How Weather Impacts Logistics
Weather impacts logistics and our daily lives like few other variables. We plan vacations around weather. We stay inside when it snows and we hit the beach when it is nice. In business, logistics dictate a significant percentage of our decisions and profitability. Driving into a storm around Chicago means excessive delays, higher costs, and missed delivery windows. Having reliable weather data helps dispatchers, drivers and planners avoid weather related issues in real-time and in the near future.
Mother nature sets the rules.
Our job is to use data available to avoid issues. Consider these weather related issues and the impact they can have.
- Road conditions for trucking industry
- Lightning strikes for field service workers
- Rain volume for building, roofing and road construction, utility work
- Temperature and moisture for paint and other coating application
Weather Data Available
These are paid services.
Current Weather
Real-time weather information is vital in industries that provide a rapid response or delivery services. Roadside assistance organizations serving the trucking industry must know the current weather and how that impacts their ability to safely and quickly service transportation companies. The individual dispatcher is able to make rapid decisions which impact customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and driver safety.
Radar, US
Radar, Canada
Lightning
Weather Observations
IR Satellite
Watches and Warnings
Air Temperature
Wind Speed
Road Conditions
Roadway Threats
Driver Weather
Forecast Weather
Long-haul trucking and transportation can use future weather data to plan routes which are likely not to be delayed due to weather. Knowing a snow storm will cross a route in 24 hours, a tornado path is set to hit a delivery location or severe rains will cover a region all have the potential to have a significant impact on logistics planning and operations.
Predictive Radar
Severe Storm Probability 1, 2, 3 days
Tropical Storm Forecast
Snow Fall Accumulation Forecast
Wind Speed & Direction
Rainfall Accumulation
Storm Spaghetti Model
Road Condition (black ice, snow, etc)
Current Road Conditions
Current Roadway Threats
Current Driver Weather
Driver Feedback & Safety
Enabling drivers to see and communicate how weather impacts logistics on the road will enhance driver buy-in and improve effective communication with dispatch and logistics planners
Logistics Planning
Moving good around town or across North America takes planning. Daily decisions are made based on traffic patterns and accidents but weather plays less of a role in the planning process. With the right weather data, customer expectations can be properly set, less time is wasted and wages saved stuck in a snow storm, or resources can be repositioned to address weather events.
Fleet Tracking and Telematics
Fleet Management
Mobile Tracking Apps
Fleet Safety
