Management of vehicular traffic at a facility having allocable space resources

Abstract

Disclosed systems, methods, and computer program products address issues of parking and vehicular traffic at a facility, such as a warehouse or a merchandise distribution hub, and provide improved supply chain logistics for transportation and distribution of goods. Disclosed systems include a processor circuit that is configured to generating schedules for a plurality of shipments, to receive location tracking information regarding positions of vehicles, to perform shipping operations, and to dynamically update schedules based on received input. Received input may include information regarding warehouse labor and equipment availability, location tracking information, and/or information regarding weather and traffic conditions. Systems may be configured to send alerts to vehicle drivers provided updated scheduling information and instructions regarding shipments and to send alerts to warehouse workers provided updated scheduling information and instructions regarding shipments. The system may further receive information from drivers and dock workers and may use such information to optimize schedules.

What is claim is: 
     
         1 . A method, under control of one or more computing systems, comprising:
 generating schedules for a plurality of shipments;   receiving, from a location data source in communication with one or more remote location sensors, location tracking information regarding one or more locations of the shipments;   receiving information associated with real-time facility labor and/or equipment availability at an unloading facility;   updating, based at least in part on the location tracking information, one or more schedules; and   sending, based at in least in part on the updating the one or more schedules, a message to a conveyance operator associated with an individual one of the plurality of shipments instructing the conveyance operator:
 to proceed to an off-site location remote from the unloading facility to wait for further instructions in response to determining that a loading dock at the unloading facility is unavailable; and 
 to proceed to an assigned loading dock at the unloading facility at a time when the assigned loading dock is available. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending a message to an unloading facility worker with instructions to proceed to the assigned loading dock and to begin unloading the shipment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising sending a message to the conveyance operator that an updated appointment has been scheduled. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from a weather alert service, information associated with current weather conditions and generating, based on the current weather conditions, an updated schedule. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving, from a traffic service, information associated with current traffic conditions and generating, based on the current traffic conditions, an updated schedule. 
     
     
         6 . A processor implemented method for automatically performing dynamical scheduling of a plurality of vehicles performing shipping operations, a processor performing operations comprising:
 generating, by the processor, schedules for a plurality of shipments;   receiving location tracking information regarding positions of the plurality of vehicles;   receiving information associated with labor and equipment availability at a loading/unloading facility;   automatically updating one or more schedules based on the location tracking information and/or the labor and equipment availability;   sending a message to a conveyance operator instructing the conveyance operator:
 to proceed to an off-site location remote from the loading/unloading facility to wait for further instructions hen a loading dock is not available; and 
 to proceed to an assigned loading dock at the loading/unloading facility at a time when the loading dock will be available. 
   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising sending, by the processor, a message to a facility worker providing instructions to proceed to an assigned dock and to begin loading or unloading a shipment. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising sending, by the processor, a message to a conveyance operator instructing them that an updated appointment has been scheduled. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the processor, information associated with current weather and/or traffic conditions; and   generating, based at least in part on the information associated with weather and/or traffic conditions, an updated schedule.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the processor generates schedules based on appointment time. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the processor generates schedules to optimize a shipping route based on shipment origin, destination, and shipment time. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the processor generates schedules based on weather and/or traffic information. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the processor generates schedules based at least in part on one or more labor schedules. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising generating, by the processor, performance statistics for one or more of brokers, carriers, and facility workers. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the performance statistics include information associated with rescheduled shipments. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the performance statistics include information associated with worker down time. 
     
     
         17 . A processor implemented method, comprising:
 sending, by a processor circuit from a mobile computing device associated with a conveyance operator, location information associated with the mobile computing device;   receiving, by the processor circuit, a message providing instructions to the conveyance operator; and   displaying the message on a GUI of the mobile computing device;   wherein the message instructs the conveyance operator:
 to proceed to a first location that is remote from a primary destination to wait for further instructions; and 
 to proceed to an assigned loading dock at the primary destination. 
   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the message providing instructions to the conveyance operator is sent, based at least in part, upon determining that a loading dock is unavailable at the primary destination. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the message providing instructions to the conveyance operator is sent, based at least in part, upon determining that equipment is unavailable at the primary destination. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising receiving and displaying a message instructing the conveyance operator that an updated appointment has been scheduled.