Dispatch automation for a 1,800-vehicle freight network

Problem

Each depot planned its own day, mostly by experience. Loads and drivers were matched by phone and spreadsheet, so a vehicle finishing a delivery rarely knew whether a nearby load was waiting for it.

Approach

We started with a network view of the data: three months of telematics, orders and driver hours across all 14 depots. That alone showed where empty running concentrated.

• Rules-based assignment engine covering driver hours, vehicle type, customer windows and depot constraints.
• Exception queue for planners, ranked by cost of delay, replacing the morning spreadsheet.
• Weekly tuning with depot managers so the rules reflect local knowledge and not only the head-office model.

Result

Planners now spend their time on the loads that genuinely need a decision. The depots kept their autonomy but share one view of the network.

Results