When you have a small team that needs to make deliveries, you need to do all you can to optimize deliveries, increase efficiency, and streamline the process. Whether it’s using hand trucks to reduce the number of trips from and to the delivery van, or determining the optimal route for deliveries, these tips will help your small team do more with less.
Hand Trucks
Move Items in Bulk
Each delivery truck should carry a lightweight, aluminum hand cart to help aid the driver. Using a hand cart simply results in fewer trips. Instead of carrying a box or two, the driver can stack multiple boxes on the hand cart. This also helps avoid accidentally dropping the boxes or tripping, which could hurt the employee or damage the contents of the boxes. This helps streamline the process, taking less time to do a job. A hand cart in every delivery truck is a good start, but keeping hand carts in the warehouse where your business stocks items before delivery can help, as well.
Use the Right Equipment for the Job
One of the easiest ways to increase delivery efficiency is to use the right equipment for the job at hand. For example, if your employees need to deliver a refrigerator or laundry machine, a classic hand truck may not have the weight capacity. Instead, use a heavy duty hand truck, meant for moving heavier appliances. Where once a large product might require two employees, a heavy duty hand truck can enable just one employee to get the job done, freeing up the other employee for other jobs.
Use Route Optimization Software
As the name suggests, route optimization software will help your drivers plan routes to deliver products in the most efficient driving route possible. Armed with a software platform, your business can plan multiple stops and will direct which shipments should go in which truck, and then map out the route your driver will follow.
Streamline the Warehouse
Deliveries begin in the warehouse, and picking the products from shelves should be taken into account when trying to optimize delivery time. Keep the most popular items near the loading bays and have an organized system that is easy to understand. This helps the warehouse staff, or your drivers find the items they need quickly, cutting down on the time it takes to load the truck and get moving on time. As mentioned before, the right tools for the job will help, such as using a heavy duty hand truck to move product into the truck, and then taking the heavy duty hand truck on the delivery.
About Magline
For more than 70 years, the Magliner name has meant quality for the material handling industry. In fact, their name is so well known in the material handling industry that “Magliner” is commonly used as shorthand for a hand truck of any brand. Unfortunately for any other brand, nothing provides the ease-of-use, durability, and dependability that Magliner equipment delivers. In addition to their legendary traditional hand truck, they carry a great selection of specialized models. Those include a heavy duty hand truck selection, their powered stair climbing cart line, a hand lift truck series, a motorized hand truck series, and a whole lot more. When you need something moved, lifted, or delivered, you can be sure that there will be the perfect Magliner product available to get the job done.
Get material handling solutions for your growing delivery business at Magliner.com
Original Source: https://bit.ly/2ZYEPDH