Of course we all know that we are expected to deliver whatever commodity we are hauling by a certain date and time. It is expected of us to be on time for whatever delivery we have been set for. What we sometimes don’t get a feel for is what may happen on the back end of things, should we miss our appointment for delivery. Sometimes a minor hitch in the time of delivery can have a big impact and in some cases, halt production all together.
Some factors that act as variables in a late delivery scenario and how it affects your customer depend on the type of operation they are running. Some manufacturers operate in a Just-In-Time, or JIT, form of production. This type of operation focuses on reduced idle inventory costs through scheduling deliveries only as the current stock is completely depleted. This may seem to some like a recipe for disaster, but this can be a very effective way of ordering goods for some operations without a lot of storage area to hold inventory. These areas for holding inventory cost money and allowing themselves to be without, these companies save money as long as deliveries go according to schedule. One hiccup in the time of delivery though can spell disaster, as it usually means production has to stop until the delivery arrives. This is the main reason many of these operations pair with trusted and dedicated partners for their deliveries, or have their own fleet trucks to service deliveries.
Even companies that are not operating in a JIT scenario can have a bad day if the shipments do not arrive on time. I happened to have witnessed this first-hand a few weeks ago at a pickup I was on. The customer I showed up at to pickup is one of our drop and hook accounts and have great track record of having my trailers pre-loaded every time in the five years I’ve been pulling out of there. Being scheduled for an 8am pickup, I showed up at 7:30am just for the sake of always liking to be early. When checking in the shipping office let me know my order was not complete because another carrier that was supposed to deliver much earlier that morning still had not made delivery. I asked him how this was affecting the time of my load and he explained that twenty of his sixty pallets were for my order and was an item they did not keep extra inventory of in the warehouse. Needless to say that when the driver from another carrier came in at 9am, I was a little annoyed that I had been held up for the tardiness of the driver and his company.
Even though we know in the back of our heads that on time service is necessary to keep things running smoothly, we should take the time once in a while to remember just what happens when we are not punctual. We have the ability in this line of work to put a hitch in someone else’s plans without really thinking we can. Not only will an on time delivery record make things go smoother for everyone involved, but it can also help you build a reputation with your all too important customer base!