The last part of any aspect is quite important. Just imagine the last few seconds of a marathon or a sprint – isn’t it important? It is the part that gets you to the finish line. Right? Similarly, the last-mile delivery of any goods is more important than the actual shipping from far distances. Here, we can easily understand how to overcome challenges in last-mile delivery.
Understanding Last Mile Delivery
Last-mile delivery can be easily described as the last part of a logistics cycle. But how does a logistics cycle start? Let’s understand this through an example.
If you are a business sending goods to Dhaka, the country’s capital city. The first step of the procedure is packing goods, sending them to the closest shipping harbour, then passing sea lines, reaching the nearest harbour, and finally shipping them through a Pickup truck Dhakha, to drop them off at the destination. The last part with the pickup truck is known as last-mile delivery.
What are the Challenges of Last Mile Delivery?
Last-mile delivery, as previously mentioned, is the riskiest part of the entire logistics cycle. Let’s find out why and the significant challenges last mile delivery faces:
1. Traffic Congestion in main hubs or en route to important locations.
2. Uncertain events on road drives.
3. GPS relocations.
4. Updated or incorrect addresses.
5. Driving agents with low experience.
How can we overcome these challenges through innovative solutions?
1. Traffic Congestion in main hubs or en route to important locations.
Traffic blocks are common in Bangladesh, but how to overcome them is a huge question mark everywhere. How do you overcome traffic congestion, especially when you are carrying goods from one place to another? The best way for anyone to overcome traffic is through GPS and Google Maps systems. Google Maps has a characteristic that shows traffic congestion beforehand. Though you might know the location well, it is best to use a map to identify roadblocks with traffic on that particular day.
This helps any kind of vehicle overcome this challenge. It is never possible to fly over immovable traffic, but there is a way you can avoid it on a daily basis: to take better routes with much less traffic congestion.
2. Uncertain events on road drives.
While last-mile delivery involves taking the goods to the customer, it needs to be on time every time. Uncertain events, such as accidents, festivities, and much more, can block your way. Instead of telling customers this was the issue, you could overcome this issue by offering live tracking apps and software to the customer. This ensures the customers are aware of these unforeseen incidents that took place when you were on the way with the products/items.
3. GPS relocations.
Though GPS is a reliable way to know where you are and how to get there, it is software, after all. You need to be sure that you are going on the right path, and GPS relocations lead to a better route. So, all you have to do is make sure you use your right human intuition at times to get the last-mile delivery done on time and properly.
4. Updated or incorrect addresses.
Ensure the labelling, papers, and all other details of the packages are right. This will make sure there are no incorrect addresses or you go to the wrong places. Just imagine your courier business caters to an e-commerce company, where every package needs to be delivered to the doorstep as last mile delivery – you can’t possibly waste time by going to the wrong address. Therefore, packages need to be checked properly for clear labelling and the right addresses.
5. Driving agents with low experience.
Hiring drivers alone is not going to get the last mile delivery accomplished. Hiring, training, and supporting the drivers ensure competent delivery agents. For instance, companies like porter logistics Dhaka ensure their drivers are trained, and skilled enough to get the job done.
Conclusion
Overcoming challenges is the only way to have your delivery business succeed. Now that you have the tips and tricks of accomplishing a favourable and well-set last-mile delivery practice by overcoming the major challenges, you can make deliveries with no delays.
