Using AI for Final-Mile Shipment Loading

Fleet Enable provides a logistics software platform designed to automate all aspects of the final-mile delivery market; now the company has introduced an artificial intelligence tool that loads final-mile delivery trucks to eliminate shipment failures.

The software, called Capacity Optimization, calculates cargo size and truck capacity, then dictates how orders are stowed in vehicles. Fleet Enable said its new technology can ensure that final-mile orders are on-time and not overweight.

“We determined a void in the market for auto-optimization of delivery routes that included capacity management,” said CEO Krishna Vattipalli in a news release. “We believe we have created a first-of-its-kind capacity management AI exclusively for final-mile carriers.”

Eliminating Miscalculations With Software

Capacity Optimization is the second feature in two months added to Fleet Enable’s proprietary final-mile automation platform. In October, the company rolled out Fleet Enable Intelligence software that predicts volume shifts, on-time deliveries, revenue, and driver performance.

Fleet Enable said Capacity Optimization replaces manual calculations that determine if deliveries fit on trucks and meet weight limits. Here’s how it works:

• Capacity Optimization takes electronic requests from shipping customers to auto-generate orders.
• A dispatch scheduling tool calculates variables from appointment windows and truck availability to truck floor space and maximum weight.
• The tool auto-generates delivery routes that adhere to delivery constraints.

“There is a lot of complexity in determining what freight will fit onto a truck that ends up increasing the odds of a delivery failure,” said  Vattipalli. “Capacity Optimization ensures we are creating the most profitable routes that can be scheduled, loaded, unloaded, and delivered at the appropriate time.”

Final-mile carriers run the risk of missed deliveries when shipments are overweight or won’t fit on trucks. Fleet Enable said its tool can help carriers avoid costly delivery exceptions or emergency deliveries. That’s important as the final-mile market softens and margins compress as U.S consumer spending slows.  

Capacity Optimization provides the warehouse with truck loading instructions to ensure proper shipment delivery, Fleet Enable said. It also eases the stress of loading/unloading for delivery drivers, the company added.

“Our technology is smart enough to consider all of a shipment’s dimensions and weight and create a dispatch plan that will be successfully executed by the driver,” said Vattipalli. “In a market driven by high customer expectations, tight delivery windows and low margins, Capacity Optimization can strengthen a final-mile carrier’s reputation and protect its bottom line.”

Fleet Enable rolled out its final-mile automation software a year ago. Its platform digitizes everything from scheduling to invoicing and driver pay settlement. Fleet Enable said its goal is to eliminate manual processes that slow down operations and back-office performance.

Originally posted on Work Truck Online