The People Behind the Fleet: The drainage HGV driver who built fleet software from the road up

David Langstead's verdict on the fleet software he used as a driver was a simple one: none of it seemed to be built from the road up. He has spent some years in drainage, driving HGVs and working with the kind of programs that are meant to make the job easier.

The turning point came when he took a job that was going to get him off the road and into the office. The firm had nothing to help it with its fleet, so he set about building something in his spare time. It started as an Excel workbook put together with the help of AI. That workbook was as close as he could get to a working program, but next to what was already out there it didn't look good enough. So he kept building, and Rivetway took shape.

Now its founder, David is based in Rainham in Kent and is open about not coming from a development background. Building with AI has brought its own problems, along with a whole new vocabulary to learn. What he brings instead is a driver's view of the paperwork, WhatsApp messages and spreadsheets that fleets juggle every day, and the aim of pulling them into one place.

THRIVE: You've spent years behind the wheel of an HGV. How did that lead to Rivetway?

David: I've been in drainage driving HGVs for some years now, using programs like the one I have built, and none of them seemed to be built from the road up. With the help of AI, I started building an Excel workbook. The book itself was as close as I could get to a working program. It just didn't look good enough given the type of things out there, so I started to build and build until Rivetway took shape.

THRIVE: The workbook didn't look good enough next to what was already out there. When did you decide it had to become something more?

David: Not long after. No one really paid it much attention, and I don't like being beaten, so I found out how to start a small Python program. The first model was only about 350 lines of code and looked like something you would do at school. Then from there it just kept moving.

If a driver needs three apps and ten clicks to do something that used to take a minute, then it has probably missed the point.

THRIVE: What was it that actually pushed you into building fleet technology?

David: I took on a job that was going to get me off the road and into the office. I knew the firm didn't have something to help them with their fleet, so to help me, and them, I built the whole thing in my spare time.

THRIVE: What's the problem you're setting out to solve for fleet operators?

David: I first noticed the problem from actually working in and around drainage operations. There can be a lot going on at once, but the information is often spread everywhere: paperwork, WhatsApp, spreadsheets, different apps and people having to chase each other for updates.

That creates extra work for drivers and office staff, and it also makes simple things harder than they need to be.

That is really where the idea for Rivetway came from. I wanted to build one place where jobs, checks, defects, timesheets, compliance, customer updates and the rest of the day-to-day work could all join up.

The main problem I am trying to solve is simple: fleet operators already have enough to manage without having to manage five different systems as well.

THRIVE: You don't come from a software background. What's been the hardest part of building it?

David: That's an easy one. Not having come through a development route, I have heavily used AI to build. AI, as good as it is, comes with some pretty big problems, and then there's the jargon. I have had to learn a new language as well: backend, frontend, APIs and so on.

THRIVE: What sort of problems have you run into when building with AI?

David: I had to first find the right LLM. Not all of them do the same sort of work, and then there's the lingo and the tech stacks and understanding them all.

THRIVE: Where does technology genuinely make fleets run better, and where is the industry overcomplicating things?

David: Things like driver checks, defects, job updates, compliance reminders, photos and reports can all be made much simpler if they are in one place. That saves people having to chase paperwork or ring around trying to find out what is going on.

Where I think the industry sometimes gets it wrong is by adding technology just because it can. If a driver needs three apps and ten clicks to do something that used to take a minute, then it has probably missed the point.

For me, good fleet technology should feel simple. It should help the driver and the office get the job done, not give them another system to manage.

THRIVE: Have you seen operators' attitudes to software, data and automation change?

David: I think attitudes have changed quite a lot. A few years ago, a lot of operators seemed happy as long as the job got done, even if that meant paperwork, spreadsheets and different systems that did not really speak to each other.

Now there is much more expectation around having information available straight away. Operators want to know where a job is up to, whether checks have been done, what defects are open and whether anything is becoming a compliance problem.

There is still some hesitation around automation and AI, especially if it feels like it is taking control away from the operator. What I am seeing is that people are more open to it when it saves admin, highlights problems early and still leaves the final decision with a person.

The biggest change is that software is starting to be seen less as an extra and more as part of running a fleet properly.

THRIVE: What development are you most excited about?

David: I think there is a real opportunity for AI to help spot problems earlier, reduce admin and make all the information fleets already collect more useful. That is something I am really interested in building into Rivetway over time.

THRIVE: And when you're not building software, what keeps you busy?

David: I like to fish, and I have a young baby and older kids. We like to have fun days out.

THRIVE: What advice would you give someone coming into the sector?

David: For anyone coming into the sector, my advice would be to spend time understanding the people actually doing the job. Talk to drivers, transport managers and office staff and find out what frustrates them.

About Rivetway

Rivetway is fleet and field operations software that David is building from his own experience as an HGV and drainage driver. It brings jobs, driver workflows, walkaround checks, defects, compliance, timesheets, documents and customer access into one place, with a dashboard for the office and an app for drivers. The core platform is working and being tested in real-world use, and David is still shaping it around feedback from fleets. Find out more at rivetway.com.

David Langstead was interviewed in writing for The People Behind the Fleet, THRIVE's series about the people who keep UK fleets moving. Answers have been edited for length and clarity and approved by David. David on LinkedIn.