TOP 10 LOGISTICS MANAGER PROBLEMS & HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

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1 TOP 10 LOGISTICS MANAGER S & HOW TO OVERCOME THEM employrecruitment.co.uk

2 Hello... Hi I m Sadie and I founded Employ Recruitment over 10 year ago. I m proud to say that since opening in 2004, we ve become one of the Midlands leading temporary driver resources providers to the logistics industry - now employing over 140 drivers. Sadie Weston, Founder & Managing Director We understand logistics and know the problems and challenges you face in your business. It can be so difficult for logistics and transport managers to handle both a fleet of vehicles, all your drivers and the endless admin tasks your job entails too. To make your job slightly easier, we ve compiled the top 10 problems every logistics manager faces, and how you could overcome them in a few simple steps.

3 RECRUITING DRIVERS Whether it s filling a short term gap or a future contract, recruiting drivers on permanent or temporary contracts is an industry-wide problem. The combination of an ageing driver workforce and the struggle to find the right people for your organisation, has created the perfect storm for transport managers. Driver recruitment was ranked the 3rd biggest challenge in the industry as voted for by logistics managers. Whilst the organic growth of your permanent driver list is an easier task to manage, short term gaps that need filling immediately can cause stress. The solution here comes down to the current HGV driver agency you re working with. The ability to draw upon qualified and ready-to-go drivers is essential in those emergency moments. Working with someone who can guarantee 100% shift coverage is certainly a start and that is what Employ do. Also, why not look towards creating a more formal partnership between you and your recruitment agency? Your current agency should be able to offer a resource audit which gives them the necessary information to provide you with a more effective driver resourcing strategy.

4 DRIVER TRAINING Keeping on top of driver training is a tough task for all managers. A recent Transport Manager Survey by the FTA found that more opportunity for training would be a help in manager s current positions. Training keeps your drivers as safe as possible on the road, whilst encouraging loyalty to the business and potentially making a difference to the bottom line too. Because of these factors, staying on top of training is so important. 80% of transport managers named driver training as one of their core responsibilities. Simply making time for training is easier said than done. But as compliance should be the number one goal for your job and your business, it really is worth blocking out time in your diary to complete your own training. Likewise, any temporary drivers you recruit should be fully trained to the standard you require. Employ offer JAUPT accredited CPC driver training, covering 5 modules including drivers hours regulations and vehicle maintenance for you and your drivers. As well as this, Employ s 140 drivers are all compliant and fully trained from day one, meaning you do not need to worry about their compliance issues.

5 FLEET MANAGEMENT The survey by the FTA found that almost 50% of a logistics manager s time was taken up by fleet management responsibilities, including repairs, new vehicle purchasing, lubricants and vehicle rental. On top of these vehicle maintenance tasks, some logistics managers are faced with keeping an older fleet on the road which can be particularly challenging. 3 in 4 logistics managers described tyre maintenance as one of their core responsibilities. Due to the sheer size of fleets that managers are faced with handling, outsourcing even part of the management of your vehicles is a perfect solution for the overworked logistics manager. If you re set on doing the management yourself, find ways of streamlining your roadworthiness inspections and audits by undertaking driver training, so that they carry out some of the administration involved for you. It is also worth noting that the correct vehicle maintenance can have major safety and cost-saving benefits if done correctly. It is estimated that low tyre pressure, for example, accounts for 5 million gallons of fuel waste per day in the UK this statistic alone should be enough to drive you to take fleet management more seriously.

6 DRIVER COMPLIANCE The main responsibility for all logistics managers flagged in the FTA report was the need to stay on top of drivers hour compliance. When permanent and temporary drivers are both thrown into the mix, managing drivers hours can be a tough task. Without a system in place, you and your drivers could face prosecution. 46.3% of all HGV offences that lead to prosecution are down to drivers hours. As logistics managers see remaining compliant their main challenge in the industry, it is important to stay on top of this task daily especially when dealing with EU & WTD rules. By law you should have tachograph data and an analysis tools available to help you. Confusion with temporary drivers can be avoided by working closely with your agency to source the driver where compliance is assured. A reliable FMS (Fleet Management Software) system could also be another solution to your problem. As well as increasing your productivity, it can help control fuel costs, improve safety and reduce labour costs. Alongside these benefits, a good system can also help you to remain compliant on drivers hours.

7 ADMINISTRATION Asked what they would change about their role, logistics managers voted to spend less time on administration, freeing them up to complete more training and becoming more proactive than reactive. In an industry that is short on younger talent, looking towards an apprentice or a junior transport manager is a real possibility that you could consider.. Handing over administrative jobs to the new recruit will give them experience, and more importantly for you in the short to medium term, give you more time to focus on your key tasks. Alternatively, centralising your admin tasks within your company s current team could be a possibility. Both require detailed planning with the hierarchy to find the most suitable solution. Previous solutions around training and implementing a FMS system could also relieve the burden of admin tasks and stop you working off so many spreadsheets! Whilst driver training could take away the daily burden of checking vehicles, a FMS system could consolidate all your working problems into one software solution. 45% of logistics managers said centralising their administration tasks in the company s internal team would be the first change they d make.

8 FUEL COSTS 10% of respondents believed fuel costs will be the biggest challenge they face in the future. Whilst prices have recently dipped, the upward trend in cost means managers and drivers alike should look at alternative ways to save on fuel. Fuel accounts for 35% of the total costs of running a 44 tonner for a year. Whilst some managers may be in the luxury position of being able to afford new and more fuel efficient vehicles, most will need to implement common sense solutions. Training drivers on ways of saving fuel, and combatting theft will help run your fleet efficiently. To ensure you re not left out of pocket in the circumstance of theft, ensure your prevention policy covers in the warehouse, in the yard and on the road. A 2012 report by GE found that a 500 vehicle fleet covering an average of 10,000 miles per annum could save 42,000 in fuel costs by improving driver fuel economy. Why not incentivise drivers to drive economically and use the data from a fuel card to work out their average MPG?

9 HEALTH & SAFETY From loading goods to manoeuvring vehicles, health and safety should be adhered to in every one of your operations. Failure to do this will result in your staff being at risk of injury and a likelihood of damaging your company s reputation. HGVs are involved in over 50% of all fatal motorway accidents in the UK. Whilst independent assessments are available for you to commission, you can tackle health and safety throughout your responsibilities with a mixture of training courses (for you and your drivers) such as CPC courses, as well as auditing your vehicles. Equipment and consumables such as PPE guides, high-vis jackets, fire extinguishers and truck sat-navs should all be available to your drivers with extra training given to use the equipment correctly.

10 BUDGET RESTRAINTS Tight budget restraints set by head office in the race to the bottom line means delivering the service your company expects 100% of the time is sometimes hard to achieve. Likewise, expenditure on new vehicles earlier in the year can impact the next 12 months and how well you expect to meet objectives. 80% of transport managers named driver training as one of their core responsibilities. As well as looking for savings of your own through clever fuel analysis etc, effective planning is the best way of working within a tight budget. It s important to look at budgeting to achieve your goals and above all, forecasting your expected financials in advance. So too is using benchmarking in the industry to measure running costs and overheads for both drivers and vehicles. This tactic will allow you to potentially find cheaper resource and ensure you re one step in front of your competitors. Budget restraints can also limit recruitment, which can be a higher outlay than it actually should be. To avoid complications, working with a recruitment partner, such as Employ, means you can realise a sizeable cost savings on the recruitment front whilst still maintaining 100% shift cover that should take away a few headaches.

11 INTERNAL COMMS A breakdown in communications with your direct team can obviously lead to problems further down the line. Whether it is missing a delivery or failing to meet health and safety regulations, correct internal communication is vital to a smoothly run operation. Logistics managers ranked poor internal communications as their 5th highest challenge they expect to face in the future. Getting support and more effective communication from the management team is a vital step towards eradicating this problem. Whilst the management team know the job you do, they may not understand the pressure you re put under to deliver consistently. Talking with them consistently opens the doors to your problems and ideas on how to improve your businesses current processes. It is a win-win situation.

12 ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES Additional jobs on top of your already hectic week creates a stressful atmosphere that results in tasks either being missed completely, or finished later than the deadline. Extra resource was voted the number 1 most useful action that firms could do to support the transport manager. As we raised previously, talking with your management team about your workload consistently may mean you avoid extra responsibilities. Being open with those around you is key. These conversations may open the door to extra resource for your team such as an assistant or an apprentice.

13 STRESSFUL LOGISTICS MANAGERS DID YOU KNOW? In a recent report by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, 44% of those working in the transport sector were found to be feeling under more pressure than ever before. 37% blamed increased responsibilities as the main cause of stress. Hopefully the solutions you ve read can help alleviate some pressure in your role, making your job a more fulfilling and efficient one. If you re interested in implementing some of these suggestions, then

14 EMPLOY CAN HELP YOU WE CAN PROVIDE... Employ provide reliable, compliant and cost effective solutions for your temporary driver recruitment needs. As a Lead Vend client, you can benefit from: Our 100% shift coverage guarantee Our 50 years experience in the industry Pre-placement driver compliance checks Our infringement management programme Our JAUPT accredited DCPC training scheme Dedicated Compliance Coordinator This means we can take away all the stress related to your temporary driver requirements as well as their compliance, health and safety and training fulfilments. And you won t be the first manager to benefit from our services

15 WHO WE WORK WITH Employ have been our only supplier of agency drivers for the last 2 years and I can honestly say their service is 2nd to none. Marston s Brewery, Stephen Holt, Transport Supervisor Supplying to us can be challenging due to the seasonal demands and short lead times we work to but Employ consistently achieve their KPI s in all areas and provide a quality driver supply service. Norbert Dentressangle, Jim Buttery, Transport Manager They continue to lead the way within their industry, which is recognized by making them our first choice agency supplier. DHL Supply Chain, Sainsbury s Stoke depot, Kevin Ibinson, Transport Shift Manager

16 RESOURCE REVIEW ARE YOU PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR AGENCY? We know that you re extremely busy taking care of your fleet and drivers that you re not always aware of the true costs your agency is charging you - including hidden fees such as time, accidents and infringements. That is why our team can provide you with a resource review giving you a true agency cost analysis. We have two options available for you ON-SITE ASSESMENT If you are interested further in seeing how you can save money and alleviate the pressures of finding drivers with a reliable agency, we advise you have a 30 minute on site assessment. Following this site visit we are then able to provide a full true agency cost report which we can detail fully and discuss how our agency can help you save on your current agency costs. FREE REVIEW REGISTER YOUR INTEREST IN AN ON-SITE ASSESSMENT HERE Within a few simple questions, we can create a free report to help you tackle your agency costs head on. If nothing else it can be used to help you budget or negotiate with your current agency. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR A FREE REVIEW

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