Modern tools for Logisticians and Forwarders: How technology is transforming transport
In the age of digitalisation and continuous technological advancement, the logistics and road transport sector faces unique opportunities and challenges. Logisticians and forwarders must not only manage complex routes and respond swiftly to disruptions but also continually strive to optimise operational costs. Modern technologies come to their aid, offering innovative tools that transform everyday processes. In this article, we will delve into the world of technological solutions that are revolutionising road transport management, enhancing operational efficiency, and bringing tangible financial benefits. We will explore how these modern tools support logisticians in their daily work, helping them meet the demands of today's market.
Route optimisation and traffic restrictions avoidance
Effective route planning is one of the most crucial tasks for both forwarders and logisticians. Contemporary technologies, such as the eTransport.pl platform, Hogs, TMS systems, and even Google Maps, significantly facilitate this task by providing tools to check traffic restrictions for trucks. Euro24 forwarders regularly utilise these tools to update their routes daily. By monitoring permanent and temporary traffic restrictions, holidays, local events, or strikes, we can quickly find alternative routes, bypassing areas subject to truck bans.?
For instance, when planning a delivery from Katowice to Berlin, the system detected a traffic restriction on one of the main roads in Germany. The forwarder checked the route on HOGS. The platform suggested a detour that minimised delays and additional fuel costs. Another example is a situation where Euro24 needed to deliver a load to a city over the weekend when truck traffic bans were in place. Thanks to the HOGS platform, the company could plan the route in advance, considering these restrictions, which allowed them to avoid fines and additional costs associated with vehicle downtime. Route optimisation not only minimised travel time but also increased operational efficiency.
Innovative technologies are indispensable in managing logistics. Automation of route planning processes allows for dynamic adaptation to changing road and legal conditions, resulting in significant time and resource savings. Thanks to these solutions, companies like Euro24 can offer more reliable and economical services, strengthening their market position.
Monitoring transport disruptions
Various disruptions, such as strikes or adverse weather conditions, can significantly impact delivery timeliness. Few people know that freely available tools like Google Maps offer features that allow users to create their own maps and share them with a select group or publicly.
During the farmers' protests in Poland in 2024, and later in Germany, road disruptions occurred on main routes and in major cities of these countries. Euro24 shared a link in the operations department to a map with detailed strike points, created and made public by a Google user. Forwarders could monitor the strike locations in real-time and adjust their vehicle routes accordingly, bypassing blocked road sections. This approach helped maintain delivery timeliness and minimised the impact of disruptions on the company's operational activities.
In addition to Google Maps, other tools also play a crucial role in logistics management. Waze, a community-based application, provides real-time information about traffic jams, accidents, and other obstacles, allowing for quick route adjustments. Thanks to data from users, companies can better predict and avoid problematic road sections.
Weather monitoring applications
There are numerous applications that provide accurate weather forecasts, which are crucial for route planning. Unforeseen weather conditions can significantly impact delivery timeliness, so up-to-date weather information allows Euro24 to dynamically adjust plans and avoid potential problems. This is especially important during the autumn and winter seasons when roads around mountainous areas can become unpredictable from hour to hour. Sudden snowfall, ice, and fog can pose serious challenges, affecting the safety and punctuality of deliveries.
Technology not only helps avoid problematic areas but also enables strategic route planning, leading to better operational efficiency and higher service levels. By using these tools, Euro24 can quickly and effectively respond to unforeseen events, which is a vital element in building a competitive edge in the market. The most popular free weather monitoring applications include Weather Underground, AccuWeather, The Weather Channel, Waze, MyRadar, Windy, and Weather on the Way.
GPS Telematics
GPS telematics is another invaluable tool that offers a comprehensive vehicle monitoring system. With GPS telematics, Euro24 can track the location of our fleet in real-time, analyse fuel consumption, and monitor driver behaviour. Telematics helps identify areas needing improvement, contributing to cost savings and enhanced operational efficiency. At Euro24, we understand the importance of precise fleet monitoring and route optimisation. More and more new vehicles, especially those intended for commercial and logistical use, come equipped with advanced monitoring and fleet management systems from manufacturers. This ensures that we can provide our clients with the highest level of transport and logistics services. Euro24, for instance, utilises the Scania vehicle management system.
Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
Transportation Management Systems (TMS), such as Hogs, Trans.eu, or CargoON, offer advanced features for route planning and optimisation, fleet management, and cargo monitoring. TMS integrate with other IT systems, enabling centralised management of all aspects of transportation. This allows forwarders to effectively coordinate their operations, minimising the risk of delays and increasing efficiency.
TMS are specialised software used for planning, executing, and optimising the physical movement of goods. They help companies manage transportation at every stage, from selecting the right carriers to monitoring shipments and analysing costs and performance. These systems integrate with other IT systems, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and WMS (Warehouse Management System), allowing for comprehensive supply chain management. With advanced features, TMS help companies improve operational efficiency, reduce transportation costs, increase the transparency of logistics processes, and enhance customer service.
At Euro24, we use the Trans.eu platform as a transport exchange, enabling us to quickly and efficiently connect with shippers and carriers. With Trans.eu, we have access to a wide range of transport offers in real-time, allowing us to respond swiftly to our clients' needs and optimally utilise our fleet. This platform assists us in verifying contractors, which increases transaction security and minimises risk.
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Thanks to its advanced tools and features, Trans.eu helps us improve operational efficiency, reduce order fulfilment times, and enhance our competitiveness in the market.
Intelligent planning and cost calculation
Modern approaches to planning and cost calculation in transport are crucial for effective logistics management. Tools like the HOGS system use advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence to provide precise and rapid calculations. In traditional Transportation Management Systems (TMS), the cost calculation process was often time-consuming and required manual data entry. HOGS automates the entire process by analysing routes, road conditions, seasonality, fuel prices, and the availability of loads and vehicles, enabling route optimisation in terms of distance and costs.
Euro24 has implemented the HOGS system, allowing the company to quickly calculate freight costs in the context of current market conditions. When Euro24 received an order to transport a load from Krakow to Paris, HOGS immediately calculated the optimal route, considering all cost variables and potential profits. This enabled the company to swiftly decide to accept the order, ensuring it would be profitable. By leveraging these advanced tools, Euro24 can make informed decisions and improve operational efficiency, ensuring competitiveness in the logistics market.
Efficient Transport Order Management
Traditional Transportation Management Systems (TMS) often fail to address the current challenges and evolved work patterns in the transport industry, which have significantly changed in recent years. Previously, it was sufficient to accept an order and immediately execute it with the assurance of profit. Route decisions were at the discretion of drivers. Today, the situation is far more complex. Profitability is uncertain, and orders come from various sources, such as emails, phone calls, transport exchanges, and private forwarding applications.
The fragmentation of order sources and uncertainty about profits necessitate precise calculations of routes, costs, and vehicle availability before making decisions. Quick response is key to success. Traditional TMS require order entry before allowing route calculation, often incurring additional costs for each calculation.
The HOGS platform changes this traditional model. Utilizing advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence, HOGS reverses the process, enabling immediate route analysis. The system considers vehicle type, road conditions, seasonality, fuel prices, and the availability of loads and vehicles. This allows for rapid optimisation of the route concerning distance, transport costs, and current freight rates, all in a split second after entering the loading and unloading points, even before the client accepts the terms. By leveraging these advanced capabilities, Euro24 can swiftly and accurately assess the profitability and feasibility of transport orders, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring competitiveness in the dynamic logistics market.
Profitability calculation of orders
One of the key challenges in transport management is assessing the profitability of an order before accepting it. HOGS effectively addresses this issue by offering an automatic freight value calculation feature called Market Price. This enables the valuation of each freight in the context of current market conditions. Unlike traditional TMS, which rely on simple cost calculations and internal company data, HOGS provides a more dynamic and realistic approach. The system considers all cost variables and potential profits in real-time, without requiring users to input their own data for calculations. After mapping out the route and selecting the vehicle, the user receives a comprehensive set of information on whether the order is profitable, significantly streamlining the decision-making process. This advanced feature allows Euro24 to quickly and accurately evaluate the feasibility and profitability of transport orders, enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring better market competitiveness.
Advanced features and user interface
HOGS offers an intuitive, data-driven user interface that presents all essential information clearly. This interface is designed with transport workers in mind, providing valuable data for their daily operations. Unlike older TMS systems, which were often limited in data visualization and interactivity, HOGS provides users with practical and efficient tools. With advanced features and a modern interface, HOGS enables better transport management and faster decision-making in a dynamically changing market. The system's comprehensive visualization capabilities ensure that all critical data is easily accessible, allowing for quick adjustments and optimisations as needed. By leveraging these advanced functionalities, Euro24 can enhance its operational efficiency and maintain a competitive edge in the logistics industry.
Euro24, handling multiple orders daily, uses HOGS to continuously update its transport plans. When one of their orders was suddenly cancelled, the HOGS system immediately analysed available alternatives and proposed a new route for another load, minimising vehicle downtime. This allowed Euro24 to quickly adapt to the change and maintain operational efficiency. As a result, Euro24 increased its margins and profits while minimising operational risk. The advanced risk management tools enabled the company to plan and execute orders more effectively, translating into long-term success in the transport market.
Advanced Algorithms in the daily work of Logisticians
Utilising advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence in the daily work of logisticians brings significant benefits to transport management. Systems like HOGS offer comprehensive analytical tools that support operational and strategic decision-making. Euro24 has implemented HOGS to streamline the planning and execution processes of orders. Thanks to advanced algorithms, this system analyses various variables, such as road conditions, fuel prices, vehicle and load availability, and seasonality, to provide the most optimal solutions.
For example, when Euro24 needed to plan routes for multiple loads simultaneously, HOGS used its algorithms to propose optimal routes for each load, minimising travel time and fuel costs. This enabled the company to execute orders faster and more efficiently, enhancing its competitiveness in the market. By leveraging these advanced tools, Euro24 can ensure precise planning, reduce operational costs, and improve overall service quality, leading to increased customer satisfaction and long-term success.
Increasing operational efficiency with new technologies
Implementing new technologies in transport management is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency. Systems like TMS (Transport Management System) and telematics solutions offer advanced features that help transport companies optimise their operations. Euro24 has chosen to implement a modern TMS, which enables comprehensive management of all transport aspects. With TMS, the company can monitor its vehicles in real-time, plan routes, manage orders, and analyse operational data. For instance, the TMS allows for route optimisation by analysing historical data on fuel consumption and travel times, leading to significant savings.
By using this system, Euro24 can ensure better fleet utilisation, reduce operational costs, and improve overall service quality. The advanced features of TMS, such as real-time tracking and data analytics, provide the necessary tools to respond quickly to changing conditions and make informed decisions, thereby increasing the company’s competitiveness in the market.
Fleet optimisation through Telematics Systems
Optimising a vehicle fleet is crucial for increasing efficiency and reducing operational costs in logistics. Telematics systems offer advanced functions for monitoring and managing fleets, allowing for better control over vehicles and drivers. This makes it possible to monitor fuel consumption, plan maintenance, and analyse driving styles, further contributing to improved efficiency and safety in transport operations.
Utilising modern technological tools in logistics management has become an essential element of effective operation for transport companies. Advanced systems like HOGS, along with integration with transport exchange platforms such as Timocom, enable companies to quickly respond to changing market conditions, optimise costs, and enhance operational efficiency. Investing in these technologies not only improves competitiveness but also allows for the delivery of top-quality services, which is crucial in the dynamically evolving logistics industry.