When it comes to the trucking and transportation sectors, the two big players in the game are motor carriers and shippers. Yet, there has been some friction between fleets and shippers as of late, as fleets contend their shipping partners are to blame for increasing detention times. Yet, with proper communication and visibility, these relationships need not be fraught! In fact, giving customers real-time visibility into the status of their freight has become the number one most desired attribute of a new trucker\/shipper relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Information is key to making the right decision in just\nabout any situation. Whether a business operates in a brick-and-mortar\nenvironment or runs an e-commerce business, information is vital to decrease\nthe chances for mistakes and increase overall efficiency. Many companies now\ndemand visibility when it comes to their shipment. This is the only way to meet\nobligations to their customers without unnecessary delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On-Time All the Time<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many organizations are reliant on repeat customers. Missed\ndeliveries or delays in receiving a shipment puts them at risk for losing those\nrepeat customers. Many assume a problem with missed deliveries is only bad for\ne-commerce. In fact, brick-and-mortar stores also suffer. Many businesses rely\non materials arriving at the right time so that they can assemble components. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Grocery stores and other businesses that deal with food also\nrely on on-time shipments. If there is a truckload of product coming and the\nend-receiver does not know it is going to be late, that could trigger a whole\nhost of problems. The more inventory you have in your supply chain, the more\nsusceptible you are to delays. As a result, shippers want to have as much\ninformation as they can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another consideration is in how precisely on-time a delivery\nis. And we aren\u2019t talking about it only being late, but also being early.\nToday\u2019s precision delivery standards require that truckloads are on time and\nfull. If a truck arrives early, it could create complications for those on the\nreceiving end. In fact, some have raised eyebrows in their approach. Walmart is\njust one example, such as when they announced they would begin fining\nsuppliers for late deliveries<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Walmart believes in having the right product at the right\nplace and right time for their customers. And they don\u2019t differentiate what\nchannel that product is going through, whether it is at the store or through\ntheir e-commerce channel. When a customer goes to a store or orders online,\nwill the product be there? And if it is online, can they be assured they will\nreceive the product?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Walmart used to have a very bulky supply chain. They have\nlargely streamlined that, however, thanks to their growing e-commerce\noperation. Yet, it isn\u2019t just the shipper or the receiver that is part of this\nconversation, but the trucking company as well. After all, the products or\nmaterials must get there somehow. And what is the main sticking point for those\nparties? Detention time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sent to Detention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delays experienced by truck drivers at customer facilities\nhave been on the rise over the past few years. It costs everyone in both time\nand productivity. In fact, the ATRI recently did a survey of 1,900 truck\ndrivers between 2014 and 2018 to determine whether truck driver detention has\nbeen on the rise. Many of the survey responses said the problem is on the rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey also found that delay shave a knock-on effect\ndown the entire supply chain. Subsequent pickups and deliveries were also found\nto be late as result of the original infraction. How much are these delays a\nresult of unforeseen problems and because of fleet inefficiencies? The fact is,\na lot of this can be traced back to facilities not increasing their labor or\ndock capacity to match increased freight movement and yard activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many trucking companies experience dock staff that may not\nknow exactly when the schedule is or know how to work the equipment. In some cases,\nthere is a problem of serious understaffing. Delays can also be a result of\nshippers and receivers overbooking appointments or booked more trucks than they\nhad the space to handle. Or there may not be the required equipment to unload\nthem, even if they have the manpower. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey found that detention reasons remained consistent\nthroughout the years from 2014 to 2018. The question is, when will interested\nparties make the necessary investments to improve detention time, whether it be\nthrough personnel or equipment changes or upgrades? It isn\u2019t hard to figure out\nwhat needs to be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Potential solutions include a well-organized workforce,\ntechnology, and maintained and adhered to schedules and appointments. Even\nextending business hours as needed can have a big impact on overall delay\ntimes. When facility delays are one of the main problems impacting on-time\ndeliveries, big investments may be required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, the survey found that women were more likely to be delayed than men, but this can be attributed to the fact that women are more likely to drive refrigerated loads. And since those kinds of loads are most often detained, that could account for the disparity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n [wp_ad_camp_2] <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, as a result of the delays, fleets have begun\ncharging shippers and receivers detention fees for excessive delays. These fees\ncan range anywhere from $10 to $100 per hour depending on what is paid out to\nthe truck drivers. The average comes in around $63. Still, the problem is\ngetting the shipper or receiver to actually pay the fee. It can sometimes come\ndown to a he said\/she said game of who is at fault when a delay occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the Other Side<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fleets are always expected to make the delivery on time.\nTheir business largely depends on it. Yet, whether someone gets somewhere else\non time is not always up to the shipper. Welcome to detention time. When truck\ndrivers are forced to sit and wait to be loaded or unloaded at a facility, that\ncauses a lot of knock-on problems. Did you know that for the first time ever,\ntruck driver detention made the ATA\u2019s top trucking issues list for the first\ntime in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n