COMMS IN HAULAGE
Marginal gains The drive for ever-increasing efficiency shows no sign of slowing down in the haulage sector and many operators are using technology and communications solutions to help them save time, emissions, and improve their profit margins.
There is an oft-mentioned phrase in the haulage sector: ‘Without trucks, you would be homeless, hungry and naked’. It is a stark phrase, but there is truth to it: most products in this country arrive at their destination via a truck at some point – from bricks to apples to the latest fashion. The pandemic brought home how important the haulage sector is to the UK as companies, from international companies with thousands of trucks to owner-drivers, kept the country supplied as much of it went into lockdown. But crucial to the smooth running of this industry is communication technology. While telematics systems have been in the industry for many years now, more recently a raft of other technologies have been embraced as businesses look to become more efficient and profitable while reacting to the desire in the market for ever-shorter delivery times. Microlise is a provider of such technology and has been in the sector for some 20 years now, in which time the industry has changed wholesale, as managing director Nadeem Raza explains. “What comms technology and
telematics has allowed hauliers to do is be able to do more work with the same number of people, drivers and vehicles,” he says. “It has also allowed them to do it much more efficiently by monitoring how people are driving and therefore helping them improve the efficiency of their driving, hence reducing fuel consumption. “It also helps to manage the loads. If you’ve got temperature-controlled goods and the like, you can make sure that the temperature remains constant throughout the journey of that load. “It has also allowed hauliers to cut out a lot of the admin. For example, if you know where a vehicle is, you know where it’s going or if it’s delayed, you can automatically tell the destination that it’s going to be 15 minutes later or whatever, and that doesn’t require any kind of human intervention. It’s all handled automatically by the systems that are in place.” Likewise, much of the previously paper- based admin is now done electronically, saving time for those in the office and on the road.
Nadeem Raza Managing Director
microlise.com
Without trucks, you would be homeless, hungry... AND NAKED!
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