 Weighty issues from the US
March 1st 2010
According to Avery Weigh-Tronix,
pallet networks in the USA have
been charging by weight rather than
pallet size for more than four
decades – a practice that could also
result in savings for UK
organisations.
Don Newell from the National
Motor Freight Traffic Association
(NMFTA) in the USA says: "When
margins are tight, data is vital to help
maintain profitability and stay legal.
Overloading is illegal, but equally in
the face of high fuel costs it is
uneconomic to run trucks that are
not full. The answer is to weigh and
record each shipment.
"If the weight of a shipment is
mis-stated then the operator can
correct the bill. This makes it far
more likely that the shipper will be
accurate with its declared weights
and also allows the operator to
recover revenue if they are not."
Chris McAllister, product manager
for Avery Weigh-Tronix agrees: "In a
recent trial we found that 80% of
pallets were under-declared for one
UK operator. Simply weighing the
pallets would have generated
significantly more revenue.
"In the UK we charge in bands by
pallet size, but these price brackets
are still based on weight. By check
weighing a load it might be upgraded
from a half pallet to a three quarter
pallet and earn the operator extra
revenue. If the data exists then the
shipper can hardly argue with the
facts."
He continues:"Based on several
conversations with pallet networks in
the UK there is a growing realisation
of the need for accurate weight data,
not only to prevent overloading, but
also to recoup revenue.
"Already one operator has
combined a forklift truck scale with
barcode scanners as a track and trace
system. It has also used RF
technology so that the Forklift is not
only a mobile scale, but can also
transfer the data straight into the
organisation's IT system.
"At the moment some operators
weigh to ensure that outbound
vehicles are not overloaded or
significantly underloaded. This in
itself can help recoup revenue. Surely
the next step is to use weight as a
means of fair charging. If nothing
else it will overcome the common
problem of shippers under-declaring
their loads." More articles from Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited: | 
