Trucking software developer Profit Tools, Inc., Newmarket, N.H., has released a new package of applications tailored for residential deliveries,
the kind of service expected to expand with the growth of online shopping.
Companies that deliver, assemble and install household products for retailers use the software to automate scheduling, dispatching, tracking, storage, billing, and incentive pay for driver/installers.
"Our business has doubled in the last 12 months," said Annie Kennedy of Elite Delivery in Oakland, Calif. Elite's five-truck fleet makes "white glove" deliveries of high-priced furniture from manufacturers such as Z Gallerie, Crate and Barrel, and Thomas Mosler.
Most home deliveries are by appointment, so dispatchers must know driving distances and times and how long each installation will take. More important is the ability to adjust on the fly when things go wrong.
Profit Tools calculates mileage and drive times, then prints the driver's itinerary with maps, directions and special instructions.
"It flags us if we're in danger of missing an appointment, so we can either call the customer to reschedule or change our itinerary to stay on track," said Kennedy.
Profit Tools offers configurable, off-the-shelf software for truckload, LTL, air freight, and intermodal carriers, as well as freight brokers and agents.