July 21, 2016

CCJ magazine recently highlighted a Department of Transportation report looking into the effects of detention time at shipper and receiver docks on the trucking industry, reporting that 80 percent of carriers say detention time “is a very serious problem.” The study of 247 carriers centered on detention time spoke to the fact that since the inception of the FMCSA’s hours-of-service rules, detention time has become a more looming issue for drivers as they attempt to make up for lost time within their 14-hour on-duty limit.

Detention time causes travel delays, which lead to lost wages, increasing the chances that drivers will feel the need to drive faster or operate past their 14-hour limit to make that time up. So the question now becomes, “What can Transportation companies and their drivers do to combat the headaches that come with detention time?”

Luckily, there are technology solutions that allow fleets to keep customers informed every step of the way. This allows for better ETAs and smaller arrival time windows for more consistent on-time delivery. This translates into a better-informed customer who can prepare for deliveries to avoid long detention times and get your fleet in and out of the loading area as efficiently as possible.

Omnitracs Driver Workflow keeps customers informed on their load location every step of the way. Geofenced entry and exit statistics from Driver Workflow allow customers to automatically track departure and arrival of their loads. Omnitracs Navigation allows customers to track vehicle location in between arrival and departure with planned versus actual time information. However, Driver Workflow also allows fleets to save time stamp information, giving them the power to quantify route effectiveness and adjust routes for optimal efficiency.

The DOT study also found that 63 percent of commercial truck drivers spend more than three hours detained at shipper and receiver facilities each time they pick up or deliver a load. At Omnitracs, our goal is to ease the headaches of detention time by providing fleets with the proper technology to combat travel delays and lost wages due to unnecessary detention time.