On the road to improve Ground Transportation businesses
The one constant in every organization is that things will change. Oftentimes, the necessary steps to achieve this change can be overwhelming and complicated, touching more parts of the organization than is possible in one fell swoop.
However, it’s the small changes at departmental levels that can affect the whole over time to create the desired environment.
The first step towards implementing change is to take stock of the organization as a whole. For instance, if a company’s fleet is often hindered or delayed by unexpected events on the road? If so, integrating new tools such as the Operations Dashboard from The Weather Company (an IBM Business), can effect change in such a way that they are turning instances like weather and traffic data into advantages rather than disadvantages.
That first step, that one that gets a company moving along the road to change, can be the hardest. Use these tips to get started:
- Base decisions on the best information – Experience better route optimization, lower trucking congestion costs, and fewer accidents and injuries by having access to the up-to-date weather forecasts for any route.
- Plan the route ahead – Drivers need to know what is going to happen down the road with traffic, weather, road conditions and local events in the palm of their hands. Plan decisions around safety and efficiency.
- Safety needs to come first – Road and weather conditions can change at a moment’s notice, so the best way to prepare is by alerting drivers in enough time to take action. Alerts can integrate into existing in-cab devices to ensure drivers keep both hands on the wheel while receiving actionable, specific calls to action based on their location and heading to help stay out of harm’s way.
- Change can be difficult: Stay flexible – The most direct route is not always the best one. Use weather and traffic as an advantage to make the best decisions. Having valuable information can save time and money.
- Be consistent – Make situational awareness a best practice and, most importantly, make all of these steps a ritual.
Within ground transportation, these small and easy-to-implement changes can add up to significant savings, fewer accidents, happier drivers, and more efficient decision-making.
Article written by John Bosse, Offering Manager, Ground Transportation, The Weather Company
