A lorry waiting in the gateway
A curtain-sider arrives at eight for a load of aluminium cans bales. The office booked it yesterday, believing there were enough bales. The yard knows there are not; the baler was down yesterday afternoon. The driver waits two hours while the yard makes up the load. The haulier charges waiting time.
Meanwhile, two loads of mixed paper have been ready for three days, taking up yard space, because nobody booked a lorry for them. The mill's buyer is ringing to ask where they are.
By lunchtime the office has rung three hauliers. One can do tomorrow but only with a walking floor trailer, which the mill will not accept for bales. Another says yes on the phone, then sends a different driver who has not been told the delivery window. Every booking is a conversation, and every conversation leaves something out.
Why haulage and the yard are out of step
Outbound loads involve three parties: the buyer, the haulier and the yard. Each has part of the picture.
- The office books hauliers by phone, based on what it thinks is ready.
- The yard knows what is ready but does not book lorries.
- Buyers' delivery windows and requirements are in emails.
- Haulier confirmations are verbal, so times and trailer types get muddled.
- Nobody sees ready stock that has no lorry booked.
What mismatched haulage costs
Waiting time charges, failed collections and rebooking fees add up. Ready loads sitting in the yard take space and delay payment from buyers. Late deliveries against contract commitments damage relationships.
Hauliers notice too. A yard that often keeps drivers waiting finds good hauliers less keen to take its work, and pays more for the ones that will.
Space is the quiet cost. Every ready load sitting without a lorry occupies bays you need for the next day's production, so the forklift drivers spend time shuffling bales around instead of loading.
How we build a load plan
What we build links each outbound load to its buyer, its stock and its lorry.
- Each outbound load is created from a sale or contract call-off, with buyer, grade, weight, delivery window and trailer requirements.
- Stock ready for each load comes from your bale or yard records. Loads are marked ready, part-ready or not started.
- Loads that are ready and have no lorry are highlighted to the office.
- Bookings are sent to hauliers by email or a simple portal, with load reference, collection time, trailer type and delivery details. Hauliers confirm in writing.
- The yard sees a daily list of lorries due, with which load each is for, so loading can be prepared.
- Collection and delivery are recorded, and haulier invoices are matched to bookings.
| Load status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Ready, no lorry | Book haulage now |
| Ready, lorry booked | Yard to prepare |
| Part-ready, lorry booked | Risk of waiting time |
| Collected | In transit to buyer |
| Delivered | Awaiting buyer weights |
A morning with a load plan
The office opens the load plan. The two mixed paper loads are ready with no lorry, so haulage is booked for this afternoon, and the haulier confirms through the portal. The aluminium load is part-ready, because the baler record shows yesterday's output was low, so its lorry is moved to tomorrow before the driver sets off.
The yard's list shows which lorries are coming and for which loads. Drivers are loaded and away without waiting.
Is outbound haulage booked on hope?
- Lorries wait for loads that are not ready.
- Ready loads wait for lorries nobody booked.
- Haulage bookings are made and confirmed by phone.
- You pay waiting time charges regularly.
- The yard does not know which lorry is for which load.