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Keeping Track of Industry Talent in Logistics Conference

With just a couple of months until the next Talent in Logistics Conference, now is a good time to think about buying your tickets. This event is aimed at bringing people working in the logistics industry together, and the conference is geared towards celebrating the incredible talent we are so lucky to have across the board.
On 27 June this year, Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes will come alive with exhibitions, competitions and the all-important awards ceremony, which is held at the Hilton DoubleTree. For anyone with a career in freight forwarding or haulage who is dealing with subcontract transport workers, this conference is an event that should have a firm place on their annual calendar.

What’s On?

Now in its third year, this conference offers the opportunity for all kinds of operational professionals in logistics to get together, share knowledge, catch up with news and listen to seminars given by significant industry leaders.

The highlight is the awards ceremony, which reflects one of the main aims of the event: to provide a platform for recognising and rewarding people in all aspects of our industry and along every link in the supply chain.

This year, new categories have been introduced with the intention of highlighting teams and organisations, rather than just individuals who stand out. Teams that continually go that extra mile to make a difference will be acknowledged. Winners of all categories will be announced at the black tie event at Hilton DoubleTree, where there will be a celebrity host, a drink’s reception and a dinner. The evening will finish late and there will be lots of entertainment and dancing.

Also hosted on the day are the live finals of the Forklift Operator of the Year and the LVG Driver of the Year competitions. Employees fight hard to get through initial heats and regional contests to reach the finals, which promise to be a fantastic display of skill and expertise.

The Importance for Fleet Managers

Recruitment in our business can be difficult so it is very important to stay up to date with the best practice methods of attracting talent. Subcontract transport work requires so many different skills and, as a manager, you need to be aware of how to recruit skilled individuals who you can develop and engage. The conference has three different theatres, Attract, Develop and Engage, each one filled with information and insights for any manager or trainer to take on board and deliver back to their teams.

In just one day you have the chance to glean so much. Take time out of the office and invest it in everything this event has to offer. You won’t regret it and you will leave feeling more competent in how to deal with recruitment and training… and ultimately keep your business moving successfully into the future.

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Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides a valuable service to subcontract transport work, matching loads with available vehicles. It is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.

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All a Fleet Manager Needs to Know about Courier Insurance

If you’re a fleet manager in charge of a courier company, irrespective of the size you probably already know that the job comes with a great deal of responsibility. You’re effectively in charge of what can often be a large number of employees and vehicles, and one of the most important aspects you’ll need to consider is choosing the appropriate insurance for a fleet that carries out delivery work.
This article will go into detail about insurance on the whole – the benefits, whether or not you need it (spoiler alert: you do), and other concerns. So if you’re responsible for multiple delivery work vans of different sizes and capacities, read on for all the fast facts.

Do I Need It?

The short answer is yes. As a manager, it may be tempting to try to save the company a few pounds by not investing in any, but this is a bad idea and extremely ill-advised. After all, if unforeseen circumstances arise and something happens to any of the vans in your fleet during the course of their delivery work, you’ll want to be sure that you are protected so that you’re not paying an arm and a leg for something you weren’t expecting.

What Should It Cover?

The exact package you choose will depend on the specifics of your operation, however it’s recommended that you pick one that will allow you to manage your entire fleet under a singular policy. You should make sure you’re insured against damage to your own vans and operatives as well as damage to other people, property or vehicles – especially if you’re running a fleet of five or more.

What Are the Benefits?

For starters, investing in insurance will give you total peace of mind. You won’t have to constantly worry about having to pay extra expenses or face legal action if an accident happens, which means you can properly focus on running the business. Other benefits include:

• One renewal date • One policy that covers all your drivers and vehicles (potentially all the different types your company has) • One point of contact to get in touch with when you have questions or concerns.

What Else Should I Keep in Mind?

As a manager, other relevant factors you should keep at the forefront of your mind when deciding which insurance policy is right for you are as follows:

• The delivery work destinations • Your drivers’ details • Each of your vehicles’ individual details (value, size, model, make, annual mileage, etc.) • How many vans you’d like to insure • What kind of goods you’re transporting

If you’re working in the delivery industry as a fleet manager, no doubt you feel passionately about the safety and efficiency of your drivers and vehicles, which is why it makes all the sense in the world to make sure they are protected by insuring them correctly. Knowledge is power and now that you know all about the benefits, coverage requirements and more, you’re in a position to make an informed purchase. Here’s to years of happy, safe and insured driving and deliveries.

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Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Courier Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Courier Exchange provides services for matching delivery work with available drivers, and is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.

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Customer Survey Reveals Interesting Figures about Technology Solutions

There have been two significant findings from Paragon Software Systems’ annual UK customer survey. The first: integrated technology systems are being used ever more frequently in the courier industry to overcome various business pressures. The second: the transport sector is still struggling to recruit new drivers, and the skill shortage is now the biggest challenge that the industry is facing.
A Growing Concern

Delivery businesses have been struggling to recruit for the last three years. Statistics from the survey show that since 2017, there has been a significant 62% increase in respondents stating that the lack of drivers is impacting their business. This year, over half of the respondents (55%) agreed to the statement, whereas in 2018 the figure was slightly lower at 46%.

Some other issues were highlighted in the survey, and drivers were asked whether these factors were of concern. Some 13% agreed that transport costs were an issue and 12% saw the Brexit debate as a contributing factor. Urban transport restrictions were less of a concern, at 7%.

Technologies to the Rescue

Although there are still industry concerns, it has been found that many courier drivers are looking to telematics and other technological planning systems to overcome these problems. Nearly all respondents (97%) claimed to use some kind of telematics solution, whether it was to plan and schedule timings or simply map out delivery routes.

The most common technology systems in use at the moment are vehicle tracking (95% of fleets use this) and proof of delivery (over half use this). Other solutions include various workforce management applications, vehicle cameras using 4G and live temperature monitoring. Courier companies and owner drivers using these kinds of resources are able to benefit from real-time performance data, allowing them to figure out the best ways to run their businesses and make their operations more efficient.

Why Change?

Many businesses have chosen to invest in new telematics systems as a result of industry pressures. The survey showed that some of the biggest transport planning pressures came from customers – these included the demand for more accurate delivery time windows as well as more frequent communications and proof of delivery. Other pressures such as the need to maximise the utilisation of available drivers has also had an effect.

The courier industry continues to evolve as customer demands become more challenging and technologies become more reliable. The Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems, William Salter, stated that the survey’s results “suggest the road transport sector faces another tough year, with a number of continuing challenges that are compounded by the current economic and political uncertainty.”

There is hope that integrated technology solutions will eventually result in better customer communications, resource utilisation and real-time fleet visibility, but with various uncertainties still looming, only time will tell.

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Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange company in the UK.

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