Six pallets here, four there
The part-load orders for tomorrow are in: six pallets from a food packaging customer going to Bristol, eight pallets from a builders' merchant to Exeter and Plymouth, four to Swindon with a tail-lift requirement, and a late one for Taunton that came in at four. The planner builds loads on a whiteboard, adding up pallet spaces and weights and trying to remember which drops have time windows.
Two trailers go out two-thirds full, one of them doubling back on itself because the Taunton drop was bolted on at the end, and an order that could have filled one of them goes on a third truck because it came in after the plan was done.
Why grouping stays manual
Grouping part loads is a real puzzle, and it gets harder the more orders you have. The planner is juggling several constraints at once without anything to add them up.
- Pallet spaces and weights vary, including over-height and non-stackable pallets.
- Some drops need tail-lifts or have narrow time windows.
- Orders arrive by email, phone and spreadsheet throughout the day.
- Drop sequence affects loading order, so the plan also has to work on the trailer.
- Late orders arrive after loads are built, and rebuilding is tempting to skip.
What half-full trailers cost
A trailer that leaves with spare space costs nearly as much to run as a full one, so part-load margin depends on fill. When loads are built by eye, you run more trucks than needed on some days and turn work away on others. Late orders get expensive dedicated runs. And the experienced planner who is good at this becomes a single point of failure.
The part-load planner we build
- Part-load orders are captured in one list, from a customer web form, an email parser for regular senders, or imports from customers' systems, with pallet count, type, weight, dimensions and delivery requirements.
- Each order is located on a map with its collection and delivery windows.
- The tool suggests groupings that follow sensible routes and fit your trailer's pallet spaces and weight, respecting tail-lift and time window needs.
- For each suggested load it shows drop order, loading sequence (last drop on first), remaining space and any tight time windows.
- The planner moves orders between loads by dragging them, and the tool rechecks space, weight and timing as they do.
- Late orders are offered to existing loads with space on the right route before a new truck is considered.
| Planning step | Whiteboard | Planning tool |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting orders | Several inboxes and phones | One list |
| Fitting space and weight | Mental arithmetic | Checked as loads are built |
| Route grouping | Planner's knowledge | Suggested, then adjusted |
| Drop and load order | Worked out at the bay | Shown per load |
| Late orders | Often a separate truck | Offered to loads with space |
How planning changes
The planner is still in charge, and still knows things the tool does not, like which customer's forklift driver takes lunch at twelve. What changes is that the arithmetic is done for them, and every order is visible at once. Trailers leave fuller. Late orders have a better chance of finding space. And a second planner can build loads that make sense even when the experienced one is off.
Is this your part-load operation?
- Loads are built on a whiteboard or in a spreadsheet.
- Trailers regularly leave with space you could have sold.
- Late orders go on extra trucks.
- Only one planner is really good at grouping.
- Orders arrive in several different formats.