Introduction
In today’s competitive market, supply chain efficiency is more important than ever. Companies that can get their products to market faster and cheaper than their competitors will have a significant advantage. One of the most important factors in supply chain efficiency is the driver experience.
This implies that 40% of America’s trucking capacity is left on the table every day. An efficient driver experience can increase productivity, reduce costs, and improve shipper of choice.
Goals
The Coca-Cola Company is one of the companies that understand the importance of the driver experience. In 2017, the company launched a Shipper of Choice initiative to improve the driver experience through a variety of measures.
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Making it easier for drivers to find and access facilities
Providing drivers with better amenities, such as parking and restrooms
Reducing the amount of time that drivers spend waiting for loads
Challenges
Driver shortages compounded with an inefficient supply chain, create capacity crunches and higher transportation costs. After thoroughly evaluating its yard operations, Coca-Cola recognized several opportunities where digitization could help optimize the pickup and delivery process. Gate congestion, and inaccurate or incomplete paperwork not only caused excessive dwell, but these were some of the biggest areas of dissatisfaction for the drivers as well. This made it challenging to achieve their shipper-of-choice goals.
Results
The geo and time stamp of every event provides end-to-end traceability of exactly what happened in the yard for Coca-Cola and their logistics partners. The results include lower transportation costs, more efficient movement of freight, less paper, and faster dispute resolution.
Rob Haddock, Group Director for Coca-Cola, says, “It’s a win-win-win. The costs of goods to the consumer stay the same, our partners are making money and we stay competitive.”
Don Wermerskirchen, Senior Supply Chain Manager for Coca-Cola, states, “The data has improved visibility significantly, especially in cases like a preloaded trailer. Once the preload trailer is finished, the bill of lading is sent from our ERP to Vector and is accessible to everyone involved in the shipment, including the driver, carrier, and customer. It’s like a 360-degree view, showing all the products in the trailer, their weight, and the seal number. This information is scanned and made available to multiple people, making the process faster and more efficient.”
Driver Quotes
“Pretty simple. Nice for security to not have to be printing paperwork for all pickups.” – Antwon McCoy
“Checking in was a breeze, I like this technology.” – Kybric Shaw
“I checked in from the arrival line and was processed at the gate in seconds. I wish all pickups were this easy.” Braxton Wright
It works just like a Fast Pass. Every facility should do this.” – Dwain Byrum
66 mins and now its 15 minutes
77% reduction in dwell time
