Companies aim to balance sustainability and efficiency

With rising costs, and carbon footprint a major concern, manufacturers and distributors look to balance sustainability with business efficiency.

Being green is no longer a choice for transportation service providers, but a necessity to being competitive these days. Meanwhile, companies can’t forget about customer service or keeping costs down for customers, especially small businesses that are feeling the pinch on all sides.

Companies of all sizes are focused on the reduction of greenhouse gases and transportation costs by looking at how to improve their fleets and different technologies.

Another way to cope with transportation costs is replacing dated vehicles, reducing time on the roads by changing delivery models and using alternative fuels. For short-haul delivery routes, optimization is key. Grocery Gateway for example, used route optimization software from Descartes to increase the efficiency of its 34 trucks that do 600 to 900 deliveries a day. The software take the order information and plans the most efficient routes, allowing the company to see what trucks are going where.

Grocery Gateway also outfitted all trucks with GPS locators so managers can track if drivers are falling outside the average to improve fuel mileage and vehicle life. Drivers who fall outside the average are coached and retrained.