Centralizing Your Dispatching Process When You Have Multiple Depots

Arielle Cox

Paper-based processes, spreadsheets, and reservation boards – all common in the rental industry – don't provide enough transparency for busy dispatchers who work in real time across multiple branches. The goal is typically to have the next day's stops partially planned by a specific point in the afternoon, but companies must also accommodate overnight additions and cancellations, not to mention day-of changes and driver call-outs. The more branches a rental business operates, the more complex this process becomes.

Centralizing your dispatching process lets you handle logistics for deliveries and pickups across all your locations. Still, it requires full visibility into each branch’s contracts, reservations, equipment, drivers, and available delivery vehicles. (It also requires you to effectively account for both rental deliveries and field service stops – another complicating factor for larger organizations.) This is almost impossible to keep up with when everything is being tracked manually. Connected Transport, however, makes it much simpler.

A dispatching management solution that integrates directly with your rental software helps you make faster, more effective routing decisions – especially when you’re trying to keep up with several depots at one time. AI handles the heavy lifting, optimizing routes for multiple deliveries with the same time window and geographic area, while simultaneously accounting for customer priority and SLAs. Over time, the system learns from each driver’s behavior, making your projected delivery windows even more efficient. This can easily reduce backlogs from several weeks to just a few days.

Tips for Centralizing Dispatching with Multiple Depots

As you consolidate your dispatching efforts across multiple branches, consider the following best practices:

1. Make Dispatching Digital
   Paper-based systems and manual boards just don’t cut it in the fast-paced rental industry. A digital, AI-driven dispatching system gives you centralized control and real-time updates across all your locations. You can more easily plan ahead while staying flexible for inevitable last-minute changes.
2. Integrate with the Software You Already Use to Manage Your Rentals
   Adopting a digital solution is just the first step. The second – and potentially more important – step is connecting it to your ERP. As soon as your sales team creates a new contract or reservation, the equipment details, customer details, and jobsite data should all flow seamlessly into your dispatching system. Without this critical integration, you’ll waste unnecessary time and run the risk of mistakes by re-entering the same information in multiple applications.
3. Dispatch Based on Reservations
   To avoid bottlenecks, consider adding equipment to your route plan as soon as a reservation is made rather than waiting for a formal contract. This can help you get the delivery on your schedule without getting held up by a slow signature or slow payment.
4. Combine Dispatching Roles
   Instead of having separate dispatchers for field service and rental deliveries – or having a separate dispatcher for each branch – let one person handle all of your route and load planning. This may be a tall order – especially when you’re managing 5+ locations – but automating key tasks helps one person manage all the plans efficiently without getting overwhelmed. (In fact, a great goal is for your software to automate all your ‘easy’ routes, leaving your dispatcher to focus on more complex exceptions.
5. Create Clear and Consistent Processes
   Develop standardized workflows and communications to keep everyone on the same page. This is especially important when managing multiple depots. Should dispatchers prioritize certain customers or contracts over a certain dollar amount? Should pickups for equipment that’s down at the customer’s jobsite take priority over pickups for equipment that’s just been called off-rent? When you have several of the same machines available at a specific depot, should your dispatcher pre-assign a specific equipment number or allow the driver to load the first machine they can get their hands on? Consistent processes – brought to life with regular training – help avoid confusion, simplify exception handling, and keeps things running smoothly.
6. Keep Communication Clear and Constant
   Ensure dispatchers, drivers, and customers are always in the loop. Use tools like mobile apps or messaging platforms to share real-time updates and quickly address issues. Good communication keeps delays to a minimum and customers happy.
7. Track Performance and Keep Improving

Monitor key metrics like delivery times, fuel usage, response rates, pickup backlogs, and customer satisfaction. Use this data to spot inefficiencies, fine-tune your processes, and maintain high service standards.

By following these best practices and tips, you can create a centralized dispatching system that’s efficient, scalable, and cost-effective, no matter how many depots or drivers you manage.

Develop a Faster, More Efficient Approach to Rental Equipment Dispatching

We get it – keeping up with the never-ending rhythm of pickups and deliveries is complicated. That’s why we purpose-built InTempo CTX to be the first AI-driven dispatch solution for the equipment rental industry. Whether you’ve got one location or dozens – a whole team of dispatchers or none at all – the system can scale with your business and your team. To see how Connected Transport can help you effectively centralize your dispatching process when you have multiple depots, contact us today.