Weight is money

A lift truck-based weighing system gives Benton Express more accurate billing. The difference-$700,000 annually.

By -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/2000

In the freight business, weight is money, and Benton Express was losing plenty of it due to inaccurate weights reported by clients. A new weighing system has now solved this problem, allowing Benton to create accurate records and recover some $700,000 annually in lost billing revenue.

The Atlanta-based carrier had billed freight charges based on customer statements that often under-reported true weight. A tight shipping schedule with an impressive on-time delivery rate of nearly 99% did not always allow time for re-checking weights.

"We lost 2% of our revenue each year from under-reporting," says Clete Cordero, director of traffic.

When the schedule did permit weight checking, the one platform scale located in each terminal was slow and created a bottleneck. Each driver would have to wait for a turn at the scale, drop off the load, back away while a weight measurement was taken, then pick up the load again.

By contrast the new lift truck-based scales weigh loads as they are picked up by the trucks, eliminating extra handling steps and the need to go to separate stations for weighing. The scale has a 5,000 lb load capacity and mounts to the mast of the lift truck. It senses any changes in weight as soon as the forks leave the ground. A 10,000 lb. capacity unit is also available from the manufacturer.

Weighing information is displayed on a screen mounted within the truck, allowing the driver to interact with the system. The data may then be sent to the warehouse management system for billing and record keeping.

"We now get paid for what we actually transport," notes Cordero.

The new weighing system not only provides accurate weighing for billing, it allows Benton Express to correctly load their trucks evenly and according to proper weight limits.

"Each of our trucks has to go through weigh stations on the interstates," says Cordero. "If our weights are not accurate, we get fined."

Cordero adds that the lift truck scales have saved so much, their return on investment is an extremely short three weeks. "They practically are free to us," he says. Benton Express currently has 30 scales in use, with plans to add more in the future.
Weigh-Tronix
www.weigh-tronix.com
507-238-4461