Transportation costs can add up in a hurry, especially when it’s a major aspect of your business. However, you can reduce how often drivers need to deliver or otherwise transport materials by carefully planning.
Not only does this save your company money, but it also makes better use of employee time and ensures drives don’t rush.
Design Optimal Routs
A high volume of deliveries doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in transportation. Instead, take time to plan routes before each task, as things may change from day to day. While a certain course may seem ideal one day, a necessary road could be closed the next. You’ll also need to know what roads are one-way or have weight limits. Various factors may impact delivery times, such as:
- Weather
- Traffic patterns
- Road conditions
Without accounting for the many issues that a driver may run into, you risk them unintentionally wasting time during a commute. Carefully assess paths or assign an employee to do this each morning since careful planning ensures you find the best routes and travel times.
Educate Drivers
A simple yet vital way to reduce transportation costs at your company is to keep all drivers educated on road safety. By speeding from job to job, drivers waste gas, strain the vehicle, and put your company’s reputation at risk. Offer digital and hands-on training to all employees annually so they can get a refresher on what you expect.
Pro Tip
Monitor your drivers’ habits with GPS, speed alerts, and more. Likewise, updated technology like cloud-based fuel tracking allows you to see how often drivers burn through fuel. This is just one reason to use the data to track fuel costs. Drivers that frequently fill their tanks may idle unnecessarily or have poor habits behind the wheel.
Keep Vehicles Maintained
Maintaining vehicles can become costly, but it also prevents wasted fuel, which may be just as pricy. This is another way to reduce transportation costs at your company and better use your business’s assets.
To make things easy, keep a schedule and track how often each vehicle gets repaired. This schedule should also account for preventive maintenance. Once you notice that one truck is in the shop too often, it may be time to replace it.
