A flourishing heavy-logistics operation revolves around several functions – assigning tasks, load scheduling, and route planning. The operation site often becomes a complex mesh of constant phone calls, spreadsheets, notes, reminder cards, etc. Chaos levels are at extremes due to the endless pressure of manually ensuring on-time delivery and customer satisfaction, often leading to personnel burnout.
Wondering how to bring order to this chaos? Automation has played a vital role in transforming several other sectors and the expectation is similar in logistics.
Key Dispatch Process Challenges
The chain of operations involved in transporting products or items from one location to another comes under the umbrella of Dispatch Logistics. Numerous hurdles arise in the process, impacting efficiency, costs, and customer satisfaction. The dominant issues include:
Route-Related Issues
- Longer travel times and higher fuel consumption due to inefficient route planning
- Sudden route disruptions due to unexpected congestion, road closures, or weather abnormalities
Inadequate Vehicle Utilization
- Lack of optimal load planning leads to space underutilization
- Financial losses follow insufficient resource usage
Inconsistent Data
- Data entry errors minimize dispatch efficiency
- Inefficient integration among systems leads to data silos
Limited visibility
- Inability to virtually monitor the loading process, in real-time
- Hindrance to proactive decision-making
What are the Objectives of Dispatch Logistics?
The goals of the dispatch planning process include:
- Timely delivery
- Cost-effectiveness
- Optimal resource utilization
- Seamless flow of information
- Safety adherence
- Data-backed decisions
The modern global economy runs on speed and efficiency, and logistics acts as a crucial pillar of support. With time, these functions are becoming more complex, and data-driven automated dispatching operations are gaining prominence.
The Rising Popularity of Dispatch Automation Systems
Statista figures indicate a 39% growth in the coming years in retail e-commerce sales, from USD 5.8 trillion in 2023, with growth expectations to surpass USD 8 trillion by 2027. In an age where customers are demanding ever-faster services, such as same-day delivery, the absence of an automatic dispatch mechanism, such as cement dispatch software, would result in the waste of precious time in heavy industries by following tedious manual processes.
Dispatch Planner is one of the core features of the Fleetx TMS that lets users schedule and coordinate tasks efficiently, allocate resources, and optimize routes for timely delivery and smooth logistics operations.
Features of the Automated Dispatch Planner from Fleetx
● Plan routes to consolidate the shipments heading in the same direction to optimize transportation & reduce costs
● Determine the fastest route for each dispatch based on factors such as distance, on-road traffic, etc.
● Determine the order in which goods should be loaded to maximize space & unloading at various stops
● Assign shipments to vehicles based on factors like vehicle availability, vehicle capacity, shipment requirements, etc.
Benefits of the Fleetx Dispatch Planning System
Modernizing dispatch operations requires implementing advanced dispatch software.
Route Analysis for Optimization
Data from several shipments can also be analyzed to ascertain the possibility of route consolidation for multiple deliveries.
Ensuring Load Compliance
Dispatch managers are tasked with optimizing the loading capacities of the vehicles, and the load builder functionality ensures not only optimum space utilization but also the safety of the shipment, for instance - easy plans for FTL and PTL orders.
Establishing Communication Protocols
Several stakeholders are involved in the load dispatch process. A centralized, virtual tool provides access to real-time data and necessary updates to all parties involved.
Marketplace Integration
The automated dispatch platform can be easily integrated with multiple external resources, for instance - the warehouse, to improve logistics efficiency.
Analytical Reporting for Better Decisions
One of the most significant aspects of the Fleetx automated dispatch tool is the data-powered reporting that provides valuable insights to complete deliveries on time and for operation managers to fulfill their KPIs successfully.
Higher Savings
Implementing the automated solution for the dispatch process ensures optimal space utilization and faster operations, resulting in streamlined processes and, ultimately, savings on the costs involved.
A Practical Application of the Fleetx Dispatch Planner
Problem Statement
One of the truck fleet owners had multiple locations to cater to and diverse industries were dependent on the timely delivery of the materials through this vendor. However, the transporter’s manual dispatch procedure led to frequent delays, and the vehicles were frequently left under-utilized, costing the carrier heavily.
Solution Offered
The AI-driven solution optimized the shipment process through:
Dynamic Scheduling - Being adaptable to real-time changes in demands and vehicle availability, the system ensured adherence to delivery timelines.
Load Optimization – Removing the loading constraint, the AI-driven load builder maximized the vehicle capacity and led to cost savings with minimized trips and lower fuel costs.
Informational Alerts – Transporters received real-time notifications related to vehicle assignment and route plans, reducing errors.
Performance Metrics – Through the tracking of vehicles’ turn-around-time (TAT), the delivery efficiency got a boost, relaying actionable insights for continuous process improvement.
Collaborate with Fleetx - Amplify Customer Satisfaction & Your Profits
Trust-building is crucial for ensuring customer satisfaction. Setting realistic client expectations is one of the ways to build trust and commitment to schedules and timelines is the key to success. Fleetx has built the reputation of an effective enabler of these fundamental trust-building factors.
Investing in continuous innovation is Fleetx’s motto and this scalable, first-mile and mid-mile delivery platform offers a futuristic solution for businesses looking to streamline their delivery operations.
