EVERY SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER WANTS
to improve the efficiency of their shipping
processes, ultimately eliminating waste and
reducing cost in the supply chain. Technology
that improves driver productivity and helps them
overcome their daily challenges is an area ripe with
such opportunity.
Professional truck drivers today regularly navigate
a host of challenges as they strive to provide the critical
transportation services that underpin today’s high-veloc-
ity supply chains. Among their daily realities: Rising traffic
congestion. Crumbling road infrastructure. Constant highway
construction. Distracted and inatten-
tive motorists. Increasing restrictions
on where trucks can and cannot go.
And, significantly, delay and detention
at customer docks.
Solving for these issues requires giving drivers the tools, training and support to make the most out of their daily
service time, helping them be efficient,
productive and safe, all while complying with federal hours of service rules.
And that’s where advanced Electronic
Logging Device technology adds value. ELDs have the potential
to make the driver’s job easier, more productive, less taxing,
more efficient, and rewarding for both shipper and carrier. Three
areas hold promise:
Increased collaboration and understanding.
Every shipper wants the best rate they can get for their freight.
ELD-derived data is providing new insights into the shipping
process and that data is being shared with the shipper. “We can
calculate that across customers in an area, the average stop time
is X,” explains Barry Craver, vice president of business process
and innovation for Old Dominion Freight Line. “So, we mea-
sure customers against that average, and flag those that have
some factor larger than X.” Again, it’s a collaboration oppor-
tunity, Craver stresses. Driver input to the process is critical in
understanding the issues – and potential solutions. “It may be
something as simple as the shipper not having enough dock door
space, so the driver has to break down the pallet and walk it into
the warehouse,” he notes. “We help the customer understand
the cost impact, and if they help us eliminate that, the potential
improvement it can have on their rate.”
Efficiency, professional recognition and quality of work life.
On-board ELDs have fully eliminated manual paper logs. They
automatically record on-duty time, driving time, rest or lunch
breaks, pickups and deliveries, delays and other performance
factors. Real-time ELD-generated data provides the driver with
scorecards on driving performance, and the impact of different driving behaviors and practices. Sharing data-derived best
practices helps improve safety and fuel-efficiency and provides
operations with fresh insights into how
shipper practices impact driver productivity. It’s even bred friendly competition among drivers for the best “score”
of the day. “They’re embracing the idea
of competing to see who’s the best,”
notes Craver. “When you post scores
and recognize the most efficient drivers
at your service center, it’s positive reinforcement and incentive to strive to be
the best among your peers.”
Understanding the true cost of driver delay at shipping
sites.
ELDs have leveled the playing field with respect to measuring and
understanding the impact of driver delay at customer facilities.
Fleets now know with precision how much time a driver spends
at a customer picking up or delivering freight – and the cost of
wait time. ELD data on detention time “is a big benefit when
costing the customer’s freight,” he explains. It also becomes a
coaching opportunity. Says Craver: “Often you’re working with a
customer at the corporate level, who doesn’t know he has facili-
ties holding up drivers. We can bring them together, show them
the data, and help them make process adjustments to eliminate
the problem – and the cost. We both benefit.”
At the end of the day, ELDs are opening the door to new meth-
ods and practices of collaborating with customers, identifying
and understanding true costs, and creating best-win scenarios
for drivers, fleets and shippers. And that’s something that every-
one can get behind.
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