Social distancing eased with Linde forklift app

Work processes include remote communication with suppliers, reducing direct contact between logistics staff, offering digital call functions and the option to repeat jobs based on a predefined favourite option.

As we enter week seven of lockdown, there is increasing pressure on the UK Government to start easing measures to enable businesses to get back up and running. For many this will mean returning to work, and businesses are beginning to plan for a phased return to ‘business as usual’.

However, with the likelihood that some social distancing measures will be required for some time, many businesses will need to change the way they operate to protect the health and safety of employees.

To help its customers adapt to this new way of working and start to return to a ‘new normal’ as lockdown measures are eased, Linde is offering businesses the chance to test its Truck Call app for six months.

Hoyame Saber, business solutions director at Linde Material Handling said: “As we start to exit lockdown, many businesses will be faced with a logistical challenge – how do we return to business as usual while still observing the social distancing procedures necessary to protect the health and safety of our employees?

“Just as technology has been key to enabling many businesses to operate remotely during the pandemic, it also has a role to play in helping businesses return to normal following the outbreak.

“The Truck Call app works in a similar way to modern taxi apps like Uber, where the taxi company receives a request for a pick-up which is then sent out to all the company’s drivers until one accepts the order. Not only does this simplify and speed up communication between fleet managers and drivers, it does so remotely without the need for personal contact between the two.”

Day-to-day, the Truck Call app can help with scenarios such as late deliveries or unscheduled jobs by allowing faster communication between supervisors and drivers. Through the app, shift supervisors can enter transport orders into the system from their smartphone, tablet or computer along with an urgency level for the job. The app informs all available drivers, if a driver accepts an order online it disappears from the system and once the job is complete the shift supervisor receives a notification. 

The app is available for download from the Google Play Store and is ready to use as soon as the user registers, visit www.linde-mh.co.uk for more information on how to register. The sales promotion is available for both new and existing customers who register for the first time between 1 May and 31 July. If customers want to keep using the app after the free test period ends, they can sign up through the Linde Truck Call web portal.

Hoyame continued: “These are difficult times and we know that many our customers are facing challenges they may not have come across before. It was important for us to do something to help them get back up and running without compromising on health and safety. 

“We hope this promotion makes it easier for our customers to return to normal as lockdown measures are eased and demand starts to increase.”