The main transport vehicle (pun intended) for global trade is ocean shipping. Almost 90% of goods are transported over the waves. Container imports surged in 2021 causing increased pressure on port terminals all around the world. The number of containers stacking up in ports has led to supply chain disruptions including port congestion, delays in cargo delivery and additional surcharges like demurrage and detention fees etc. Executing a shorter truck turnaround or “turn time” time is one way to handle the increased burden on port operations.
Trucks are a critical component in port logistics and can make a significant difference in improving port efficiency. The truck turnaround time has a huge impact on the whole supply chain as more and more logistics companies demand on-time freight deliveries. The availability and turnaround time of trucks is the nexus for the logistics chain and affects operational efficiency dramatically. Thus all cargo companies are in search of methods to increase a port’s operational efficiency as higher truck turn time directly strikes all constituents of a supply chain such as shippers, shipping companies, port terminal operators, and customers.
In addition, the higher cycling of trucks and cargo ultimately leads to port congestion, ultimately making warehousing operations unmanageable. It is observed that containers are either lost in the stacks or the trucks have exceptionally little room in yards making their mobility difficult. Truck drivers also find it difficult to locate a container as one poorly dropped container can block the access of other containers leading to costly interruptions. All these events galvanize further issues like traffic flow disruption, higher logistics costs and increased freight, demurrage and detention charges causing a bottleneck situation for port operations. As a consequence the truck turnaround time increases which scales down the port efficiency.
Therefore in order to make the entire logistics chain more productive, it is necessary to achieve shorter turnaround time in port logistics. The truck driver’s time in the pickup and delivery phase is a crucial key performance indicator. This ramps up the efficiency of port operations, provided that the turnaround time is short. Shorter turnaround time allows faster warehousing of containers, facilitates truck movement in the yards, saves money and resources of an organization, maintains customer satisfaction and mitigates the risks of bottleneck situations at the port yards.
It can be concluded that trucks are the prime movers of supply chain operations that facilitate higher asset utilization in port operations. Computerized tracking of inter-modal containers, automated stock updates and scheduled warehousing of containers are paramount in reducing the truck driver’s time wasted in ports. SiteTrax shows an immediate ability to overcome port operational problems and to minimize the truck driver’s time in yards. So far SiteTrax serves as an automation tool that allows port authorities to organize operations ahead of time and reduce truck turn time.
How SiteTrax promotes Shorter Truck Turnaround Time?
SiteTrax, powered by Netarus, is an easy and convenient solution to capture the geo-location of a container, making yard operations swift and well-organized. Using a virtual mobile device, SiteTrax application can capture inventory and assets in real-time and lodge all their relevant details like ID, time, date and location.
Therefore the incorporation of SiteTrax technology improves the 3PLs ability to locate their assets in no time. This eventually enables SiteTrax to lower truck turnaround duration as drivers locate a container in just about 10 minutes, which is a notable decrease as compared to the previous 45-60 minute search time. The accurate geo-location and real-time tracking using SiteTrax keeps the truck movement uninterrupted, avoids port congestion or bottleneck situations and reduces the demurrage and detention costs due to the increased throughput of port logistics.
Putting in a nutshell, SiteTrax technology corroborates that containers are no longer jammed in ports by minimizing freight obstacles so that truck drivers can easily locate assets, making warehousing operations streamlined. Thus and thus, SiteTrax assures reduced truck turnaround time, prioritizes continuous freight movement, avoids additional surcharges, enhances warehouse operations and eventually increases the port productivity.
If you’re interested in exploring more about how SiteTrax can expedite your business, click on the link below to schedule a quick demo. https://sitetrax.io/request-a-demo/
