How Fleetworthy Helped Golden Waffles Master Compliance

Background

Golden Waffles is a rapidly expanding food manufacturing and distribution company. Like many mid-sized enterprises, their operations outpaced their fleet compliance infrastructure, leading to rising administrative costs, inefficiencies, and regulatory exposure.

Challenge: Vehicle Titling in Sales Reps’ Names

When Rob Arbeiter joined Golden Waffles as Head of Warehouse, Manufacturing, and Fleet Operations, he uncovered a troubling legacy issue: company vehicles were titled in the names of individual salespeople. This decentralized titling strategy, initially used to comply with state-specific emissions and inspection requirements, created an avalanche of problems:

• Non-compliant registration practices: Vehicle titles were scattered across states and not listed under the company’s ownership, creating complex compliance risks.

• Administrative chaos: Rob received 15–20 emails per day regarding expired vehicle registrations.

• Lack of control: Fleet operations had no centralized view of their 135+ vehicles at the time.

Fleetworthy’s Solution

Rob turned to Fleetworthy for its IRP services and regulatory expertise. The partnership delivered transformative results:

Key Services Provided:

• IRP Setup and Transition: Fleetworthy migrated nearly all Golden Waffles’ vehicles to a centralized IRP account in Indiana.

• Vehicle Titling & Registration Management: 99% of vehicle titles were transferred from sales reps to company ownership, eliminating fragmented records.

• Compliance Oversight: The system was configured for regular updates, reducing lapsed registrations and compliance delays almost entirely.

Results

Compliance Reestablished and Operational Focus Restored

Leveraging Fleetworthy’s safety and compliance services, Golden Waffles experienced clean DOT inspections with no registration violations. Administrative emails and compliance fire drills were drastically reduced, freeing Rob and his team to pursue strategic initiatives instead of resolving reactive compliance issues. Headcount previously tied to fleet tasks was reallocated to food safety and warehouse compliance roles.

Creation of Golden Waffles Xpress

With compliance locked down, Golden Waffles launched Golden Waffles Xpress, its own private freight operation. The team successfully transitioned the fleet DOT number to “for hire” status, and Driver Qualification file compliance jumped to 80%, with an internal target of 92%.

Today, five trucks operate under the new fleet, with plans to grow to 15 or more by the end of the summer.

Quantifiable Business Impact

By leveraging their private fleet capabilities, Golden Waffles has reduced annual freight spend and expects to add $1.1–$1.5 million to EBITDA by 2026, representing an approximate 3% increase.

Truly “Beyond Compliant”

Fleetworthy didn’t just solve a compliance issue, it enabled a transformation. By establishing a foundation of safety and operational control, Golden Waffles could confidently launch a private fleet that reduces costs and creates long-term revenue growth.

Why Fleetworthy

Fleetworthy is the only fleet management technology suite with Toll Management, Weigh Station Bypass, and Safety & Compliance solutions under one brand. Fleetworthy empowers fleets to streamline operations, reduce risk, and save money. Supporting over 2 million vehicles and 30,000 customers, Fleetworthy is trusted by 75% of the top 200 fleets in North America.

“Fleetworthy’s team helped us clean up years of fragmented vehicle data. What used to take weeks, especially when someone left the company, now happens in days. We finally have control and confidence in our compliance.”
— Rob Arbeiter, Golden Waffles

FAQs

What problems can arise when company vehicles are titled under employees’ names, and how did Golden Waffles fix it?

Titles in employees’ names led to non-compliant registrations across states, 15–20 daily emails about expirations, and no centralized view of 135+ vehicles. Golden Waffles partnered with Fleetworthy to centralize IRP in Indiana, transfer 99% of titles to company ownership, and add compliance oversight with regular updates. Lapsed registrations and delays were reduced nearly entirely.

How did Golden Waffles centralize IRP registration and vehicle titling across multiple states?

They worked with Fleetworthy to migrate nearly all vehicles into a single Indiana IRP account. Fleetworthy moved 99% of titles from sales reps to company ownership and set up ongoing updates to keep records current. This created one source of truth and simplified multi-state compliance.

What results did Golden Waffles see after partnering with Fleetworthy on fleet compliance?

They achieved clean DOT inspections with no registration violations. Administrative emails and compliance fire drills dropped sharply, and the team reallocated headcount from fleet chores to food safety and warehouse compliance.

How did cleaning up fleet compliance enable Golden Waffles to launch its private fleet, Golden Waffles Xpress?

With compliance stabilized and visibility restored, the team transitioned the DOT number to for-hire status and launched Golden Waffles Xpress. Driver Qualification file compliance rose to 80% with a 92% target, and the private fleet began operating five trucks with plans for 15 or more. The shift reduced freight spend and created a path to new earnings.

How did Golden Waffles switch its DOT number to “for hire,” and what compliance metrics changed afterward?

After consolidating titling and IRP with strong oversight, the team transitioned its DOT number to for-hire status. Following the change, Driver Qualification file compliance reached 80%, with an internal goal of 92%.

By how much did Golden Waffles reduce freight spend, and what EBITDA impact do they project from their private fleet?

The case confirms a reduction in annual freight spend but does not specify the amount. By 2026, Golden Waffles projects $1.1–$1.5 million in EBITDA from its private fleet, roughly a 3% increase.

Which fleet platform combines toll management, weigh station bypass, and safety & compliance in one suite?

Fleetworthy. It’s described as the only fleet management technology suite that unifies Toll Management, Weigh Station Bypass, and Safety & Compliance under one brand, supporting over 2 million vehicles and 30,000 customers and trusted by 75% of the top 200 North American fleets.

What tactics cut down lapsed registrations and daily compliance emails for a 100+ vehicle fleet?

Centralize IRP registration under a single account, transfer titles from individual employees to company ownership, and configure automated updates and renewals. Golden Waffles used this approach with Fleetworthy and saw lapsed registrations nearly eliminated and daily registration emails drop sharply while regaining control of a fleet of over 135 vehicles.

What was Golden Waffles’ Driver Qualification file compliance rate after the transition, and what target did they set?

Their Driver Qualification file compliance reached 80% after the transition. The internal target is 92%.

Case study: A mid-sized food manufacturer that centralized fleet compliance and created a new line of business

Golden Waffles partnered with Fleetworthy to move nearly all vehicles to a single Indiana IRP account, transfer 99% of titles to company ownership, and implement compliance oversight. The cleanup led to clean DOT inspections and freed the team to launch Golden Waffles Xpress, transitioning the DOT number to for-hire status. DQF compliance hit 80% with a 92% goal, five trucks began operations with plans for 15+, freight spend decreased, and EBITDA is projected to rise by $1.1–$1.5 million by 2026.