Managing Your Fleet’s X Factor – The Weather
Fleet Managers have a lot on their plate. There’s no doubt about that. Continually working to improve things such as fuel efficiency, driver satisfaction and vehicle maintenance are just a few things involved in the day-to-day. All of these things are important and they all can be controlled.
But what happens with the things that are out of your control? Yes, I’m talking about the weather. How do you manage that? How do you calculate the amount of risk vs. reward? Making on-time deliveries is the name of the game. Sometimes, though, weather forces you to “call it.” And It’s a tough call to make.
Introducing Riskpulse
Well, now there’s a little more help than what you’re used to when it comes to evaluating the weather. Riskpulse, an Austin, TX-based firm, has been managing weather for nearly a decade and is hoping to turn that expertise into useful information for truck fleets and shippers.
They’ve introduced a product called “Sunrise” which allows users to better define the risks that weather poses to in the supply chain. Using the information provided, fleets and shippers can react to forecasted threats in a more calculated way.
For example, Sunrise can be used to create a weather forecast for a specific lane a driver in your fleet is running. This is much more accurate and precise than just looking at a general area forecast. Customized reports are presented which include a historical analysis and risk summaries. This can allow Fleet Managers to re-route driver in real time away from potential bad weather.
Reacting Better to Weather
Matthew Wensing, co-founder and CEO of Riskpulse said, “ “Timing is everything, so what we do is [ask] what things are trying to shelter from,” Wensing says. “For instance, if you [have to decide] between a dry van or a reefer [due to weather conditions] if you have that flexibility, we can do a temperature variance.”
Wensing adds that “we are finding is people are paying for over-protection” such as running a refrigerated van when the outside temperature in the area would be sufficient to sustain product inside a dry van. That means the fleet is not using its assets to full advantage.
Margining your fleet and assets is everything. Being prepared when bad weather strikes can be a difference maker. Wensing believes they are onto something because of the ability Riskpulse has to deliver a core product focused on weather. With meteorologists, science officers, technology and logistics experts on staff, they are bringing everything together to provide a complete solution.
It is definitely going to be interesting to see how products such as Sunrise continue to advance throughout 2017. Being able to be more in tune with the weather on specific routes can make a huge difference in keeping deliveries on-time, as well as drivers happy and safe.
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Dickinson Fleet is the nation’s leader in mobile truck maintenance and repair. We currently have 230 mobile trucks equipped with state of the art technology visiting our customers nightly in nearly every major city in the country.
*photo from Riskpulse.com
