Resolving Social Issues through Our Business Nichirei Logistics Group
Truck drivers are forced to wait for long periods of time at distribution centers due to the inability to unload and load cargo smoothly. This dwell time has become a social issue. The main reason for the long dwell time and on-duty work hours is that, especially during busy periods, there are periods during the day when the distribution centers’ processing capacity cannot keep up with the numerous vehicles entering and leaving due to the bottleneck created by the limited number of loading docks. In addition, it is burdensome for distribution centers to keep track of when each vehicle will be unloading or loading, because trucks from many shippers come and go, making it difficult for the center to coordinate operations with drivers in advance.
In October 2017, Nichirei Logistics Group began operating a truck loading dock reservation system to alleviate dwell time or eliminate it entirely. The system allows truck operators (the shipper or shipping company) to reserve a desired time for loading or unloading trucks, in line with the loading and unloading time slot framework at each distribution center. As a result, it is no longer necessary to line up and wait.
Confirmation of shipping companies and orders was previously performed by distribution centers after the truck arrived. However, the truck loading dock reservation system enables shipping companies to send the bill of lading, invoice and other details about the cargo to distribution centers ahead of time. Advance confirmation allows smooth assignment of trucks to loading docks upon arrival. In FY2021, we introduced this system at 30 locations nationwide.
For distribution centers where the reservation system has been steadily operating, dwell time, which had been two hours or more for about 70% of trucks before complete introduction of the system, was reduced to less than one hour for 97% of trucks. Meanwhile, the system has reduced both the number of trucks waiting late at night and early in the morning and the number of trucks parked around the distribution center. It has also alleviated the burden of reception duties by reducing the frequency of calls to confirm loading dock arrival time.
