Transport and delivery: Scheduling software for pallet distributors
Scheduling software for pallet distributors that links inbound consignments to dock slots at the hub and assigns outbound pallets to distribution routes based on spaces and unloading needs.
What makes scheduling hard for pallet distributors.
At a pallet distributor's hub, trailers arrive from the network in the evening and distribution rounds leave in the morning. If every trailer turns up at once, drivers wait for a free dock and sorting overruns. The planner then has to spread the pallets across vehicles while keeping track of weight, number of spaces, which vehicle has a tail lift and which addresses need booking in or a delivery window. When that lives in a spreadsheet and the night shift's memory, a pallet gets left on the floor or a vehicle without a tail lift goes to a home address that needed one.
Scheduling software for pallet distributors
Example- 1
Allocate inbound dock slots
DoneInbound trailers get a time slot at a dock, based on the expected number of pallets and the order in which their load needs sorting.
- 2
Assign pallets to routes
In progressSorted pallets are proposed for a distribution route per postcode area.
- 3
Fix load order and departure
NextOnce a route is complete, a load order follows: the last stop goes on first.
From job to confirmed appointment.
Allocate inbound dock slots
Inbound trailers get a time slot at a dock, based on the expected number of pallets and the order in which their load needs sorting. The hub team sees which trailer arrives when. If a trailer runs late, its slot shifts and the planner sees what that means for sorting and round departure times.
Assign pallets to routes
Sorted pallets are proposed for a distribution route per postcode area. Per vehicle the planner sees the number of spaces, total weight and whether it has a tail lift. Pallets needing a tail lift or booking are only proposed for a vehicle and route that can meet that need.
Fix load order and departure
Once a route is complete, a load order follows: the last stop goes on first. The driver receives the route with stops, unloading facilities and appointments. Pallets that no longer fit stay visible as carry-over for the next round instead of being left behind unnoticed.
Alongside your calendar and your team.
Pallet distributors use a transport system or their network's system for consignments and scans, sometimes a separate dock schedule and often a whiteboard at the hub. The schedule reads consignments and scans from those systems and adds dock slots and route allocation. The network remains owner of consignment data and statuses; the hub manager owns dock slots and the split across rounds. Changes are written back as a status, so the network can see which pallets are on which round.
Fixed routes or rebuilt daily
Fixed routes per postcode area give drivers routine and customers a regular delivery moment. With fluctuating volumes, a fixed route sometimes runs half empty while another has to leave pallets behind. Rebuilding daily uses vehicles better, but costs drivers their familiar patch. Many distributors keep a fixed core and only shift things at the edges.
Tight dock slots or open arrival
With tight slots the hub knows exactly who comes when, but one trailer stuck in traffic disrupts the whole schedule. Open arrival is more flexible, but causes queues on busy evenings. A middle path is slots with a margin, where the planner sees which trailers fall outside their slot.
Software proposes or the hub decides
The software can propose pallets based on spaces and weight, but the night shift knows which recipient always causes trouble and which street is too narrow for an artic. So the proposal stays a proposal, and every change is saved so the next shift can see why a pallet is on a different round.
Clients in other industries.
No customer story from this industry yet. This is how the software works for businesses elsewhere.
All customer stories
Hotel Aadam Wilhelmina
Online check-in, even at two in the morning.
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L'Artiste Barbershop
A full calendar starts with easy booking.
Read the storyNovaw Pilates
Focus on the class. Let the booking take care of itself.
Read the storyWhat we set up in the schedule.
Dock slots for incoming trailers, a proposal per distribution route based on pallet spaces, weight and tail lift, and a loading order per vehicle: that is there from the first evening. Beforehand we play out two evenings, an ordinary one and one where a trailer arrives far outside its slot while the tail lift vehicle drops out. Appointments with recipients straight from the planning and reading in the network scans can be switched on later.
View pricingSupport and updatesGood to know.
Explore pricing and optionsCan the schedule handle delivery windows in town centres?
Yes, an address with delivery windows carries that as an attribute, and the route is proposed so that stop falls inside the window. If that is not possible, the planner sees it and can choose another vehicle or round. The system does not take the decision, but makes the conflict visible.
What happens to pallets that no longer fit a round?
They appear as carry-over in the overview, with the reason: no space, no tail-lift vehicle available or recipient unreachable. The planner decides whether they go on the next round or need an extra trip. The shipper can be informed before asking about the delivery themselves.
Does this work for pallets we deliver for other network members?
Yes. Pallets that come in through the network are allocated just like your own consignments. The difference is the status that has to go back to the network, so the sending partner knows when the pallet has been delivered.
Does the driver have to decide the load order?
No, the load order follows from the route: what is delivered last goes on first. The driver or loading team can deviate if a pallet physically will not fit any other way, and records that. The order on the road then still matches the actual position in the vehicle.
What often connects to this.
- Digital job cards for pallet distributorsDigital job cards for pallet distributors in the form of a shipment card with loading details that travels with the pallets from hub to recipient and records every scan and exception.
- Website for pallet distributorsA website for pallet distributors that explains per pallet service and coverage area what is possible, so shippers can see upfront whether their consignment fits your network.
- Enquiry form for pallet distributorsAn enquiry form for pallet distributors that asks for pallet height, weight, stackability and the unloading facilities at the recipient, so a consignment is planned correctly first time.
A schedule that works in practice.
Start with a short intake. Then we schedule a call to show the software with your services, team and way of working.
WhatsAppinfo@vorlyo.com Scheduling software for pallet distributors: allocate hub dock slots and assign pallets to distribution routes by spaces, weight and tail-lift needs.
- Allocate inbound dock slots
- Assign pallets to routes
- Fix load order and departure