Determined to aid truckers in planning their visit to the Port, APM Terminals will be testing a number of initiatives across 10 key terminals (yet to be listed) to improve truckers’ experience.
The initiatives were developed using APM Terminals’ I-cycle (Improvement Cycle) methodology used company-wide to deliver an industry-leading customer experience.
Pundits believed that Nigerian ports managers need to borrow a leave from this by developing some of these automated solutions to ease congestion on port roads and terminals caused by chaotic movement of trucks in and out of the ports.
The project commenced in 2018 after the management interviewed more than 200 truck drivers and discovered that truck drivers and dispatchers need clear, relevant, and timely information around picking up containers to help them plan their days/trips to the terminal as efficiently as possible.
As a result, experts from various APM terminals developed a number of solutions that were tested with a group of truck drivers and dispatchers during a Design Workshop held in Port Elizabeth, USA and the solutions include.
Terminal alerts via text or email
At selected terminals, operational issues are being announced via an alert message on the terminal’s website. As of September 2019, truckers will be able to sign up to receive these alerts via text message or email.
“This enables truckers to proactively adjust their schedule and gives them a clearer understanding of any delays,” says Fran Ohlheiser, client services manager at APM Terminals Los Angeles.
He said the company is also working on increasing the number of terminals with live gate cameras available, so that drivers can see the status at the gate real time.
Other initiatives geared towards reducing delays at the gate have also been introduced. For example, APM Terminals Gothenburg now text or email their truck drivers in advance to warn them that their terminal documentation is due to expire. This prevents unexpected delays at the gate.
Advanced notification of truck-turn-times
Each terminal has identified opportunities to offer greater transparency around queue and truck-turn-times within the terminal. At APM Terminals Los Angeles for example, these are displayed on information boards along the 1.5-mile approach to the terminal.
At Gothenburg, expectations are managed by displaying estimated truck turn times at the gate. APM Terminals is currently developing an online solution to display real-time waiting and turn times at each terminal on the website.
Also, trucker care agents have been appointed at the pilot terminals to provide information to truckers in case of unavoidable delays and work to limit the delay as much as possible, hand out refreshments and ultimately to provide the drivers with a sounding board to voice their frustrations and concerns.
Giving truckers a voice
“This level of emotional recognition for having this structurally in place should not be underestimated,” explained Catherine Hunt, gate operations manager at APM Terminals Port Elizabeth.
“Initial feedback from drivers has been extremely positive. Sometimes it’s not operationally feasible to move a piece of equipment from one congested area of the yard to service a single driver, but it is possible for us to apologize, and ensure that drivers know they are valued customers and their business and time matters,” she said.
To assist Trucker Care Agents, for example, APM Terminals Port Elizabeth launched an automated iDashboard to provide gate and yard staff with a breakdown of transactions for the next 120 minutes. This enables agents to locate drivers with longer transaction times.
At APM Terminals Valencia and Spain, agents currently visit truckers who have been waiting more than 70 minutes. They are using the feedback provided to prevent future delays.
While the initiatives at various stages of implementation across different terminals, the positive impact is already being measured using truck driver’s NPS score, together with nine other measures for each solution, says the management.
APM Terminals Port Elizabeth has already serviced around 70 truckers since the launch of the solution and will continue to develop digital solutions with the launch and implementation of N4 TOS.
