Keep Session Alive Time Limit

“Keep Session Active Time limit” is a setting to address the “multiple trailer sessions for a single truck problem” due to Trailer readjustments.

To find this setting:

Go to: Dock Management -> Dock Sessions (This setting is per dock session type)

Trailer readjustment:

At some facilities, in order to preserve (and protect) the contents of the trailer, the truck drivers are advised to keep their trailer doors closed while they present the paperwork to the receiving office. Hence the driver would:

1. Back into a dock halfway before they go to the receiving office.

2. Upon returning from the receiving office, pull the truck away from the dock, open the trailer door.

3. Straighten up the truck and fully back into the dock.

   
   

Trailer readjustment is a combined term for all the activities that happen in step 2 and 3.

There is a lot of variability in every single action in steps 2 and 3, variability comes from which activities a driver does and how much time he/she takes to carry out those steps. Many drivers are efficient and skilled and do everything in 3-4 min, but some drivers can take up to 10-15 min. This behavior is especially common in refrigerated facilities but is also observed in many other types of facilities.

“Trailer readjustment period and activities” are important for facility operations because they negatively impact the warehouse visibility. During the trailer readjustment period, the truck session is current/active, but the truck is pulled away from the dock. This can be perceived as “dock being available” and that can cause problems if other truck gets assigned to the same dock.

The “Keep Session Active Limit” is a setting to help resolve these issues. The setting specifies a time to extend a trailer session even if no truck is “at the dock”. This extension does not apply to all the trucks arriving at the dock but only to the trucks which have:

• A trailer assignment (automatic or manual)

• The session shows only “Truck Presence Sensor activity” (and no other dock activity).  

Guidelines on determining “Keep session active limit value”:

• The session extension time should be roughly equal to the max time 90% of truck drivers spend in getting back to the dock. This would include the sum of time of following activities:

  • Extension time = Time required by the Driver to pull out of the dock after visiting receiving office + Time required to Driver open the trailer doors + The time driver spends in walking around the truck and other things + Time required by the Driver to back into the dock.

    • This can also be calculated from

      • Extension time = Timestamp of driver returning to the truck from receiving office - Timestamp of driver backing the trailer into the dock

• Suggestion: Do not select the MAX time but select a time that covers 80% of the drivers.

Factors impacting the “length of time the session should be extended”:

• If a “smaller “number is used for extension – more sessions would be “missed”.

• If a “longer” number is used for extension – could create a problem for checkout

  • (a truck which is still in session at the dock – won’t be able to checkout at the kiosk) Hence a reasonable time (that covers 80-90% of the drivers) with above criteria should be used to determine appropriate time for extension.

Additional clarification on when the Keep Alive setting is “active-session is kept alive” and when it is “in-active session is not kept alive”.

• Session is not kept alive when there is any activity other than Trailer presence Sensor. This other activity includes scenarios where:

  • Door is opened before the truck gets to the dock and is left open during the session (does not change state during the whole time) [This still counts as activity].

  • A trigger sensor (like a forklift sensor) is triggered. (even if it is the only sensor triggered - it still counts as an activity)