Road transport: shippers and carriers work together toward optimization

The supply chain and its transportation component are at the heart of the concerns of shippers. In their firing line? The optimization of road transport flows. Transport plans, rounds, truck loading, etc. Today, many factors can be better thought out and improved to become real sources of efficiency.

Rising costs, lack of personnel and environmental impact are among the growing challenges facing road transport. These challenges lead shippers and carriers to rethink their collaboration for increased optimization. And to make the best use of chartered transport capacities, shippers now call upon, a series of innovative and effective tools through TMS or dedicated collaborative platforms.

Road transport, an inescapable challenge for shippers 

 Optimizing road transport: an essential lever for a good number of shippers who are currently aware of the essential challenge raised by road transport in a flexible and effective supply chain. Depending on needs, optimization may concern different levels: rounds, loading or the transport plan as a whole.

Round optimization

For all shippers with their own fleet or dedicated resources, the issue of round optimization is strategic. Transport capacities; duration, schedules, delivery points, etc. Every aspect must be considered to reach the relevant optimum. With a growing concern for improving their quality of service and in the search for better economic and environmental practices, shippers are now using mature and more accessible optimization technologies that can be easily implemented via SaaS and Cloud platforms.

Improving loading management 

 The notion of empty in road transport? A nightmare for carriers and their customers. Use of space and optimized filling are daily problems for which quick and effective responses need to be found. To deal with these issues, shippers can make use of decision-making tools and optimize the positioning of freight in trucks. With 3D visualization of trucks, each pallet or linear meter can be optimized and loading can take place based on the order of delivery to customers.

Scheduling road transport

The third and final optimization level, and a major challenge for shipper  : the planning of all shipments. This global optimization of the transport plan aims to minimize the cost of the services purchased while meeting the expectations of the customers delivered. To do this, a TMS automatically selects the “best” carriers and saturates the chartered means by grouping several orders in a shipment. By taking into account negotiated tariffs, deadlines, volume quotas or even the quality of service of service providers, a tool such as DDS Shipper, offers an overall optimization of the road transport plan according to its own criteria and objectives of cost and quality.

Via these optimization rationales and the use of a TMS, savings of 5% to 10% on transport costs have been reported. Planning logistical flows, chartering freight, tracking shipments, managing costs, etc, these are all actions performed by a TMS such as DDS Shipper.

New ways of optimizing road transport

And optimization possibilities will soon go even further. By forging a close relationship and sharing their forecasting elements as far upstream as possible, shippers and carriers implement efficient and promising bases. Not only does a TMS such as DDS Shipper guarantee complete coverage of your transport processes; but it also facilitates these exchanges.

In the years to come, thanks to the provision and use of techniques relating to artificial intelligence, there is no doubt that transport tools will be able to see even further, to the predictive elements offering a broader view for better scheduling of road transport.