company were extremely fragmented and didn't really talk to each other,” Will said. “We were using spreadsheets, switching platforms and systems for each department. It just wasn’t working.”

Patrick Brown, President of PBJ Express, remembers trying to make sense of the previous TMS.

“I had it for six months and never logged in once,” Patrick said. “It was too complex. When we switched to Alvys, I was building loads on the second day.”

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One System, One Story

Like many small-to-mid-sized fleets, PBJ Express was juggling a patchwork of systems—manual spreadsheets, outdated software, and disconnected workflows that wasted time and let money slip through the cracks. Will, coming from outside the trucking industry, quickly saw the inefficiencies.

“We were using multiple platforms, none of them spoke to each other. It was a mess. The TMS we had before was outdated, way too complex, and onboarding staff was painful. We knew we needed a single system that could do it all.” — Will Kalamaras, CTO

After evaluating multiple options, Will landed on Alvys. The transition wasn’t without hiccups, but the payoff was massive:

Custom Payroll Built for Complex Fleets
PBJ operates a mixed fleet with both company drivers and owner-operators. Alvys adapted to their unique payroll structure, eliminating manual processes and reducing errors.

“We found $25K in lost revenue from spreadsheet errors alone. That’s money we were just losing before.” — Will

Real-Time Visibility
Load tracking, GPS, and customer portals give PBJ’s team and their clients instant insight—cutting down on check calls and boosting service.

“The driver app is a huge hit,” said Will. “They can show when they arrive, when they leave, upload BOLs, get eChecks—it’s incredibly easy from a driver’s perspective. And everything ties into the accounting system automatically. No more manual entry.”

Driver App That Just Works
Their drivers rave about the ease of the Alvys mobile app. No more juggling apps and emails—status updates, PODs, and even eCheck payments all flow seamlessly.

“Your drivers will thank you. I’ve used systems at bigger carriers, and Alvys blows them out of the water.” — Timothy Conway, Driver‍

‍Automated eCheck Functionality
Once a manual task that required round-the-clock staffing, eChecks are now automated through the driver app and reconciled in the accounting system.

“It saves hours a week and lets us operate lean without sacrificing accuracy.” — Will

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Real Results & Real Savings

“When I came in, we had 10 people in the office,” Will recalled. “Now we’ve got five. We cut staff by 50% without sacrificing service. And we let go of one person who was doing payroll full-time.”

Why? Patrick chimed in:

“We were able to cut payroll expenses by about $120,000 a year. The ability to lower our overhead without sacrificing the service to our customers has been huge.”

All-in, PBJ estimates they're saving between $175,000 to $200,000 annually.

“In this economy, Alvys is probably the difference between us being in business and not,” said Patrick. “It’s not a cost—it’s a profit.”

Scaling Smarter

“When I first came on, we had 30 trucks and 10 people in the office. Everyone was doing bits and pieces of the job,” Will explained. “Now, we could double the number of trucks and still keep the same office staff.”

Patrick agreed:

“Big or small, Alvys can make it easier for you to focus your time where it's most profitable. Cut out mundane, monotonous tasks. Stop revenue leaks in your business and get the most bang for your buck.”