Previously, Mooy Logistics drivers would leave for Waalhaven and the Maasvlakte at 5:00am. When they had loaded their container they would have to dive back to their unloading address in morning traffic. Between 11:00am and 3:00pm another round of trucks would drive to the ports. The downside to working these hours: it is busy at the ports, and there is a loss of time due to traffic and stress in the Mooy Logistics warehouses.
For a few years now most of the container transport happens at night. The truck drivers start at 1:00am, they pick up two containers and they take their break during the morning traffic. When they are taking their break the containers are being dealt with in the warehouses. By the end of the morning the night driver is done with his shift and his colleague will take over from there. There are two drivers for every truck. By changing the driving schedule around Mooy Logistics has increased their revenue from invested material. Service to our customers has also increased. Because the containers are in the warehouses earlier our customers get the quality reports for their fresh produce sooner.
Results
- 1,500 times per year that traffic is avoided
- time gain due to the quick turnover at the terminal and avoidance of traffic
- more time for handling the containers, more room in the warehouses
- higher efficiency for the fleet
- better information for the customer
'Increasing the range in the chain.' That is what Mooy Logistics is doing according to transport manager Henk van Berkel. What this means is that the company first picks up fruit from Rotterdam and Antwerp. In three separate warehouses the containers are emptied and the customs formulas and quality controls are handled. After this the Mooy Logistics drivers head out with the fresh products to wholesalers and retailers in France and Germany for the most part. "Over the years we have continuously expanded our activities," says Van Berkel. "As soon as we think we can do something ourselves we take action to figure out a way it can be done."
Earlier and Earlier
When the terminals at the ports in Rotterdam began opening at night about six years ago, Mooy Logistics carefully chose to begin having their drivers go there at night. In the meantime it has become a big success and 40% of their container transport now happens at night. Van Berkel: "In the beginning the trucks did not leave until halfway through the night. But now we start at 1:00am."
Transport planner Ronald Baan and tranport manager Henk van Berkel
Profitable trucks
Economically speaking night driving is very interesting, says Van Berkel. "To make a truck profitable it has to be driven at least 18 hours. We reach that now because we can have two truck drivers for each truck. Night driving also helps us enormously with the activities in our own warehouses. If the products are available earlier we can do so much more with them, and with less stress too."
Ready for export
Night driving has another benefit: in the afternoon the trucks and the warehouses are ready for the second Mooy Logistics step, transporting the fresh products abroad. Van Berkel outlines the long workday: "Between 1:00am and 10:00am the containers head towards Rotterdam and by 3:00pm we have all our goods in our own warehouses. We organize the products and then send the trucks out. The next morning the products are with our customers all over Western Europe. That is how fast we operate now."
Unloading boats
Night driving is a success but it can be even more efficient, says transport planner Ronald Baan from Mooy Logistics. "The problem is that you often don't know the availability of the containers. A boat that is unloaded at 1:00am will have the containers all ready. Then you can send a few trucks to pick up those containers. But if a boat is still being unloaded at 12:00pm you don't know if the container will be ready at night or if it will still be on the ship. We send drivers to a terminal where a few containers are. Then the driver can see which ones are ready. We often call the terminal to see when and which containers will be ready, but not all terminals provide this information."
More competitive
The 'unloading boats' belong to this line of work, says Baan. "A lot of products are already sold even when they are still on board. Our customers are jumping to get those products. For us this means: picking up the containers while the boats are still being unloaded." Van Berkel also thinks that Mooy Logistics, "Must be flexible with the unloading boats. We are continuously checking what we can do at night and what has to wait until the daytime. The better you can do that, the more competitive you will be. In the end it is about the customer getting their fresh products as soon as possible.
Smart transferring
Growing their fleet of night drivers is possible according to Van Berkel and Baan. Baan says, "If the terminal shared the information about which containers were ready with the drivers, then we could plan the night so more drivers could head to the ports." Van Berkel says, "Handing in the empty containers must also be organized better. Some of the empty depots are open at night, but most of them are not. We leave the containers with us or we try to transfer them to a depot that is open. That is successful about 40% of the time. So there is still profit to be made here."
Source: Verkeersonderneming.nl