ITTOOLKIT [ IN PRACTICE ]
Delivering the Route to a More Efficient Fleet
Richard’s Building Supply maintains operations in more than 60 locations across 14 states. Even so, it managed and tracked its fleet of several hundred vehicles via “a paper-process with old-fashioned delivery boards and a GPS system,” says Jenny Vetter, the company’s logistics manager.
THE CUSTOMER: Richard’s Building Supply Company (RBS) distributes roofing, siding, and other exterior building materials. THE PROVIDER: Descartes Systems Group provides technology that improves logistics and supply chain productivity, performance, security, and sustainability.
Mobile and digital workflows can help in several ways when deployed in the building supply sector. At times, workers at a site may move materials from one area to another without alerting anyone else. It then may look like the order was never delivered or delivered only in part. If a supplier can’t show the delivery was made on time and in full, it may decide to rush another shipment. That increases costs and makes it appear as though the initial order was incorrect, Parfeniuk says. For many building supply distributors, this cost leakage erases between about 1% and 3% of revenue.
The system, which often involved manually shuffling delivery tickets, provided little information beyond indicating which trucks were scheduled to make deliveries to which customers. “We needed better visibility,” Vetter says. In the construction sector, delivery timeframes can impact the bottom lines of many builders—RBS’s customers. For instance, if the carpenters stationed at a site need a truckload of lumber before they can start work, a late delivery becomes an expensive problem, says Graham Parfeniuk, senior account executive with Descartes. Accurate routing can reduce late deliveries and the associated costs carried by builders. It also boosts customer service while helping drivers complete their routes more safely As Vetter and her colleagues searched for a solution, they saw a presentation about Descartes Route Planner on Demand, a routing software solution that provides visibility and helps build optimized routes, among other capabilities. The solution promised to be “a game changer,” Vetter says.
by Karen Kroll
STAY AHEAD OF PROBLEMS With Descartes’ Route Planner on
Demand, a driver can capture important information when entering a job site, including a digital set of signatures that confirm delivery, as well as pictures of the delivery site. This information can be sent to the customer, so they know where and when the materials were delivered. “The data and pictures help the supplier get ahead of any problems,” Parfeniuk explains.
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 175
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