In an era marked by supply chain disruptions and the paramount importance of efficiency, warehouses have emerged as crucial convergence points where products transition to the hands of consumers.
However, a bottleneck plaguing the sector is the extended waiting times faced by transporters and shippers during loading and unloading operations.
Besides irking both warehouse staff and lorry drivers, dock scheduling issues can directly impact profitability and customer satisfaction.
How digitalisation is untapping new efficiencies
Like so many other areas of the supply chain, digital tools are now being harnessed to bring new efficiencies to dock scheduling.
Spain is no exception to that rule, as illustrated by a new study titled “The Management of Loading and Unloading Docks in Spain”.
Produced by the Spanish Logistics Center (CEL) and CargoON, a shipper-dedicated transport management platform, the joint study found that 46% of surveyed loading companies have already adopted digital tech solutions for efficient dock management.
There are further signals that the shift is accelerating too. According to calculations by the ReportLinker agency, spending on digitalisation is expected to increase by an average of 10% per year.
The role of a dock scheduler
By using such a dock scheduler, loading docks can be managed through time slots. This is said to not only enhance warehouse efficiency in real terms, but also foster better relationships with carriers. The better efficiency can also reduce friction with warehouse staff and minimise long waits due to coordination issues.
Another argument in favour of a dock scheduler is that by centralising information, communication can be improved between logistics departments, carriers, and warehouses, which in turn ensures smooth operations according to an established schedule.
These tools not only distribute workload throughout the day, but also empower drivers to reserve and reschedule arrival times based on transportation status.
Some dock schedulers also provide access to reports with key indicators, thereby fostering a comprehensive understanding of all processes in the warehouse, and facilitating continuous improvement.
For example, CargoON claims that the use of its dock scheduler can reduce waiting times at warehouses by up to 70%. This problem is also pointed out by high profile Spanish industry representatives, including Ramon Valdivia, Executive Vice President of Spain’s Association of International Road Transport, who says this about that issue:
“Many hours are wasted when trucks are not doing their real job – moving goods. Much of this efficiency gain is linked to the elimination or strong reduction of empty runs (or with little use of loading capacity) and, of course, to the optimisation of the times used in loading and unloading operations at customer docks.”
The extent of the dock scheduling problem
The CEL/CargoON report also indicates that dock scheduling is very much still a problem. It found that more than 50% of carriers have to report warehouse arrival delays more than once per day, while half of shippers have been forced to reschedule dock assignments on multiple occasions.
The issue is by no means restricted to Spain or even Europe either.
According to a recent survey conducted by the USA’s Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), it was found that truck drivers in the US spend an average of 12-20 hours a week in unscheduled downtime related to loading and unloading.
This is particularly important, claims CargoON, as amid the driver shortage, some transporters are keen to avoid unloading at places notorious for long delays.
David Piras, Secretary general of Les Routiers Suisses, also says this is now a common occurrence in Switzerland:
“In Switzerland transport companies avoid customers and unloading places with long wait times for handling. A truck standing in front of a warehouse does not make money, which is especially costly in the case of Switzerland.”
Communication benefits
Wojciech Kośnik, Key Account Manager for Centrum Pali, a Polish company that provides foundation piles for the European construction industry, is one who has openly praised slot management solutions.
“Transparency in communication between us, the carrier and the customer has increased. Comments regarding delivery delays are now a thing of the past, as are situations in which loading was done outside of hours. This has been possible thanks to the full visibility provided by the system,” said Kośnik, whose company now uses a dock scheduler in its everyday work.
Kośnik added:
“Thanks to digital management by time slots, work in the warehouse is better distributed over time and the problem of long queues of trucks for loading or unloading has disappeared. We have also gained additional capacity and now carriers can schedule arrivals with greater flexibility.”
Overcoming technical learning barriers and a reluctance to embrace digitalisation
Despite the acknowledged benefits of digitalisation, and signs that more companies are willing to utilise digital technology, there is still a significant minority who have indicated their reluctance to embrace change.
The aforementioned CEL and CargoON study found that almost half of companies (47%) face internal resistance to change, while 40% fear a prolonged implementation process (40%).
Because of frequent downtime, drivers also struggle with work-life balance.
The report found that for road transport companies, the main challenge lies in the lack of collaboration between drivers and traffic operators. This, it is said, emphasises the need for a comprehensive change of management strategy.
Commenting on the results of the study, Bruno Rosa, Business Development Manager Iberia at CargoON, suggested that some companies know they need to adapt, but are fearful of a long learning curve:
“If we want to guarantee efficient and on-time loading and unloading, it is highly recommended that companies use technological solutions to reserve time slots. However, internal solutions have many limitations, especially in the case of changes or unforeseen events. On the other hand, it is not easy to convince a transporter that they have to adapt to an endless number of alternatives. Doing something about it does entail additional responsibilities though; hours of learning and grappling with many technological barriers. However, when we use standardised systems with European reach, such as Dock Scheduler, all barriers disappear.”
Addressing perennial transport demands
Amidst the growing use of digitalisation to bring operational benefits to warehouses and RDCs, some long-standing infrastructure shortcomings remain an issue. This includes a lack of bathroom facilities for drivers.
Although progress has been made in Spain, the aforementioned study found that 28.6% of shippers still do not provide any sanitary facilities for drivers. As regards to whether facilities were adequate, the surveyed road transport companies indicated that less than 50% of their clients provide suitable driver facilities.
In this regard, José María Quijano Riestra, Secretary General of the Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport, also stresses the importance of combating the lack of reserves:
“Problems with coordinating loading and unloading schedules are very common in Spain. On the one hand, such a situation generates a loss for the transport company but, on the other hand, puts drivers in a difficult situation. They are often forced to wait at places without proper sanitary conditions. They also need to re-plan their driving and break schedules in order to continue working in line with regulations.”
CargoON notes that associations like ASTIC and the European Shippers Council (ESC), in collaboration with the International Road Transport Union (IRU), are actively working to improve these conditions.
However, within the context of this, having a flexible slot reservation system, in turn reducing wait times and improving a driver’s day-to-day working experience, is considered important. The organisations have thus given the thumbs up to dock schedulers, which are seen as a means of averting chaos during times of high truck volumes.
Photo: Davidbbcc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons