TruckStops understands the resources you can call upon

TruckStops vehicle routing and scheduling system (VRS) matches the needs of each call point to the resources available, ensuring the right size vehicle with appropriately skilled staff are allocated to each call. It also ensures schedules comply with agreed time windows and drivers hours and that vehicle and/or call point exclusions can be defined when required.

Special Features

TruckStops makes it easy to specify whether individual vehicles have special features e.g. it has a tail lift, is small enough to access any call point or can do congestion zone calls.

Vehicle Bases

In TruckStops any vehicle can start and end at a different location, e.g. start from home, first call is a parts box, last call is a service centre.

Plant delivery company, PDQ, noted that "One of the attractions of TruckStops is that it makes it easy to schedule specific vehicles to start or finish at somewhere other than the main operating base, so we can schedule outbased vehicles along with those from our own area." Read more about how PDQ made the most of TruckStops even without a fleet of their own.

Drivers' Hours

TruckStops can take into account the rules that regulate how much driving can be done, when breaks can be taken etc.

Exclusions

A switch is provided to exclude vehicles from the schedule. This is very useful for regular spot hire vehicles or when resources are unavailable for some reason.

Similarly individual delivery stops can be removed from regularly traveled routes. This is essential when organisations operate a fixed routing system.

Unload Rates

Use the flexible TruckStops configuration to adjust unload rates for specific vehicles – perhaps a two-man crew can deliver faster than the default unloading speed.

Multi-trip Routes

TruckStops enables the user to specify whether the vehicle can do more than one trip in the total work period, and if so how long it takes to turn it round and whether it's sent out with the same driver each time.

Vehicle Capacity

You can specify how much can be handled by each resource in whichever way best suits your business, e.g. kilograms, cases, pallets...

Cost Information

Cost information might include rates per km, per hour, for overtime, fixed costs. It is exceptionally easy to include parcels and pallet carriers by specifying a set cost per drop or per case or at a pallet rate.

G Easton was able to use TruckStops cost analysis function with sample data supplied by the client, and used TruckStops to model a proposed distribution plan which enabled them to win a tender for business. Read more here.