Advicory Service

Tracking down transport damage with data loggers

Transport Control International GmbH
2022-06-23 09:30:00 / Comments 0

The transport of goods by lorry is still one of the most important means of transport in Europe: According to Statista, the transport performance of road transport in the EU was around 1.8 trillion tonne-kilometres. However, while freight transport on Europe's roads continues to increase, transport ships are still an underestimated size. Traffic jams and shocks, fluctuations in temperature, pressure or humidity can easily lead to damage to goods and products. In Germany alone, the economic loss caused by transport damage amounts to more than two billion euros per year.

Every third delivery in Germany, for example, is rejected due to damage or delivery delays. Two thirds of these are due to damage and disruptions during transport. This makes it all the more important for companies - not only for financial reasons, but also for reputational reasons - to analyse the transport chains and take measures to protect goods and merchandise from damage during transport in the best possible way.

Goods are exposed to different transport conditions

However, many companies are still unaware that goods are exposed to a wide variety of stresses during transport and often have to be transported over long distances before they arrive at their destination. Climatic conditions, for example, which affect the goods due to weather influences, can easily lead to corrosion and damage the goods. Even in Europe, there are considerable climatic differences during transport by lorry, which can quickly lead to corrosion damage. In other countries and regions, this is even more dramatic. Products are also constantly exposed to mechanical stresses during transport on lorries. These can be shocks, vibrations and accelerations, but also slanted and tilted positions, which often lead to damage to the goods. However, the human factor is also a factor that should not be overlooked when it comes to the causes of transport damage. Companies should not assume that contracted service providers handle the products to be transported as carefully as companies expect. A good example of this is parcel service providers and their delivery drivers, who may simply throw parcels over the garden fence onto the veranda or carelessly throw goods onto vans. However, this problem does not only arise during transport, but already on the company's own premises when the goods are handed over to a carrier.

How can transport damage be minimised?

What measures can be taken to protect goods against all expected stresses during transport and storage or to intervene in good time to prevent damage to goods? In professional circles, this is referred to as value-preserving measures, so that recipients receive flawless goods that they expect and are willing to pay for.

Data loggers prevent damage and identify the cause

Because two thirds of all damage is caused by vibration, companies should particularly monitor the physical conditions during shipping. These include acceleration, shock events, shocks and vibrations. Transport data loggers, which are attached to the shipping goods or inside the transport packaging, are particularly suitable for recording and documenting them. Using powerful sensors and memory electronics, the data loggers record all critical events such as shocks during transport. Some transport trackers have a memory capacity of over 2 million measured values, which is sufficient to record over 1000 shocks. In addition, certain data loggers can also measure temperature changes and additionally humidity, pressure and light - which can provide further useful data. After transport, the recorded measurement data can be quickly transferred to a computer via USB and processed for analysis and report generation using the associated software.

Transport damage is not only annoying, but also leads to considerable follow-up costs, for example due to complaints or returns, not to mention considerable production delays because certain parts are missing and have to be delivered later. Transport data loggers offer optimal technical support here to monitor transport conditions and optimise transport chains. For example, data loggers can help to identify transport companies and service providers that are susceptible to damage and thus contribute to minimising damage and reducing costs. In addition, the data collected by transport data loggers can be used to provide precise evidence in the event of expensive liability disputes and reliably identify the party responsible for the transport damage. The psychological effect should not be neglected: studies show that when data loggers are attached to the shipping packaging, transport and warehouse employees handle the transported goods much more carefully and less damage occurs due to improper handling.

Would you like to find out more about real-time transport monitoring? Then download our free whitepaper or book our free consultation right now via our booking tool. We look forward to your questions.