Integrated telematics boosts transport execution with advanced routing and scheduling

Routing and scheduling software is a proven means of managing driver and vehicle resources, while cutting costs and improving fleet efficiency.

But what happens if the transport office’s plans start to unravel, or changes occur due to circumstances outside of the control of the business?

While delays, whether at a customer site or as a result of traffic congestion, can be factored into routing and scheduling, their impact cannot be completely avoided. However,  it is possible to integrate vehicle tracking with routing and scheduling software, allowing a transport manager to plan their routes and schedules and then compare this against what is actually happening on the day.

As a result, any delivery issues can be seen in real-time and steps can be taken to rectify them or communicate with customers whose deliveries may be affected. This visibility gives added control over a fleet to help mitigate the impact of any problems, avoiding unnecessary costs and poor service delivery.

An integrated approach provides an early warning system, alerting transport planning or customer service teams of possible delivery delays or missed time windows. This makes it possible to better manage exceptions, while transport managers can be updated on late or early running and the impact on schedules. In fact, the added insight can enable customers to be warned of any potential changes to expected times of arrival via a choice of communication methods, or automatically alerted to approaching deliveries based on live positioning.

The interface between the routing and scheduling software and the vehicle tracking system can continually assess each vehicle’s location in relation to the plan and update the timings for the remainder of a driver’s workload.  Any required rescheduling can be calculated incorporating operational priorities to meet the precise requirements of the business. A planner can also make changes to schedules based on live vehicle updates to create the most optimal and feasible routes that minimise any potential disruption to customers should a problem occur.

Meanwhile, historical reporting allows operators to target continuous improvement and create tighter and more accurate plans in the future.  It can provide business and operational intelligence to refine transport processes and take any corrective action. For example, planners can quickly discover which routes are incurring the highest excess mileage or driver hours, or which customer sites are regularly keeping your drivers waiting, causing added cost for you and late deliveries for your other customers.  With a more accurate plan, drivers are happier too.

There are a host of benefits that can be achieved by taking advantage of highly-accurate, real-time information. Moreover, it is possible to analyse what happens on a day to day basis against key performance indicators, enabling companies to improve operational management and delivery performance.