Innumerable dollars are contracted out to wrangle government regulations, loading berth dimensions, minimum height clearances, aisle widths, apron spaces, and landing strips. But a driver still somehow manages to pin himself up on a decorative rock. If you are a shipper, it might be time to have your dispatch offices or 3pl companies discard Microsoft Paint and step up to the interactive plate.
From day one, developing proper site maps should be done under the guidance of safety engineers’ and be prepared for mass distribution. Organizations that don’t see these as important documents are probably losing countless hours a year to bogged down loading docks. These can be handed out at your gate; Or exported to an online portal. Most drivers are glued to their phones in today’s economy so digital distribution through SMS is ideal as well. For instance, your facilities group could utilize a new software from Transoft Solutions to map out all the turns of your site, rate it for speeds, ensure enough height clearance is available. That software would be “AutoTURN”. This is the standard software for government agencies, such as the DOT, for making swept path analysis.
If you are utilizing AutoDesk, this feature is available under the Vehicle Tracking portion and requires the “Architecture, Engineering & Construction Collection”. The pricing structure for the latter is not available, but AutoDesk will require an annual subscription that you’ll have to negotiate for with your organization. Not cheap, but as the adage goes, buy once (every twelve months,) cry once (every twelve months.) Export these above CAD structures to ArcGIS and have it versioned. Free plug-ins are available to sync ArcGIS and AutoDesk. You can view this on ESRI’s website. The most notable benefit would be the ability to integrate these site maps with GIS data and get a general idea of the parking lot layout. Public or Private portals can be created. One example would be setting up a group for distribution on ArcGIS, Under the group settings you can specify who has access. Once the CAD structures are loaded, anyone who accesses this group externally will see the newest version of the structure.
It could be said that safety has no price, but a single crash could cost a company over four thousand dollars in remedial CDL tuition. Not to mention the harm this could potentially have on the driver. All drivers entering a property should be informed of the available site map at a minimum. As the site’s layout changes over time; Having a centralized source of record that is versioned is crucial. Utilizing something like the ArcGIS Enterprise portal requires many man-hours to set up. But can continue to pay dividends as your companies’ information is updated real-time.
If there is anything to take away, it is the fact that more time should be taken when our engineers / architects / designers develop sites. And that should be the starting point for information that is seen by drivers. Nothing less should be accepted. Money is spent regardless, and how much value can be extracted from that investment should always be the maximum.
Here's What We Suggest You Do:
First, demand the following from your architectural group:
· Aisle Widths
· Loading Berths
· Maneuvering Areas
· Ordinances
Next, consider the best way to visualize and distribute the site-map information to drivers approaching your facility. This includes, email, virtual document (easy to edit), SMS distribution or even handing physical copies out a facility where you have the resources to do so.
If you’ve used site maps in this way before let us know in the comments below.
