There certainly has been a lot of discussion about who will handle products for the last mile of the supply chain – and how they will do it cost effectively. Pre-occupation with the last mile causes this to be defined as a transportation issue. But, I find that there seems to be at least as much cost in handling products the last 50 feet as there is in the first 5230 feet of that last mile.

In that final 50 feet, we have to cope with all of the variations of the delivery size and configuration, the delivery vehicles, the characteristics of the delivery site – and a host of auxiliary handling devices that are used to try to make the job easier.

As order response times shrink and delivery frequency increases, more products are making their way to retailers on multi-stop delivery routes. Good route planning helps to keep the driving time to a minimum. However, the time that we save on the road is often lost in the inefficiency of unloading. Routes with daily frequency are much more likely to be limited by stop time than by driving time or load capacity.

I watch painfully as a driver struggles to manhandle cartons to the back of the truck, down onto a hand-truck, across a busy parking lot, over a curb, or two and finally, through a door that is doing its best to keep him out. It reminds me of Santa Claus on his sleigh as he flies quickly from rooftop to rooftop, and then has to squeeze his way down that narrow and dirty chimney!

I'm sure that there are some companies that have done a better job than others – and we should learn from them.

Auto parts are delivered to locked cages at the stores in the middle of the night, avoiding the congestion of day-time traffic and customer activity.

Chain drug stores and convenience stores often use totes for delivery of small items, creating a standard handling container that is safe and easy to lift and stack.

Long ramps for moving loaded hand trucks down to ground level eliminate some of the manual handling, but require considerable space and effort to position.

Lift platforms on the back of the truck are used to bring pallet loads to ground level, but then we are still stuck with the difficulty of using a pallet jack to move the load over sometimes irregular terrain.

In Europe, roll cages are a common delivery tool. They combine the unitizing capability of a pallet with the flexibility of a cart, and fit through the front door of the store. It's a pretty good idea, except for curbs, thresholds and the return of the empty cages.

Somehow, we've accepted the clumsiness of the last 50 feet as the normal way of doing business. It seems that we should be clever enough, today, to develop an integrated and efficient flow and process that includes the distribution center, the delivery vehicle and the dock and door design at the shops.

Since these three operational areas are normally designed and managed by separate departments, or even separate companies, it will take someone with a more global view to appreciate the benefits and to initiate the effort. Someone, say, like a university, a research institution or an industry association. Hello, out there!!