Short haul trucking is the real life fast and furious. Dealing with local deliveries most likely means the final mile, so drivers need to be able to pump out the trips to meet customer expectations on time.

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The key word here, is time, and that’s why short haul logistics practices need to be efficient. There’s no room for delays, because time means money.

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In this blog post, we share our 3 top tips to optimize the short haul supply chain for excellence.

Planning Routes Like a Pro

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Preparation and efficiency go hand in hand. After all, if you’re prepared then you it’s difficult for unexpected surprises to put a damper on your delivery. 

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Route planning is highly important for short haulers, allowing them to anticipate the lows and highs of consumer demands.

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Look at the orders you have on hand and coordinate them with your driver schedules. This is also handy to pinpoint whether you have enough drivers ready to haul all orders.

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Leave room for new orders that might come in at the last minute, making it easier to adjust the workload.

Evaluate and Initiate

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It would be a mistake to say “my short haul supply chain is perfect”. Instead, go into it with the mind set that there is always room for improvement.

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Management should prioritize evaluation, targeting delivery times and supply chain execution. This allows management to see where there are slower parts of the delivery process that can be further optimized.

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Routing and scheduling software can help make evaluation easier, as well as having performance metrics in place. Establish regular trainings to keep everyone on the team on the same page of what is expected and to also keep skills fresh.

Stay on Top of Customer Satisfaction

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Let’s face it, delays and disruptions happen to the best of us. That’s why it’s always vital to have a customer service plan in place to keep the peace and build the trust.

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Fortunately, technology allows short haul shippers and drivers to keep the supply chain transparent. With the management software in place, automated messages and status updates can be sent to customers in a heartbeat, keeping them in the loop of where their order is at and when they can expect it.

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