Loadsmart’s Opendock Reduces Shipment Delays at the Warehouse, Improves Carrier Safety

Loadsmart, a leading freight technology company, announced today that 70,000 carriers have scheduled seven million appointments at 3,000 warehouses within the last year using its Opendock dock appointment scheduling software, reducing detention times and creating safer driving conditions.

Warehouses use Opendock to plan truck loading and unloading, as well as allow carriers to schedule their arrival times and identify docks with long waiting periods, without any interaction with the warehouse staff. Loadsmart officially showcased the latest version of Opendock during a live demonstration at FreightWaves’ The Future of Supply Chain in Rogers, Ark. May 9-10. The latest version places additional emphasis on improving warehouse efficiency, data insights and driver safety.

"Opendock saves warehouses time and money by eliminating thousands of phone calls and emails to schedule appointments, while making it easier for carriers," said Jeff Booth, director of commercial strategy, Loadsmart. “With detention time costing the industry over $1B annually, Opendock's scheduling software helps reduce dwell time with appointments and visibility."

By increasing efficiency and reducing dwell times, Opendock gives time back to drivers which directly impacts driver safety. The U.S. Department of Transportation1 reports that an added 15 minute dwell time increases the possibility of crash rate by 6.2%. Drivers tend to try to make up for time spent sitting at docks by driving faster and more aggressively once they leave the warehouse to get back on delivery schedules.

Long wait times can also bleed late into the night so some drivers are driving more tired than expected. Truck driver fatigue is a significant concern for industry professionals and other drivers alike. A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration2 (FMCSA) sponsored study finds a correlation between longer detention times and driver fatigue. Additionally, the study reveals that about 18% of driver work time is spent rescheduling after long wait times that cause driver delays and could cause driver fatigue.

Opendock produces improved warehouse-carrier communication to tackle these issues, while providing useful data about warehouse traffic. The new version of Opendock includes enhanced in-and-out tracking, dwell time measurements, and carrier scorecards that give warehouses the data they need to measure, understand, and ultimately reduce truck wait times. With this unlocked data, warehouses can continue to drive efficiency, impacting both driver safety and truck availability. Because Opendock now includes improved data insights, like truck on-time arrival rates and dwell time, Loadsmart envisions future warehouse-carrier solutions for Opendock, including warehouse self check-in, carrier and shipper score carding for collecting reviews and deadhead reduction.

1. U.S. Department of Transportation. “Estimates Show Commercial Driver Detention Increases Crash Risks and Costs, but Current Data Limit Further Analysis,” Office of the Inspector General; 31 January 2018.
2. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “Driver Detention Times in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations,” Dunn, Naomi J.; Hanowski, Richard J.; Hickman, Jeffrey S.; Soccolich, Susan; December 2014.

Loadsmart acquired Opendock in Nov. 2021, and raised $200M in February 2022, reaching a $1.3B valuation. Loadsmart investors include CSX, Home Depot Ventures, Maersk Growth and Ports America. The Loadsmart acquisition provided Opendock with the resources and logistics knowledge required to build the best in-class dock scheduling solution in the industry.