WO2007038176A2 - Technique de transport de palettes - Google Patents

Technique de transport de palettes Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007038176A2
WO2007038176A2 PCT/US2006/036756 US2006036756W WO2007038176A2 WO 2007038176 A2 WO2007038176 A2 WO 2007038176A2 US 2006036756 W US2006036756 W US 2006036756W WO 2007038176 A2 WO2007038176 A2 WO 2007038176A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
pallet
delivery
transportation vehicle
carrier
transportation
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2006/036756
Other languages
English (en)
Other versions
WO2007038176A3 (fr
Inventor
James P. Cunningham
Original Assignee
United States Postal Service
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by United States Postal Service filed Critical United States Postal Service
Publication of WO2007038176A2 publication Critical patent/WO2007038176A2/fr
Publication of WO2007038176A3 publication Critical patent/WO2007038176A3/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Definitions

  • the present disclosure is directed to a transportation system and method for delivering large delivery items to customers of delivery carriers and, more particularly, to a transportation system and method that uses pallets to deliver goods to customers of delivery carriers.
  • delivery carriers have delivered small delivery items directly to their customers.
  • delivery carriers have been unable to deliver large delivery items that may include, for example, domestic appliances, auto parts, etc., to their customers.
  • These delivery items may also include, for example, multiple packages addressed to a single delivery address.
  • the inability to deliver such delivery items has been primarily due to logistical issues, such as, for example, unavailability of equipment to handle such delivery items, lack of space on the existing transportation system that carries small delivery items, and other such problems.
  • the demand for delivery carriers to deliver large delivery items was not high enough to justify a separate class of service for delivering these kinds of items.
  • the present disclosure is directed to addressing this shortcoming of prior art delivery systems.
  • the system may include a transportation vehicle configured to store and transport at least one pallet in addition to any other kind of delivery items it may carry.
  • the system may also include a pallet-loading location.
  • the pallet-loading location may be configured to load pallets onto the transportation vehicle.
  • the system may also include a pallet delivery location.
  • the pallet delivery location may be configured to accept a pallet delivered by the transportation vehicle.
  • Yet another aspect of the present disclosure includes a method for providing a pallet transportation service.
  • the method may include receiving a request to pick up a pallet.
  • the method may also include determining whether the delivery item included in the pallet is of the type that may transport under the pallet transportation service.
  • the method may also include transporting the pallet and delivering the pallet to the intended destination.
  • the method may also include tracking the pallet from a time the pallet is loaded on to the transportation vehicle to a time the pallet is delivered to the pallet delivery address.
  • Figure 1 is a block diagram representation of a pallet transportation system consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a pallet consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for pallet transportation consistent with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • Fig. 1 provides a block diagram representation of a pallet transportation system 10.
  • the pallet may be picked up from a carrier-provided drop-off location 20 or, alternatively, from the customer's pickup location 24.
  • the transportation vehicle 38 may transport the pallet to delivery address 42.
  • all the items on the pallet are destined to a single delivery address.
  • Fig. 2 provides a diagrammatic representation of a pallet 100 that may be transported through pallet transportation system 10.
  • Pallet 100 may include a flat transport structure 110 configured to hold a package 120.
  • Package 120 may be secured to transport structure 110 using straps 130 and 140.
  • transport structure 110 may be made of materials suitable for supporting large and heavy packages. These materials may include, for example, wood, plastics, or metals. In addition, other such materials suitable for supporting a large and heavy package may be used to make transport structure 110.
  • Package 120 may include a single delivery item addressed to one delivery address. Alternatively, package 120 may include multiple delivery items, all addressed to one delivery address (not shown).
  • Package 120 may be secured onto transport structure 110 by means appropriate for storing and securing package 120. These means may include, for example, straps 130 and 140, or stretch-wrapped plastic film. Transport structure 110 may also include openings (not shown) to permit the use of equipment to handle the pallet 100. Specifically, transport structure 110 may be configured to allow a forklift to handle pallet 100 by receiving a fork into the openings of transport structure 110. In addition, other equipment, such as, for example, cranes and pulleys, may be used to handle pallet 100.
  • the contents of pallet 100 may include some common features. For example, all the delivery items on pallet 100 are destined for delivery to a single delivery address. Furthermore, no hazardous materials or living beings may be transported on pallet 100. Pallet 100 may also have restrictions on size and weight. These restrictions may be set, for example, by a regulatory authority or the delivery carrier itself. In addition, either a regulatory authority or the delivery carrier may place other restrictions on the pallet type. Furthermore, the same ground transportation delivery standards that are used for other classes of service may be used for the transportation of pallets. For example, services, such as tracking and tracing, may be provided for the transportation of pallets.
  • tracking and tracing services may be included in the base price offered by a delivery carrier or as an "add on" service entailing an additional charge. These services may include acceptance, en route, and delivery scans. These scans may be accomplished by using, for example, bar-coded placards.
  • a customer desiring to ship pallet 100 may deliver pallet 100 to carrier-provided drop-off location 20.
  • the carrier may pick up pallet 100 from customer pickup location 24.
  • the location where pallet 100 is picked up by the delivery carrier may depend on the type of service offered by the delivery carrier.
  • the type of service provided by the carrier may, in turn, depend on the market demand for a particular service.
  • pallet 100 may be picked up from customer pickup location 24.
  • a delivery carrier may offer a cheaper pallet delivery service for customers who drop off pallet 100 at carrier-provided drop-off location 20.
  • Various entities may utilize a pallet delivery service from a delivery carrier. These entities may include, for example, retail stores, warehouses, hospitals, firms, consolidators, etc. If pallet 100 is to be picked up from customer pickup location 24, then customer pickup location 24 may include a facility suitable for loading pallet 100 onto transportation vehicle 38. This facility may include, for example, a "back" dock, that is, a locking dock or other such suitable facilities. Thus, these entities may have customer locations where pallet 100 may be loaded onto transportation vehicle 38. Similarly, carrier-provided drop-off location 20 may also include a back dock and other such facilities suitable for loading pallet 100 onto transportation vehicle 38.
  • Consolidators are entities that take advantage of work-share discounts to drop-ship products to a destination delivery item center.
  • a delivery carrier whose scheduled trip destination is the same facility as that of the consolidator's may contract with the consolidator to deliver the consolidator's pallets to the scheduled destination.
  • the consolidator may have its own transportation network and have space available on it for pallet 100.
  • the delivery carrier may not have enough space on its own transportation network for pallet 100.
  • the delivery carrier may contract to buy space from the consolidator on a less-than-truck-load (“LTL”) or full-truck- load (“FTL”) basis, and the consolidator may then transport pallet 100 for the delivery carrier to the scheduled destination.
  • LTL less-than-truck-load
  • FTL full-truck- load
  • Transportation vehicle 38 may be provided by various entities.
  • transportation vehicle 38 may be provided by the delivery carrier responsible for carrying the pallet.
  • another carrier that is under contract with the delivery carrier responsible for transporting pallet 100 may provide transportation vehicle 38.
  • the carrier under contract with the delivery carrier may, for example, be a broker or a highway contractor.
  • any other entity capable of transporting pallets and capable of contracting with the delivery carrier responsible for transporting pallet 100 may provide transportation vehicle 38.
  • Brokers may be divided into two categories — asset-based and nonasset-based.
  • An asset-based broker also known as a Third-Party Logistics Provider (“3PL")
  • 3PL Third-Party Logistics Provider
  • a nonasset-based broker may be an entity that does not own a fleet but may have extensive contracts with national and regional carriers, as well as an extensive information platform to manage its logistics business.
  • Highway contractors that may contract with a delivery carrier are generally local or regional, and can be contacted quickly. This may be particularly helpful when the delivery carrier may want to contact a highway contractor with information on deviations required or special driving instructions.
  • a feature of highway contractors is that they may already be in the delivery business and their assets may already be allocated to the delivery carrier's scheduling requirements.
  • Transportation vehicle 38 may be chosen in a manner such that it is suitable for delivering pallet 100 to its intended destination. Specifically, transportation vehicle 38 may be chosen so that multiple pallets may be easily loaded, stored, and unloaded from it. Furthermore, the distance transportation vehicle 38 may generally cover for each trip may be taken into consideration while choosing transportation vehicle 38. For example, in one embodiment, eighteen-wheel trailers may be used to transport pallets over distances greater than 200 miles, whereas smaller trucks may be used to transport pallets for distances less than or equal to 200 miles.
  • transportation vehicle 38 preferably has the capacity and is, in fact, used to transport a non-pallet load, such as regular delivery packages, parcels, or mail, in addition to a pallet load, such as pallet 100.
  • the non-pallet load has different characteristics than pallet 100. For example, the size of packages being delivered under a non-pallet service are typically smaller than that of pallet 100. However, there may be times when the non-pallet service may not use the transportation vehicle 38 to its full capacity, leaving unutilized space on the vehicle. This underutilization of space on the transportation vehicle 38 may be remedied by transporting pallet 100 on transportation vehicle 38 as long as pallet 100 is destined on the regularly scheduled route of transportation vehicle 38.
  • a delivery carrier may provide different types of pallet delivery services, depending on the delivery address of the pallet. For example, a delivery carrier may choose to provide pallet delivery services to only those areas that have a high concentration of customers that may avail of pallet delivery services. These customers may reside, for example, in major metro areas. In an exemplary embodiment, these metro areas may be known as bulk mail centers ("BMCs"). In this embodiment, a delivery carrier may provide two levels of service: a destination BMC service area drop with delivery to designated major metro three-digit postal zones within the destination BMC service area, and an origin BMC service area drop with delivery from the origin BMC to major metro three-digit postal zones throughout the country. In addition, the delivery carrier may provide pallet delivery services on a regional basis.
  • BMCs bulk mail centers
  • a delivery carrier may provide a pallet delivery service between all five-digit postal zone service areas in New York, Washington DC, Newark, and Boston on the East Coast; and between all five-digit postal zone service areas in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego on the West Coast.
  • other such service offerings that may be cost-effective for a delivery carrier may be used to provide pallet delivery services to customers.
  • the delivery address of pallet 100 may also include a facility, such as, for example, a back dock, and suitable equipment for unloading pallet 100 from transportation vehicle 38.
  • a facility such as, for example, a back dock, and suitable equipment for unloading pallet 100 from transportation vehicle 38.
  • Such delivery locations may include, for example, factories, warehouses, stores, hospitals, etc.
  • the facility and equipment may be configured and operated such that pallet 100 may be unloaded from transportation vehicle 38 without causing any damage to it.
  • Fig. 3 provides a flowchart illustrating the steps of a pallet transportation method 200 according to an exemplary disclosed embodiment.
  • a delivery carrier may receive a request from a customer to transport and deliver a pallet to a particular delivery address.
  • the customer may have a contract with the delivery carrier for pallet delivery services or may want a onetime pallet delivery.
  • the carrier may run through a series of steps to determine whether it should accept the pallet transportation request.
  • the carrier may determine whether the delivery address is on the list of acceptable destinations. These acceptable destinations may be determined based on the routes on which the carrier provides pallet delivery services.
  • the carrier may determine whether the pallet to be delivered itself meets the criteria to qualify for the pallet delivery service.
  • the carrier may determine whether the content of the package(s) on the pallet is on a list of items that may not be transported. If the contents of the package(s) on the pallet are not on the restricted list, then, at step 240, the carrier may determine whether the pallet's weight is within the acceptable weight limit set for pallets to be transported under the pallet delivery service. If the weight is acceptable, then, at step 250, the carrier may determine whether the dimensions of the pallet are within the acceptable range of dimensions for pallets to be transported under the pallet delivery service. If the dimensions of the pallet are within the acceptable range, the carrier may transport the pallet at step 260. At step 270, the pallet may be delivered to the delivery address associated with the pallet.
  • the pallet transportation request made at step 210 may be made by a customer through various request options provided and approved by the delivery carrier. These options may include, for example, a request over the Internet, over the phone, via facsimile, or in person.
  • other modes of communication approved by the delivery carrier may include, for example, requests using a text-messaging service from a wireless communication device may also be used to route the request from the customer to the delivery carrier.
  • a customer may submit the request on certain forms provided by the carrier.
  • the carrier may, at step 220, determine whether the delivery address is on a list of acceptable destinations. Specifically, as described above, a carrier may only ship to a delivery address within a BMC or within certain metro codes.
  • the carrier may deny the request.
  • the carrier may determine whether the contents in the package(s) on the pallet are of a type that may not be shipped through the pallet delivery service. As described above, there may be a restriction on the type of goods that may be transported through the pallet delivery service. For example, certain rules and regulations may prevent the shipment of live beings and hazardous materials through the pallet delivery service. Furthermore, there may also be restrictions on the transportation of perishable items through this service.
  • the delivery carrier may further determine whether the weight of the pallet to be transported is within the acceptable weight range for pallets to be transported through the pallet delivery service. Specifically, due to, for example, security and/or logistical issues, the maximum weight of a pallet that may be accepted for transportation under this service may be that of, for example, 2200 pounds. If the pallet to be transported weighs more than 2200 pounds, the delivery carrier may refuse the pallet transportation request. Furthermore, a pallet eligible for shipping may also have to meet certain size limitations. These size limitations may be instituted by the delivery carrier or a regulatory agency due to security/and or logistical issues. Therefore, at step 250, the delivery carrier may determine whether the dimensions of the pallet to be transported meet the size limits set forth by the delivery carrier or a regulatory agency.
  • the delivery carrier may transport the pallet at step 260.
  • the pallet may be delivered to the delivery address associated with the pallet.
  • steps 220-250 are interchangeable in order, i.e., the delivery carrier may want to first determine whether the contents in the package on the pallet are acceptable for transportation before determining whether the delivery address is on a list of acceptable destinations, etc.
  • tasks described in steps 220-250 may be carried out manually by persons associated with the delivery carrier, or all or some portion of these tasks may be automated.
  • a customer may have a negotiated agreement with a delivery carrier for the pallet delivery service.
  • pallet 100 may be prescheduled for pickup and delivery by the delivery carrier.
  • the delivery carrier may pick up pallet 100 as per a preplanned schedule that may be part of the negotiated agreement.
  • This negotiated agreement may include other terms pertaining to the pallet delivery service. These other terms may include the price of delivery of pallet 100, the types of contents allowable in pallet 100, the pickup location of pallet 100, etc.
  • the agreement may include terms preventing the shipment of hazardous materials and living beings in pallet 100.
  • the agreement may also include terms that may specify the pickup location of pallet 100 such as, for example, the carrier's premises, the customer's premises, or any other premises.
  • the negotiated agreement may include other terms, such as, for example, the list of acceptable pallet delivery addresses.
  • the list of acceptable pallet delivery addresses included in the negotiated agreement may only include those locations capable of receiving pallet 100 intact, i.e., locations where pallet 100 may be delivered without causing any damage to pallet 100. These locations may include facilities, such as, for example, a back dock, and suitable equipment for unloading pallet 100 from transportation vehicle 38. Such locations may include, for example, factories, warehouses, stores, hospitals, etc.

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  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
  • Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Operations Research (AREA)
  • Development Economics (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
  • Loading Or Unloading Of Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

Système de transport de palettes pouvant comprendre un véhicules de transport conçu pour stocker et transporter au moins une palette en plus d'un quelconque autre article à livrer qu'il peut transporter. Le système peut également comprend une aire de chargement des palettes. Cette aire de chargement des palettes peut être conçue pour assurer le chargement de palettes sur le véhicule de transport. Le système peut également inclure une aire de livraison pour palettes acheminées par le véhicule de transport.
PCT/US2006/036756 2005-09-22 2006-09-21 Technique de transport de palettes WO2007038176A2 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US71916705P 2005-09-22 2005-09-22
US60/719,167 2005-09-22

Publications (2)

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WO2007038176A2 true WO2007038176A2 (fr) 2007-04-05
WO2007038176A3 WO2007038176A3 (fr) 2007-12-27

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Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6125306A (en) * 1995-10-13 2000-09-26 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. System for controlling physical distribution pallets
US20050125247A1 (en) * 2003-05-13 2005-06-09 Ding Steven A. Industrial vehicle fleet management system

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6125306A (en) * 1995-10-13 2000-09-26 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. System for controlling physical distribution pallets
US20050125247A1 (en) * 2003-05-13 2005-06-09 Ding Steven A. Industrial vehicle fleet management system

Also Published As

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WO2007038176A3 (fr) 2007-12-27

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