The first milestone a driver encounters is check-in. The question we’re asking is: how long should that take? Also, what are the issues we run into when we arrive prepared versus unprepared to the gate? How long does it take for a driver to check in at a distribution center from arrival to the next stage?
A prepared driver arrives with their paperwork in order. This includes confirmation number and BOL, plus the driver arrived on time for their appointment. In contrast, if all you have is a BOL, you’re unprepared.
Below is a checklist of other information and documents a driver should be prepared to provide at check-in:
When a driver arrives unprepared, this creates inefficiency. The guard shack will try to find a confirmation number tied to that driver’s BOL. The driver will need to pull over to the side and call their dispatcher for the missing information. And that takes valuable time.
Before we move on, here’s a question. How does your driver provide or communicate the information noted above?
In terms of safety and efficiency, if the answer was yes to any of those questions, then there’s room for improvement.
Here’s a tip. If you want to avoid the paper pushing, ask what system the distribution center uses. If they’re compatible with a digitization app like Vector, you might be able to transfer all that data with the click of a button.
OK, let’s assume your driver has made it past the guard shack. The next step? Routing to the correct door or yard location.
In other words, after the driver is allowed through the gate, where do they go? Do they then park in the staging area, also called a bullpen? Or does the driver get out of their cab and enter the inbound shipping office?
Here’s a checklist of potential exchanges with a typical shipping/receiving office:
As we know, many distribution centers are huge facilities. Thus, the driver needs to find out more about how to navigate the yard. For example, drivers might receive any of the following additional paperwork and instructions:
Much of this information could be exchanged digitally. As such, there are safety measures in place. They’re important to everyone’s health and well-being. But in times of pandemic, limiting the potential spread of disease is especially vital.
Here’s an obvious bonus: both parties can share digitized documents from a safe distance!
So, the next step is the loading and unloading process. After the driver interacts with the office, what’s the next process for loading, unloading, or hooking to a trailer?
Here’s a checklist of the typical process and requests a driver might encounter when they back into a dock door:
In addition, here’s a checklist of the key information the distribution center needs. Someone at the distribution center will typically log this information into a trailer inspection form:
Perhaps you noticed that there’s some redundancy? Honestly, certain redundancies support the overall process. But wouldn’t it be nice if we just had easy access to the same information? The fact is, visibility can add a lot of value to the supply chain.
Beyond that, there are some differences. For a driver, a trailer-hook is a different process than a live load. To give an example, does a driver have to get out of the cab during the process? For a trailer-hook, are drivers involved at all? How does the driver interact with the loader?
Depending on how the loading or unloading process went, a driver may need to go through more steps. In other words, how do drivers communicate to the shipping clerk that the loading process is complete? At this step, a driver will then often photograph the seal, trailer, and temperature readings.
What comes next after a driver unloads, loads, or hooks a trailer? Here’s a driver checklist for what to expect:
As you can see, the documentation for any given load can pile up. But bear in mind, that the goal is to prove that a load was picked up in accordance with the BOL, within specified ranges. This process protects everyone involved. This process also protects the supply chain.
That said, there are better, safer, more efficient ways to conduct business. Check out Vector’s value proposition. Vector has the ability to streamline everyone’s workflow, up and down your organization.
We must strive for continuous improvements to our processes. Also, the transportation industry mustn’t fear change. It’s time to adopt the digitization technology that will allow us to streamline the process.
This post was written by Brian Deines. Brian believes that every day is a referendum on a brand’s relevance, and he’s excited to bring that kind of thinking to the world of modern manufacturing and logistics. He deploys a full-stack of business development, sales, and marketing tools built through years of work in the logistics, packaging, and tier-1 part supply industries serving a customer base comprised of Fortune 1000 OEMs.
Digital workflows across the supply chain.
