Improving the performance of your truck business can directly influence your operating costs and revenue.
The demands in the truck sector will continue to grow in the future as people get used to the gratification of ordering and receiving a package at flash speed. You work in a competitive market with Amazon shipping around 5 billion items annually, only through its Prime program. Amazon is the most popular retail platform because it offers same-day, one-day, and two-day shipping options. But Amazon isn’t the only one to provide these benefits. Thanks to the advancements in the trucking sector, you can also achieve these numbers. Boosting your company’s efficiency can bring you higher profit and cut down on running costs.
Here are the fastest ways to improve your truck company’s productivity.
Recruit Skilled Drivers
Studies show that 8% of long-haul drivers are female, and you should take advantage of this opportunity to attract diversified workers, especially since long-haul driving is dealing with a shortage of drivers. You should also consider recruiting young people and military veterans if they have the needed skills to perform at their job. This approach is implemented by expedited freight shipping companies like MigWay. Lately, the authorities have been considering changing regulations and lowering the legal age for interstate commercial drivers.
Properly Maintain Your Vehicles
Having all vehicles checked regularly and their tires, filters, and other essential parts inspected will increase the lifespan of your trucks and prevent costly repairs. Ensure that your fleet is completely road-worthy before they leave your headquarters on a trip. Improperly maintained vehicles are unsafe, lack fuel efficiency, and can become a danger on the roads.
Get Insurance
Insurance protects you from financial loss and prevents unwanted or uncertain losses caused by accidents. Truck insurance companies have ranging sizes in insurance packages from small to large fleets and can offer customized quotes for your needs.
You probably have general liability insurance, but to ensure that your business is safeguarded from any risk, you should also get bobtail insurance because it covers instances when a truck without a load or trailer engages in an accident. Ask your insurance provider what the bobtail insurance cost is, and make sure to add it to your coverage.
Minimize Idling
Train your drivers to switch off the truck’s engine when it’s running for no reason. Obviously, it would be impractical to switch it on and off when they’re in a traffic jam, but they should stop it when they stop in a parking lot.
Use Truck Scales
Truck scales allow you to weigh the cargo when you unload and eliminate multiple steps that slow down the overall process. Your drivers lose time when the scales are located away from the loading docks, and they have to speed up on their drive to stick to the schedule. But if the truck includes a well-maintained scale that offers accurate results, they’ll no longer deal with this issue.
Use a Fleet-Tracking Tool
A great problem truck companies experience is keeping track of their shipments and drivers. If you install a GPS system on your trucks, you can make the process easier because it allows you to monitor operations. The measure also enables you to improve customer service as your clients can also track where their cargo is.