Cut Costs With These Route Planning Tips

Saving money with intermodal drayage means improving efficiency when it comes to vehicles, drivers and fuel. Naturally these factors can be quite unpredictable. As a logistics professional, how can you better optimize your supply chain to ensure you don’t spend unnecessarily? One way is to optimize route planning. Here are 4 tips to keep transportation cost effective.

Strategize how fuel is used

With logistics, every little detail makes a difference. When fuel prices are on the brink, it doesn’t hurt to have strategies in place that help drivers get the most out of their tank without spending more to fill up. Brainstorm ideas and implement them accordingly. Cut out empty miles and talk to drivers about driving at appropriate speeds that reserve gas rather than burn it.

When loads get heavy, get smart

Loads that weigh more than average mean increased fuel output is needed to supplement enough power to haul them. How can you save on fuel? Deliver heavy loads first, so the rest of the trip is done with a lighter rig. If you aren’t able to drop them right away, make the heavy loads your last collection of the trip.

Use routing software

It’s amazing how technology can make life easier, and with the latest routing software on the market, you get a leg up with planning that is more transparent. For example, you can compare link routing software to live vehicle tracking (planned routes vs actual routes). You’ll be able to see where improvements can be made in planned routing and you can detect where there are driver detours or delays. Automate routing software is also nifty because it allows you to consider all of the specific obstacles that can impact your supply chain.

Go with integration

What better way to cut extra time, kick out the empty miles and improve turnaround times than by using the same truck or van to deliver and collect. When combining these methods of transport, the need to return to the depot is avoided.