28 Feb Eliminate Airport Cargo Congestion with Kale’s Truck Slot Management
Airports focused on sources of revenue often overlook the reliable stream provided by their cargo operations, but those revenues are put in jeopardy when congestion drives traffic elsewhere. Unlike the more expensive and time-consuming solutions for passenger congestion involving adding runways and gates or building new terminals, a properly deployed and utilized airport cargo community system (ACS) with integrated truck slot management (TSM) can bring about immediate, positive impacts.
Working in concert, an ACS and TSM manage inbound and outbound air cargo between the aircraft on the ramp and the ground handler’s warehouse, as well as with the truckers picking up and dropping off air cargo. While deployment of a comprehensive ACS platform offers end-to-end digital solutions for the entire air cargo community, airports in North America have expressed the greatest interest in the underlying truck slot management module.
A TSM allows ground handlers to configure available dock slots based on their capacity, while trucking companies and freight forwarders can book specific time slots for cargo pickup or delivery. This coordinated scheduling ensures:
- Optimal staffing levels at cargo facilities
- Reduced truck idle time and emissions
- More efficient use of limited dock space
- Better planning for cargo buildup and breakdown
- Decreased congestion in airport access roads
For terminal managers, the system provides real-time visibility of expected cargo, vehicles and volumes, enabling proactive resource planning. Ground handlers report more efficient dock utilization, while trucking companies benefit from reduced wait times and better route planning.
For many airports built decades ago, managing today’s high-volume cargo operations within limited physical space presents significant challenges. The growing presence of larger 53′ tractor-trailers at facilities designed with two-lane access roads for the smaller vehicles of yesterday has created unprecedented congestion issues. The large, high-ceilinged warehouses with footprints of hundreds of thousands of square feet cannot be built at most North American airports. Working more efficiently within the spaces that exist is what is called for to solve these congestion challenges.
The TSM module’s impact is immediately measurable. Based on implementations at major cargo hubs like Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, the system has reduced truck dwell times by up to 25% and slashed document processing time from 15-20 minutes per air waybill to just 5-10 minutes. This efficiency isn’t just about speed – it’s about smart resource allocation.
The benefits are particularly relevant as airports face increasing cargo volumes. In Atlanta, the implementation has saved an estimated 1,945 hours in processing time and reduced CO2 emissions by over 9 million grams, while handling 1.5 million pounds of cargo through the system.
Understanding that airports face varying operational demands and budget considerations, Kale works with each facility to develop a tailored implementation approach. We partner with grant identification specialists to help explore funding opportunities, and our modular system allows airports to start with high-impact solutions like TSM before expanding to broader capabilities. At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, they have documented a 25% reduction in truck dwell times, a 50% improvement in document processing speed, and significant cost savings in labor and fuel expenses.
A commonly heard phrase in aviation is, “If you’ve seen one airport…you’ve seen one airport.” We know that no two airports are identical, but there are common problems they all experience and some can be solved through technology. Working in concert with an airport’s planning body and stakeholders, Kale can recommend the optimal solution and is a partner through the implementation, training and adoption of the airport’s primary cargo stakeholders.
The results observed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta mirror successes at other airports around the world which have deployed a combination of Airport Cargo Community Systems and underlying modules like Truck Slot Management. Contact us to find out more and learn how a complimentary proof of concept could identify ways to generate more revenue through a combination of reduced truck congestion and increased cargo throughput.