Loblaw is expanding EAIGLE’s computer-vision gate system, called AVAC, across its distribution network after its first site cut gate processing to about three seconds inbound and four seconds outbound. A conventional DC with a guard in a booth takes anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes per truck, Heather Fallo, Loblaw’s senior manager of transportation, told FreightWaves.
Drivers check in on a phone, kiosk touchscreen or in-cab tablet from Samsara, Isaac, Geotab or Platform Science. Loblaw’s own fleet drivers, about 30% to 40% of traffic, use an in-house app that generates a QR code. The remaining 60% to 65% arrive from outside carriers using a third-party web application. Each transaction triggers seven or eight API calls across systems including Manhattan Active, SAP, Blue Yonder, TruckMate and C3 Solutions for appointments.
Gate staff handle exceptions from inside the building instead of a booth, watching camera feeds of the inbound and outbound gates. Fallo said the driver learning curve was the hardest part of the project. The message that mattered to drivers was that “this is not going away,” she said.
The first site, which handles about 400 trailers inbound and 400 outbound each day, uses a camera arc originally designed for an airport-style gateway. Later sites will use low-cost posts carrying two ordinary security cameras on each side, which cuts infrastructure cost by an estimated 90% to 95%, per FreightWaves.
Yard software vendor Kaleris added AI gate automation to its yard management system this spring. It claimed its system can process trucks under 60 seconds, compared with traditional gate processes that can take 3 to 7 minutes. Its cameras read container numbers, chassis IDs and tractor license plates.
At least 10 Loblaw sites are being assessed. The next goes live in mid-November. Loblaw aims to have automated gates at close to half of its 26 DCs over the next couple of years. Damage tracking and thermal tire monitoring are in development without set timelines, according to Steve Freas, Loblaw’s director of transportation systems.
