Paul Johnson is Vice President, Fleet Solutions at Descartes

Challenge: A global courier company has a dedicated express delivery operation that moves everything from small envelopes to pallet-sized goods across its vast network. Each day thousands of trucks are dispatched from multiple locations performing same day or in some cases, time-specific deliveries. Stops per truck range from 20 to 200 a day, including pickups and deliveries. 

The variability and density of daily delivery schedules makes it extremely challenging for managers to optimize resources on the road. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the fleet is comprised of both managed and third-party services.