A new online service has been launched which is already helping logistics firms of all sizes stay on top of their compliance paperwork.

SilkThread aims to help fleets navigate the compliance maze, helping them achieve and maintain their Operator's Licences.

The specially-developed web application, almost a year in development, allows auditing, evidence upload and compliance visibility across multiple depots of all aspects of transport management.

It can be used by both Standard and Restricted licence holders and contains a detailed knowledge bank of guidance documents, paperwork templates and calendar based alerts.

Support and training by transport industry insiders is also offered to users to give them an easy introduction to the system.

SilkThread is the brainchild of transport compliance experts Labyrinth Logistics Consulting. Labyrinth managing director, Ruth Waring FCILT, said: "The reaction so far has been phenomenal.

“We have had input from operators of all shapes and sizes throughout the development process, and the result is a simple yet hugely important tool that is already making compliance much easier for a number of companies.

"We are pricing the software competitively to ensure we reach the full range of potential users, from small hauliers to companies running a large own account fleet."

Geraint Davies, fleet manager John Raymond Transport, who helped trial the software, said: "SilkThread is a ground-breaking compliance tool which will give operators absolute confidence in their legal obligations by checking their current compliance status using the SilkThread system, and providing suitable evidence of the same along the way.

"It saves operators valuable time by removing the burden of a traditional format audit by providing an audit within the software which can be completed at leisure."

The system takes its name from the Greek myth of Theseus, who was given a ball of silk thread to help him navigate his way out of maze after his victorious battle with the Minotaur. SilkThread, therefore, is a navigation tool for those travelling through a complex environment.