Delivery speed is not just a competitive advantage, but a condition for survival for manufacturing and trading companies. However, shipments are often delayed not for obvious reasons such as vehicle breakdowns or weather conditions, but because of hidden “pitfalls” in processes. The good news is that most of them can be fixed — and fairly quickly, if logistics are organized correctly and key stages are automated.

Scattered orders without consolidation

Many companies organize shipments chaotically: as soon as the goods are ready, they are sent immediately, even if the cargo does not fill half of the vehicle. As a result, one location may receive three trucks instead of one. This means not only unnecessary costs, but also delays — while the dispatcher finds a free carrier for each small batch, while the warehouses prepare space for several trucks, and while the drivers idle, waiting to be loaded.

Why this slows down delivery:

• it is impossible to build a stable route schedule — transport leaves when cargo is collected;

• it is difficult to predict warehouse and personnel loading;

• there is a mess with applications that managers process manually.

What to change:

• introduce automatic cargo consolidation — the system will combine orders that have a common route or customer;

• create consolidated routes on a clear schedule to minimize the number of trips and increase transport capacity.

Lack of transparent real-time tracking

When a company cannot see where the cargo is physically located, it loses control over the schedule. Often, delays are only discovered after the fact — when a customer complains or the conveyor belt stops because components have not arrived. This undermines the trust of partners and creates a “fire” effect for logistics managers.

Why this slows down delivery:

• managers cannot change the schedule in time or engage additional transport when they see a delay;

• drivers spend time on calls and clarifying status instead of simply moving along the route;

• warehouses cannot prepare to receive cargo in advance.

What to change:

• Implement GPS tracking and real-time status monitoring.

• Set up automatic notifications about delays, unloading, or route changes.

• Give partners and warehouses access to the movement map so that all participants in the chain see the same source of truth.

Opaque and complex pricing 

In many companies, finding a carrier still looks like correspondence in messengers or email: logisticians send a request to several contractors, wait for a response, compile bids in Excel, and select the winner. This process can take several days — even if you just need to find a vehicle for delivery tomorrow.

Why this slows down delivery:

• logistics specialists spend time on routine communication rather than route planning;

• information about bids often arrives late, making it impossible to make quick decisions;

• there is no transparent competition, so carriers are not motivated to respond quickly.

What to change:

• introduce a fast tender platform where carriers can submit bids online and compete in real time;

• automate the comparison of offers by price/terms/rating criteria — so that the logistics specialist does not have to do everything manually;

• Create a pool of verified carriers who always see new requests and can quickly confirm a route.

Manual coordination of documents and tasks

Another typical “invisible trap” is paper or semi-paper logistics. When transportation requests, waybills, work completion reports, or route reports have to be printed, signed, scanned, and sent, it takes time and stops the flow. Sometimes the truck has already delivered the cargo, but the documents are still “on the way” — and no one can close the route and settle the payment.

Why this slows down delivery:

• drivers are forced to wait at the warehouse until the signatures are collected;

• managers cannot close the route without documents, and therefore cannot create a new one;

• the financial department delays payment to carriers, which makes them reluctant to take on new routes.

What to change:

• Convert document flow to digital format: applications, acts, waybills, photos, and signatures — all in one place.

• Automatically link the route status to document flow — as soon as the driver uploads the confirmation, the route is closed and transferred to finance.

• Provide drivers with mobile access to take photos of documents on the spot. 

Lack of a single transportation management center

Logistics specialists often work “manually,” relying on experience and intuition. They do not have an accurate forecast of when, where, and how much cargo will need to be delivered next week or month. Because of this, they have to react to the fact that customers are placing orders when transportation and warehouses are not ready.

Why this slows down delivery:

• it is impossible to book transport and drivers in advance for peak periods;

• the company maintains an excess fleet or, conversely, faces a shortage;

• delays occur in supply chains because each link works “at the last minute.”

What to change:

• collect historical shipment data and train the system to predict peak loads;

• routes plan not only based on current requests, but also taking into account expected demand;

• integrate analytics with ERP so that logistics can see future production and customer orders.

Fast delivery starts with transparency

Most delivery delays are not the result of force majeure, but the result of uncoordinated and manual processes. To speed up transportation, you need to not just “pressure” carriers, but create a transparent, automated delivery management system.

Consolidation of cargo, online tracking, fast tenders, automatic document flow, and a unified management platform are the key to ensuring that cargo arrives on time and your business grows without downtime or disruptions in the supply chain.