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

Key Takeaways

• Carriers and shippers both lose time and money when docks run unscheduled.
• Carriers want online appointment booking and clear facility instructions.
• Shippers want dwell-time data to validate detention fees and find delays.
• Carriers using Opendock save 5 to 7 minutes per appointment booked online.

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

Why Do Shippers and Carriers Both Want the Same Thing?

Shippers and carriers are already aligned: neither one wants people, equipment, or product sitting around waiting. 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.

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, and research from the MIT FreightLab points to detention, the time carriers spend waiting to be loaded and unloaded, as a significant cause. The FreightLab's analysis found long-haul drivers average about 6.5 hours of driving a day out of the 11 they're legally allowed, losing much of the rest to waiting at warehouses.

How Does Dock Appointment Scheduling Reduce Detention?

Dock appointment scheduling reduces detention by giving both sides what they've asked for: online booking, visibility, and reliable data. 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.

Why Do Carriers Prefer Booking With Opendock?

Carriers report saving 5 to 7 minutes per appointment booked with Opendock, on top of time saved once they reach the facility. It's those 'wants' from carriers and shippers behind Opendock's development. Additional features, including rescheduling appointments online, are popular with carriers.

Currently, 80% of appointments are scheduled by carriers in Opendock 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. Red Gold saw that kind of improvement firsthand, cutting appointment lead times by 90% after modernizing its dock scheduling.

Getting shippers and carriers on the same page, with the same data, is what turns detention from an accepted cost of doing business into a solvable problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can dock scheduling software reduce detention charges?

Yes, dock scheduling software reduces detention by replacing informal phone and email booking with set appointments both sides can plan around. It also lets shippers track in-and-out times, so they can validate detention fees with real data instead of disputing them after the fact.

How do carriers book dock appointments through an online scheduling portal?

Carriers book, edit, and reschedule dock appointments themselves online instead of calling or emailing the warehouse. With Opendock, 80% of appointments are scheduled directly by carriers, and carriers report saving 5 to 7 minutes per appointment.

How do I reduce truck wait times at my warehouse dock?

Reduce truck wait times by moving from first-come, first-served arrivals to scheduled dock appointments. Like a restaurant reservation, an appointment means the dock knows who is coming and when, so warehouse managers can staff for the schedule and carriers spend less time waiting to be loaded.