How do delivery truck schedules affect a linen service’s service reliability?

Ask for the route sheets by day and look at how many stops each truck carries, how long the stops take and where the longest gaps fall. Routes that only work when traffic is light and every customer is ready are fragile. Compare the sheets to the delivery logs to see how often the schedule slipped.

Then look at the plant behind the trucks. Washing capacity, sorting and loading times all feed the schedule, so ask what happens when a machine stops. A route can be fine on paper and late every morning because the load-out is behind.

Customer complaints and credit notes are a useful signal. Group them by route, day and cause, and ask what the owner changed in response. Ask about spare trucks and drivers. If one person knows each route by heart, the schedule may depend on them rather than on the system. Your accountant can help you see what a spare vehicle costs to carry. Ride along on at least one route if the owner allows it, and note where time is lost between stops. Ask whether peak weeks, such as holidays, have strained the schedule, and what the owner did about it.

Key takeaways

• Compare planned route sheets with delivery logs to measure how often the schedule slipped.
• Ask what happens when a truck, driver or washing machine is out of service.
• Group complaints by route and cause, and see what the owner changed.