How Shippers and Carriers Can Coordinate Better to Reduce Detention and Improve Warehouse Dock Performance

Loadsmart Director of Digital Sales Nate Allan recently presented how dock scheduling technology can help both shippers and carriers at Freightwaves’ Future of Supply Chains Event (watch the video here). Nate offered many important insights; here are a few.

An important thing to understand when the topic of dock efficiency and the related problems are discussed is that both carriers and shippers are very aligned in making the whole process run smoother. Neither party wants people, equipment, or product sitting around waiting.

Here is a good analogy to provide context. Making a reservation at a restaurant does a lot to ensure a much more enjoyable evening, just showing up without one is a sure way to end up waiting in line for a table. So, when it comes to shipping, why is it so common and acceptable for carriers to roll the dice and hope their load is ready and the dock will get them loaded in a reasonable amount of time?

We all know supply chains are stressed and bogged down in many places (now more than ever), and based on research from the MIT Freight Lab, it’s this kind of detention and time carriers spend waiting to be loaded that’s a significant cause.

The Solution to Many Bottlenecks Is Already Here

We know (because we’ve asked, and shippers and carriers have been very active in support of Opendock’s development) that there are just a few things carriers and shippers feel they need to help the problem of detention.

Carriers want:

• The ability to book and edit appointments for loading via online scheduling
• Clear instructions and facility information to help them navigate the location to be on the way for their next shipment

Shippers (and their docks) want:

• Visibility into labor and operations efficiency
• The ability to track in-and-out times to monitor and validate detention fees
• Data to measure on-time percentages and find their best carriers
• Validated dwell time statistics to track the overall facility performance

These are all simple but powerful things. And, we haven’t mentioned the most obvious—that neither carriers nor warehouses want unnecessary phone calls or emails back and forth just to schedule an appointment. 

Carriers Love Opendocks

It’s those ‘wants’ from carriers and shippers behind Opendocks development. Carriers report saving 5-7 minutes per appointment made alone with Opendock, which does not include the potentially much larger time savings at the facility. Additional features, including rescheduling appointments online, are popular with carriers. 

Currently, 80% of appointments are scheduled by carriers in Opendocks online, making for substantial time savings for the team on the shipping dock before the load even picks up. And warehouse managers, in particular, appreciate having visibility into schedules to better plan for staffing.

To learn more about the benefits to both carriers and shippers of dock scheduling technology and see a personalized demo, visit www.opendock.com.