Traffic jams en route
Dispatchers shifted runs manually. A major alteration quickly consumed several hours while operations progressed unadjusted.
A logistics service provider schedules hundreds of refrigerated transport runs daily. The planning was fixed in the morning, while operational reality changed continuously throughout the day.
Traffic jams, extended loading times, rush orders, and vehicle breakdowns: every disruption forced dispatchers to manually shift transport runs. A single major schedule modification easily took an hour, during which drivers kept driving based on a schedule about to change.
This caused inefficiencies in two distinct ways: empty kilometers increased because vehicles were no longer assigned to the closest orders, and delivery time windows were missed for customers operating on tight schedules. For refrigerated cargo, temperature monitoring adds extra complexity, as postponing a trip is not always permissible.
Furthermore, the expertise required to manage these disruptions effectively rested solely with a small group of senior dispatchers. When they were absent, operations reverted to the static morning baseline schedule.
Dispatchers shifted runs manually. A major alteration quickly consumed several hours while operations progressed unadjusted.
Unexpected orders needed immediate insertion into an already fixed, tight daily schedule with minimal flexibility.
Trips were reassigned to the next available vehicle rather than the vehicle positioned closest to the cargo location.
Rather than replacing the existing TMS, we integrated an AI planning module that keeps recalculating for as long as the day runs.
A traffic delay, an extended loading window, or a rush order is picked up via the TMS, telematics, or live traffic data.
All pending transport runs are re-evaluated within the hard constraints of cargo type, temperature limits, time slots, and driving hours.
The dispatcher receives a transparent proposal outlining shifted trips, assigned vehicles, mileage impact, and delivery times.
The dispatcher accepts or adjusts the proposal. Only upon manual approval is the updated itinerary sent to the driver.
The module was added to a process that already ran on these systems:
Faster dispatch planning following any operational disruption. The AI module absorbs the daily changes, so dispatchers only steer on exceptions.
On-time delivery performance increased by 5% across all transport runs. Dispatchers now spend their time on customer service and exception management instead of schedule adjustment.
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