DC Velocity - July 2019

T ec h no l o g y DO CK AN D YA RD MANA GE M EN T

50 DC VELOCITY JULY 2019 www.dcvelocity.com TIME IS MONEY

In an effort to improve interactions between shippers and carriers, CSCMP recently created the “Strategic Shipper Program” through its National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) division. The voluntary program, which was created in response to industry feedback about scarce truck capacity and rising freight rates, requires participating shippers to follow a particular code of conduct in managing their carrier and supplier relationships.

One of the program’s main goals is to help reduce truckers’ turnaround time at shippers’ facilities through the use of Dock411, a dock information app provided by a St. Charles, Ill.-based software developer of the same name. The platform allows shippers to upload videos, photos, and info on gate policies and average wait times at specific facilities, which drivers can then access via a smartphone app prior to their arrival.

“A driver can see when he’s 10 minutes away which gate or which door to go to, and receive that information while he’s on his way,” Blasgen says. Other helpful information might include the location of security checkpoints, pictures of signage at the facility, or even warnings about potholes. Some facilities post enlarged quick-response (QR) bar codes on signs outside their yards, which truckers can scan

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to get instant information on that facility.

“If you’ve ever been to one of those big industrial parks, it can be confusing,” Blasgen says. “But when you’re hauling a 53-foot trailer, you don’t want to be confused” since it can be tough to find enough space to turn the vehicle around.

Basic communication can go a long way toward getting
drivers in and out faster, agrees Mark LeGrand, vice presi-
dent of sales at Dock411. What drivers really want to know
is the “basic blocking and tackling,” he says. “It’s about the
last 500 to 1,000 feet: how to get to your facility, how to get
onto the yard, who to talk to at the guardhouse, and what
amenities there are on site—or close by—if they’re going to
be there for several hours.”
The end goal, he adds, is to get drivers back on the road as
quickly as possible. “From a driver’s standpoint, miles are
money,” LeGrand says. “And the longer they’re detained,
the longer they’re not earning money.”

BRINGING DOCK OPS UP TO SPEED

In the meantime, many facilities are making a fresh effort to tighten up operations and cut turnaround times, often by installing yard and dock management systems, says Rhonda Reece, senior business analyst and scrum master, Entrematic Loading Dock Americas, at 4Sight Yard & Dock Management, a unit of access-solutions conglomerate Assa Abloy that offers yard, warehouse, and loading-dock solutions. In that regard, she notes, they’re making up for lost time in a sector that has seen transformative change inside the warehouse—ranging from the introduction of robotics to the implementation of warehouse management software—but very few changes outside in the yard just a few feet away, she says.

With better management tools, facilities can take basic steps to speed up yard processes, such as pre-staging a dock to make sure it’s ready to handle a truck as soon as it arrives. That and other tactics can help them get trucks in and out as quickly as possible, minimizing the impact on drivers’ hours-of-service time, she says.

As for what features buyers should look for in a good yard and dock management system, Reece puts ease of use at the top of the list, since many of the people using the product aren’t accustomed to navigating software menus. “You need easier ways to get people to enter things into the system without making mistakes—like scanning QR codes— because once you enter something wrong, that information populates throughout the ecosystem,” she says.

Other useful features include a trucker check-in system, the flexibility to customize processes for specific sites, documentation of arrival and departure times to avoid detention fees, and the ability to integrate with other software platforms, she says. The company plans to add all of those features to its 4Sight Connect products, coming in the fourth quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020, she says.