At the end of August and early September, most of us are enjoying and taking advantage of what’s left of warmer days. The holidays are the furthest from our minds. For a supply chain company, the reality is different. Preparing for the busyness of the holiday season, being ready to fulfill our customers’ requirements, meet timelines and deadlines is at the top of our to-do list.
Regular planning and preparation are standard operational procedures that we follow through daily. But the demands of the holiday season require additional attention and procedural steps to guarantee that the service our customers are accustomed to receiving throughout the year doesn’t go amiss during this peak season. After all, our customers have enough to worry about, our goal is to deliver on a promise: that whatever their transport or supply chain needs are, we will fulfill those from start to finish, seamlessly and pain-free for the customer.
We can help you be ready for the holiday season.
Maintenance
ANDY’s Equipment management teams collaborate with our Maintenance teams to ensure that all our assets are allocated to the appropriate division and winter routes come mid-October. All trucks and trailers, and their parts, undergo thorough regular inspection and maintenance throughout the year.
With our highly trained mechanics, we are making sure that our fleet as well as our facilities, and stock inventories are getting winter ready. With proper planning, communication and refresher training for all parties involved, we can better control our operating costs, therefore providing better rates for our customers as well as truck capacity that is up and running all winter.
Safety, Security and Training
Safety and security are of the utmost importance to us, we take all preventative and necessary measures to avoid mishaps. Especially during the holiday season when weather and road conditions start to become unfavorable.
It starts with our Safety department who provides both specific and continual training for our staff. New ANDY drivers follow a rigorous training program that reviews and tests their knowledge on different topics, from learning how to conduct equipment inspection, how-to clear customs, transportation of dangerous materials, or using the defensive driving techniques in the midst of winter conditions.
Because we want our drivers to be well prepared, well in advance of the holiday season, we conduct monthly training sessions with all of them, even veteran ones, at which point specific training modules and tests must be passed.
Equipment
For drivers whose lanes take them through mountainous terrain or in states where they are required to, we make sure that they are equipped with chains. Since placing chains on tires improves friction, their use is mandatory in certain parts of North America where the weather conditions can become extreme and hazardous.
In case of drastic weather changes, which can occur fairly quickly, even as early as October, we advise and encourage drivers to be equipped with a winter kit. This means that they have enough food, water, and blankets to keep them protected for three days/a couple of days. Moreover, when weather incidents do happen, say a snowstorm, we proactively send our drivers messages directly through our tablet system advising them of the weather conditions and instructing them to stop in order to protect themselves, the vehicle, and its cargo
In the winter months we remind them to carry a small bag of salt and another with sand in their trucks. These elements help increase traction in case they find themselves stuck in snow or slippery conditions. Having a shovel handy goes without saying. As does having enough windshield wiper fluid, for which we increase distribution to our drivers as soon as September, because it’s as effective at improving visibility as it is at melting ice and snow off of tires.
Ongoing Support
Given the different multitude of external factors that may arise during the months leading up to the holiday season and during the winter months, our Safety department is available 24/7 to assist our drivers. Be it a truck loaded at 10pm that is uneven, where the driver needs help re-balancing the trailer or returning to the client in order to reduce the load, or if there are questions regarding hours of service, our Safety department is on call to assist our drivers at any given time.
Our Safety department also continuously reminds our drivers to follow the driving and traffic laws in the regions where they find themselves in. We use innovative technologies that allow us to verify that our drivers are obeying the law.
By insisting that our drivers stay safe and abide by the Safety on Public Roads we are ultimately fulfilling our customers’ supply chain needs while safeguarding the safety of our drivers and other road users.
Operations
Our Operations department works closely with our HR department to ensure that we hire enough drivers well before the busy season and that we plan vacations accordingly.
Our Customer Service Representatives make it a point to schedule pick-ups and drop-offs ahead of time. Open, frequent communication with our customers occurs to guarantee that all parties involved are prepared and meet appointments. Our customers are asked key questions to make sure that their expedition facilities and docks, and cleared of snow and ice, in order to receive our trucks and trailers to avoid any potential loss of time, in case of delays or rushes, our dispatchers are ready to inform and are in continuous contact with our drivers. Overall, what ensues is a choreography where all key players do their part to ensure timely and pain-free service for our customers.
We can help you be ready for the holiday season.