How to Maximize Efficiency When Hauling Loads

Hauling heavy loads to and from destinations relies heavily on good logistical management. Being able to maximize efficiency - improving profits and cutting out unnecessary expenses - is key to the success of haulage firms around the world. These tips ought to help you do just that:

Keep track of all revenues and expenses 

An up-to-date accounting log that reflects all money flowing into and out of your business is one of the most important things for your haulage business. An accurate log allows you not just to spot areas of your firm that bleed money but also allows you to make an educated guess as to how much money you can expect to earn (or lose) over a 12-month period. This will allow you to determine if it will be a good idea to finance more trucks to handle additional heavy haulage loads or whether you will need to minimize spending to better weather fluctuations in the market. All the efficiency tricks out there won't matter if you are not even aware of how money moves in your business.

Keep vehicle cargo as low as possible

Wind drag can be a significant petrol-eater, especially for large lorries carrying tons and tons. Stacking cargo too high increases this drag, which means that your vehicles will eat up more petrol as they make their rounds. The costs may not be dramatic at first glance but will definitely add up over time, which is why few hauliers regularly carry tall and wide loads that stick out of the vehicle frame. Only stack cargo up high when you have no other choice, but otherwise try to keep it as low as possible.

Plan low-traffic routes

This provides two distinct benefits. One, your transport vehicles will get to their destinations faster and two, you reduce the amount of time they spend idling in traffic. Lorries that drop off faster will allow you to plan out more haulage return cargo, which in turn will increase overall profits. Reducing idle time in traffic is also a major fuel saver as well. It takes a lot less energy to keep an already moving heavy truck going forward but a lot more to get it started once it stops dead in the middle of the road. This is also why it is more effective to instruct your drivers to maintain a measured driving pace instead of aggressively accelerating all the time.

Invest in a health programme for drivers

Why should you bother incentivizing your drivers to work out and maintain a healthy diet? Simple: they will be more reliable in the long run. The typical haulage driver's lifestyle makes him prone to fatigue, stress and even cardiovascular disease. You may not see immediate returns in your budget, but the last thing you want is to lose heavy cargo to road accidents or have your sick drivers keep messing up your carefully crafted schedules.