Time mismatch is the bane that all the dispatchers are familiar with. You may rely upon one truck being ahead time, another being behind time, and another being five minutes away time the last forty minutes. Was that disorder? With the implementation of GPS semi truck tracking device with your scheduling and dispatch system, it becomes outdated in a short period. Suddenly your fleet starts to work with the precision of an axe instead of a shooting an elephant.
Imagine the existence of a single central dashboard that will indicate the whereabouts, status of the delivery, and the time the delivery is expected by all trucks. “Where are you now?” and telephone multi-tasking are a thing of the past. I told you already. Not firefighters, but orchestrators that is what dispatchers are. They can simply divert a truck on the spot without hesitation in case of heavy traffic or hand over the job to the nearest driver.
As a result of this connection, the process of scheduling gets smarter. There is no longer a need to have plans that are based on the assumption that everything will work out since the system is adaptable to change where the need arises. With real-time GPS information, dispatch software can alter routes, approximate arrival times and preempt any delays. Your working will have a sixth sense, you see.
The consequences will be very far-reaching. Fuel consumption is reduced when the drivers do not cross the routes. Waiting times in loading docks are being reduced. The precision with which the updates are done is so great that the customers no longer require calling to enquire on the progress. Plus, what’s even better? In fact, drivers say that they have less pressure. The employees are guided and not micromanaged.
Another aspect is accountability. Each activity leaves a trail of data, such as departures, pauses, idling, and detours. With such a transparency it is a lot easier to accomplish the performance reviews. It is not about my opinion anymore, but the results. Facts always overrule presumptions.
Even small fleets can be able to enjoy the fruits. There is no need to have dozens of trucks. Synchronization of systems could save one dispatcher and several cars a number of hours a week. The time spent on changing jobs will be forgotten, as well as unnecessary data entry.
The combination of GPS tracking and scheduling and dispatch actually flows rather than makes things faster. This is where technology becomes more than just a tool to the team. You will not have an idea of what you lost until the day you see your fleet in action.