Palletline has gone live with its innovative direct trunking initiative, as it continues to work on evolving the decades-old pallet network model.
Operating in the style of a freight exchange or noticeboard via the network’s award-winning IT system, Contrado, the initiative sees members bypass Palletline’s central hub in Birmingham moving pallets directly amongst themselves.
The service is currently operating with 14 members across Palletline’s UK network, with a target to have it rolled out to all 69 members before Easter.
Iain Brown, operations director at Palletline, said the model, which requires a minimum load of five pallets, will help spread volume out more evenly easing the load on the central hub, as well as boosting its shareholder members’ operational efficiency.
“It means that a member in the North East with three loads of, say, seven pallets can advertise this direct to our membership, which in turn helps a member in the North West sort out their back load. It’s about keeping the wealth within the membership,” said Brown.
Brown sees the potential to move upwards of 25% of the network's annual volume via this concept within three years.
Palletline, which in recent years has begun positioning itself as a commercial co-operative or partnership, believes the cost savings of moving pallets directly will find favour with its shareholder members as an addition, rather than replacement, for its core hub-and-spoke model.
