Your Biggest Dock Management Challenges…Solved!

Though it is a critical conduit through which shipments are moved out of the warehouse and onto trucks for delivery, the loading dock is often overlooked as a source of potential insight and efficiency.

As e-commerce volumes soar, so do the chances for blind spots in dock management that can result in delays, mistakes, and ultimately loss of revenue. With a shrinking labor pool and rapidly changing customer demands, the challenges for warehouse and DC operators are mounting, making the need for new and innovative approaches to managing every aspect of the supply chain – including the loading dock – more vital every day.

Other Key Considerations

These challenges, however, present a major opportunity for organizations that use data and technology to replace manual, outdated dock management approaches that many companies are still relying on.

By leveraging cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), warehouse operators are no longer forced to “guess” at what’s happening at a certain point of the supply chain. Now they can have real-time visibility into every link—docks included. “The dock is a pivotal aspect of the logistics process,” says Rhonda B. Reece, senior business analyst, loading dock products at 4SIGHT.

“Drivers have to be able to get to the dock as quickly as possible, unload or load efficiently and safely, and then get back on the road again fast,” Reece continues. “With 4SIGHT Connect digital dock and gate management software, shippers can achieve these goals and add major efficiencies to their existing (or new) dock setups.”

Creating a “Digital Dock”

4SIGHT Connect is a full suite of cloud-based software that not only helps organizations get more control over their docks with Digital Dock, but also brings new flexibility and control to the process of getting drivers in and out of busy facilities with Digital Gate.

With Digital Gate, delivery drivers can use the companion mobile app to pre-check in to a delivery appointment scheduled by a facility manager in advance using Digital Gate’s scheduling feature. Upon arriving at the facility, drivers signal their arrival by entering their information on, or scanning a QR code at, a tablet-based kiosk. Digital Gate confirms the check in and sends a text message to the driver with instructions for how to proceed. This process can even be used with an unmanned gate, allowing drivers to operate the gate and enter the facility completely independently.

“This really speeds things up and eliminates the lines of 20-30 trucks that you often see queued, waiting to check into a facility,” says John Carroll, 4SIGHT’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “You can use the system on any device—a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop—to get the visibility you need for good decision-making.”

Key Challenges Facing Modern Facilities

Challenge #1: Poor Visibility
Using first-generation dock equipment, shippers aren’t able to capture dock-related key performance indicators (KPIs) that would otherwise give them visibility into the performance of their docks from safety to loading/un-loading efficiency. With 4SIGHT Connect Digital Dock, facilities can view dock status, group docks according to activity, configure alerts, and view overrides (e.g., when personnel override a missed trailer restraint). With real-time notification when a trailer is at the dock and ready to be processed, managers can have personnel in place and ready to go, saving time and reducing potential errors. Digital Dock displays and records exactly how long a truck takes to turn around, when it leaves the dock, and can send alerts when a pre-determined metric is out of bounds. “Using visual dashboards,” says Reece, “managers can view the information and make quick pivots in real-time.”

Challenge #2:  Excessive Lag Time
Shippers can’t afford to have trucks indefinitely parked at the dock, waiting to be loaded or unloaded. This lag time can result in excessive detention fees and potential errors. 4SIGHT Connect Digital Dock meets these challenges by providing real-time dock status and vehicle restraint information (i.e., is the truck in place and ready to unload?), and sending alerts when dock equipment is in use. “A trailer can be at a dock for hours on end before a dock worker gets to it,” says Reece. “When managers have access to that data, they can work to improve processes and start minimizing a lot of lag time.”

Challenge #3:  Lack of Dock Security
Under extreme pressure to get orders out the door as quickly as possible, shippers that rely on manual dock management approaches (i.e., assigning “keys” to supervisors, who must be tracked down each time a dock override is required) are missing out on major efficiencies. With 4SIGHT Connect Digital Dock, supervisors can remotely authorize equipment overrides from any internet connected device, whether they are in the facility or not. Alerts can also be sent when a dock door has been left open without a trailer present, for example, further enhancing dock security and energy efficiency.

Seamless Implementation with no IT Involvement

Once 4SIGHT Digital Dock is installed (i.e., the dock equipment and the control panels), the process of turning on the system and using it is very easy. “From an implementation standpoint,” Carroll explains, “you literally turn on the gateway to the cloud, walk from dock-to-dock with your phone, scan a QR code, key in a few pieces of information, and you’re up and running.”

Reaping the Benefits of a Digital Dock

With 4SIGHT Connect suite of dock and gate management tools, modern warehouses are taking a quantum leap forward in how to manage, monitor, and ultimately improve these vital links in the supply chain. “Our tools support high efficiency levels,” says Reece, “by generating the data sets that warehouse and DC operators need for good decision-making.”