Linde Material Handling wants to improve communication between fleet managers and drivers through an app. With the Truck Call app, notifications to forklift drivers are sent digitally. Available drivers can then accept or reject the job.
One of the purposes of the Linde Truck Call app is to allocate unscheduled driving instructions, for example when a truck with goods arrives much later than planned. The forklift driver who is somewhere in the warehouse then needs to be called up and instructed in a short time.
"Basically, it works like a modern taxi," says Marietta Landsmann, Senior Manager Digital Products at Linde Material Handling. "There, orders come in like: 'A taxi for eight people to address X.' The request then goes directly to all the company's taxi vans - until one of the drivers takes the order and carries it out."
Notification to available drivers
The developers of the Linde Truck Call app have applied this principle to the logistics processes of companies with small forklift fleets. Downloading and registering is done via the Google Play Store. The fleet manager then registers all vehicles, including the version and features. The app is installed on the forklift drivers' mobile phones.
When a transport or order-picking order comes in, the manager enters the relevant information into the system. This then automatically sends a notification to all available drivers. They can then accept or reject the order.
Utilising capacity
Landsmann: "As assignments are digitally assigned to the truck, the trucks' capacity is better utilised and they can take on more assignments than before using the app."
