How Dump Truck Dispatching Software Can Transform Your Teams

Of all the strategies you could employ to radically improve efficiency across your operations, adding dump truck dispatching software is the one single move material producers and others in the construction industry should consider right now.

This highly effective tool has the power to transform your dispatching functions, communications, asset utilization, back office workflows, and document management. 

Before we break down how trucking software works to improve efficiency in those specific areas, here’s a point to remember while you’re comparing logistics solutions. Many products out there are positioned as “dump truck solutions.” Here’s the caveat: Most of them were initially built to serve the long-haul trucking industry or for last mile delivery fleet management. They were then retrofitted so they could be promoted to the construction industry. 

Trux, on the other hand, was designed from the get-go as a logistics platform to manage and optimize operations for organizations that use dump trucks. As you well know, there are a load of details (literally) that are necessary to complete a schedule, dispatch and manage an entire day’s worth of dump truck loads for multiple customers. Wouldn’t you rather use a solution that recognizes the dynamic nature of this task by allowing you to stack, reassign, and easily move around haulers’ schedules throughout the day? That’s just one of many examples of why it’s important to use dump truck dispatching software that’s truly designed for dump trucks. 

Now that you know what to watch out for, here’s what to look for.

choose dump truck software that lightens your dispatchers' load

No doubt about it, dispatchers are the heart and soul of your operations. That’s why it’s critical to find ways that positively impact their job. First, efficiency starts with them. When their scheduling, dispatching and managing workflows are streamlined, you save time and are able to minimize costly delays. Second, dispatchers deal with a lot of chaos and stress–every day. Relieving that mayhem can go a long way towards making sure your dispatcher doesn’t burn out and leave you with a position to fill.

The old way of creating a schedule is time-consuming and frustrating. It depends on white boards or spreadsheets and endless calls or texts and then waiting on responses before the schedule is ready to go. The new way of scheduling with dump truck dispatching software happens with all activity visible in a single screen. Dispatchers create the schedule and assign haulers who in turn accept jobs without all the back and forth of the old way. The Trux solution  makes dispatching even quicker with drag and drop technology. It works just like it sounds. Click, drag and be done.

In addition to eliminating all the phone tag communication involved in scheduling, trucking software removes that time-waster when it comes to monitoring and managing haulers too. Because haulers are tracked in real-time with GPS tracking, dispatchers get a bird’s eye view of all active trucking. If they see that a bottleneck is forming at a certain plant, they can stagger arrival times to keep haulers from wasting time and fuel idling in line. Or if a change order comes in, dispatchers don’t have to call haulers to find out their locations. Instead, they simply look at their screen and are able to reassign haulers and loads on the fly.

Overall, using Trux saves 20 minutes of dispatching time per hauler per day.

Take the gaps out of communication with a dispatching solution

Dispatchers need to frequently communicate with haulers, customers and job sites all at the same time. It can be quite a challenge to keep all those groups straight and make sure everyone who needs to know is kept in the loop. The solution’s communication system makes this task automatic and efficient.

Dump truck software should come with a built-in centralized communication system that allows all parties to see and respond to messages in real-time. Valuable time is wasted when dispatchers have to leave a voicemail and wait on an answer or wonder if the message was even heard. Or field questions from customers throughout the day regarding the status of their delivery. With software in place, communications are immediate and organized for easier retrieval.

With centralized communication, like Trux Chat, your team still uses their own smartphones, but messages are organized and kept separate from their personal threads. This makes access convenient, quick and easy.

With the Trux Delivery Tracker, your customers get the information they need without ever having to contact you. As soon as their order is entered into the system, they’ll receive order confirmation and real-time updates as to the order’s progress and completion.

This elevation of the customer experience is an effective way to distinguish yourself from the competition and leave a lasting good impression on your customers. They’ll remember and return to you time and time again.

tap into the power to get more out of your assets

Of course it’s always good business to get the most out of your assets. But especially now when the construction industry is dealing with a labor shortage, it’s even more important to do more with less. That means you must plan, schedule and dispatch with efficiency. Just because a dump truck is out “working” doesn’t mean you’re optimizing its use.

Deadheading is a common example of poor utilization. A logistics platform that gives your dispatcher the big picture can reduce the number of times your trucks are on the road without a load. Waiting in line at a job site while the crew prepares for delivery is another instance of time wasted. Again, the answer is a solution that keeps dispatchers, haulers and job sites connected and on the same page.

With Trux dispatching software, haulers average an extra load per day simply by reducing cycle times and making their turns at the plant and the job site more efficient.

remove manual processes and lag time from the back office

Dump truck dispatching software will mean that your haulers won’t have to keep up with tickets all day. Instead, digital load slips are created and uploaded throughout the day. This makes haulers happy, but it really gives your back office team something to smile about. They no longer have to sort and batch at the end of the day. Or waste time trying to hunt down that missing ticket or verify what it said before the coffee was spilled on it.

With digital load slips and digital punch-in and out instead of time sheets, your system has all the information it needs to automatically generate and consolidate invoices.

On average, Trux customers save approximately 30 minutes per driver per week in the business office.

Those extra hours mean you can have your back office team focus on more value-added tasks that will contribute to profitability.

Speaking of profitability, with a logistics solution, projects can be closed out sooner because you’re not waiting around for the correct data to be found. That means haulers can be paid sooner. You also won’t have to write off jobs that you know were completed but can’t bill for because you don’t have the paperwork that documents the work.

the proof is in the dump truck dispatching software

Records management may not be top of mind when it comes to improving efficiency. And though optimizing cycle times may have a bigger impact, digital records management also saves time, costs and space.

Digital records create a single source of truth. If you’ve ever had a dispute over hours or deliveries, you can appreciate being able to quickly click on a document and view the accurate, time-stamped and verified data to simply settle matters. 

Digital records are stored in the cloud for easy access at any time of day. There’s no need to add another file cabinet to your already overcrowded office space or take someone away from a job in order to find a piece of paper.

trux: the tried and true dispatching software for dump trucks

The right kind of software has the power to transform your business.

Dispatch

Your dispatcher’s workflows are streamlined for efficiency with logistics software in place. From scheduling, assigning haulers and managing them while they’re out on the road to being able to take care of the unexpected or get a jump on early morning dispatching from home, dump truck software eases the job of dispatching.

Communications

Centralized communications keep everyone on the same page at the same time. Important messages won’t be lost or overlooked because the solution’s communication system keeps work-related messages well organized and separate from personal threads.

Asset Utilization

Reduce deadheading, waiting in line and other ways that your assets are in use but not earning for you.

Back Office

Replace outdated, time-consuming manual processes with automated ones that add efficiency and accuracy to the back office. Close out projects faster with automatically generated invoices and make sure your haulers get paid on time too.

Records Management

A single source of truth being stored in a single place in the cloud. It beats searching through file cabinets crammed with paper documents every time.

These are just a few ways that Trux can help improve the efficiency and productivity of your business–there’s more too. Learn how you stand to gain from using a trucking solution by taking this quick logistics assessment. It’s five minutes of your time that could add up to years of saving time and costs.