Three things you never knew about Time Slot Management

There’s an old saying: a man with one watch knows the time. A man with two is never sure.  

When it comes to keeping trucks on time at warehouses or distribution centres, keeping everything on time is more complex than checking your watch, but the effect is the same. The inherent organisational complexity of these systems requires the latest technology to keep everyone in sync and on time.  

Time Slot Management is a tool to help organise warehouse resources by managing ETAs, setting loading or unloading times, and tracking paperwork, among other tasks. But there’s a lot you may not know about this increasingly essential technology.  

Here are three aspects of Time Slot Management and dock scheduling that just might transform your warehouses and distribution centres. 

Wait times and costs add up quicker than you think

44% of warehouses have an average wait time between 60 and 120 minutes. 

Change happens — but together we can reduce the impact

11% of loadings or unloading need to be rescheduled every day.

The network effect kicks in when the entire supply chain technology ecosystem work together to optimise performance, reducing waiting times, optimising routes, and ultimately reducing Carbon emissions.  

In this context, dock scheduling is just one part of this greater network effect — but that should in no way diminish its importance. If the network effect is able to provide greater transparency and accuracy around loading and unloading, Time Slot Management is what enables yard operators to put that knowledge to good use.  

Today, fewer than 6% of warehouses are able to reschedule loads automatically.  

Time Slot Management provides the technology necessary to transform data into cost savings.  

Value is won — or lost — in real time

60% of warehouses do integrate real-time data into their Time Slot Management tool. 

The future of Time Slot Management 

Congestion at a warehouse can cause a lot of stress for shippers, recipients, carriers, warehouse workers, and drivers, resulting in increased costs associated with wait times and demurrage charges. However, a time slot management application, especially when used together with real-time visibility tools, can significantly improve outcomes.  

The future of time slot management applications hinges on the use of real-time data to improve ETAs which will increase efficiencies during the check-in, loading, unloading, and departure processes. 

For even more great insights into how time slot management and dock scheduling have evolved to incorporate real-time data and the network effect, read the full white paper: Leveraging Real-Time Data and the Network Effect for Next Level Time Slot Management.