Road Milk Run Poland to UK Combining with Ferry or Eurotunnel

Introduction
Our task is to come up with a viable transportation strategy for delivering 90 pallets of beverages from a Belgium to various NHS distribution centers across the United Kingdom. The challenge contains many steps that needs to be tackled, we must navigate with limited trailer space on Europegaz’s weekly FTL service from Poland to our distribution center in Belgium, than we must accommodate to strict delivery schedules, and adhere to the specific EU driving time regulations. My solution involves dividing the delivery process utilizing Europedaz’s remaining trailer capacity for a portion of the shipment to the closest NHS center after their initial offloading at our DC in Belgium, while using our own transportation either in house or by hiring to deliver the remining cargo. This double approach ensures that all destinations receive their shipments within the given delivery windows. In the following I will outlie the logistics from loading and crossing the Eurotunnel to the execution of deliveries at each NHS center, making sure that the operation aligns with the legal and operationa parameters of cross-border transport.
Europegaz Route
Our operation begins Thursday mornings at 6:00 am. CET with Europegaz’s arrival out our Antwerp DC where 30 of our pallets are loaded onto their trailer. These pallets will be sent to the NHS center in Maidstone as the rest of the shipment that the trailers arrived with have to be delivered to that location as well, this strategically leverages the remaining capacity from Europegaz’s initial deliveries in Belgium unloading sixteen and twenty-six pallets from their two trailers. Once the loading operations have been completed the Europegaz trailers embark towards the Eurotunner at an average speed of eighty km/h with a planned forty-five-minute rest in route to comply with the EU driving laws. This pause is strategically planned to work well with the Eurotunnel check-in process given that the transit time through the tunnel is thirty-five minutes, this time also provides the driver some rest time before arriving in the UK.
Once in the UK the truck will proceed to the Maidstone NHS distribution center making sure to arrive before the four PM cut-off taking into account an hour’s drive from Folkestone and potential traffic. Once the delivery of thirty pallets has been completed the Europegaz’s role with the deliveries has been completed. Below you will find an image and time stamps outlining the Europegaz’s route plan.
Image 3: Europegaz Delivery Route
Europegaz Route Timetable:

• 6AM CET: Europegaz arrives at our DC in Belgium
• 6AM – 8AM CET: Unloading and loading of thirty pallets onto the Europegaz trailer
• 8AM CET: Departure from DC
• 8AM – 12:30PM CET: Travel towards Calais, including a forty-five minute break after four and a half hours of continues driving, truck driving at eight km/h the distance covered is roughly 360Km
• 12:30Pm – 1:15PM CET: Arrival at Calais and a short wait for Eurotunnel check-in and boarding. A forty-five-minute break here doubles as the mandatory rest and preparation for channel crossing.
• 12:15PM – 12:50PM GMT: Eurotunnel crossing from Calais to Folkestone which takes thirty-five minutes.
• !2:50 PM GMT: Arrival at Folkestone
• 12:50PM – 2:50PM GMT: Drive from Folkestone to the NHS distribution center in Maidstone, approximately seventy-five km which should take about an hour bit two hours are allocated as a buffer
  Our Truck Route
  Simultaneously our own truck is loaded with the remaining sixty pallets. Following the Europegaz’s schedule it departs from Antwerp headed towards the Eurotunnel. Once in the UK our truck stops at a rest area near Bridge water to observe the mandatory eleven-hour overnight rest. Early the next morning our truck completes the delivery to Bridgewater NHS distribution center followed by the delivery to Alfreton. Post-delivery our truck than takes a necessary rest before returning back to Belgium. Bellow you will find an image and time stamps outlining our trucks route plan.
  Image 4: Our van Delivery Route
  Our Truck Route Timetable:
• 6AM CET: Our truck is loaded with 60 pallets at DC
• 8AM CET: Departure from DC
• 8AM – 12:30PM CET: Travel towards Calais, incorporating a fourty-five minute break after four and a half hour drive
• 12:30PM – 1:15PM CET: Arrival at Calais for Eurotunnel check-in and break
• 1:15Pm – 1:50PM CET: Eurotunnel crossing
• 1:50PM CET: Arrival in Folkestone
  Post-Arrival in UK
• 12:50PM – 2;50PM GMT: Drive from Folkestone to a resting area Bridgewater (approximately seventy-five km to Maidstone then another 250 km to Bridgwater), with an additional two-hour travel allowance
• 2:50PM GMT: Arrive at the resting areas for mandatory eleven hour rest
  Friday
• 1:40AM GMT: Rest period ends
• 1:40AM – 5:40AM GMT: Travel from resting area to Bridgwater
• 5:40AM – 6Am GMT: Unloading at Bridgwater NHS DC
• 6AM – 10AM GMT: Depart towards Alfreton (approximately 200 km) including a forty-five-minute break
• 10AM – 10:15AM GMT: Unloading at Alfreton NHS DC
  Post-Delivery our truck will make its way back to our DC in Belgium
  Europegaz Journey Back to Poland
  As Europegaz prepares for their return journey to Poland from the UK a strategic plan is essential to ensure that the truck is loaded with goods optimizing both economic and environmental efficiencies. For my plan to avoid the Europegaz’s truck returning to Poland empty I will focus on motor vehical parts and accessories given the fact of the significant automotive trade between the tow countries. The UK, with its history as a big player in the automotive industry is a key exporter of these goods which in turn is in high demand in Poland’s expanding vehicle manufacturing and assembly sector.
  To capitalize on this opportunity Europegaz will establish a connection with a manufacturers of motor vehicle parts and accessories in the UK. Europehaz should reach out to some of UK’s largest automotive manufacturers as they could easily provide a wide range of parts and accessories for export, for example Jaguar Land Rover would be an ideal choice as they are one of the largest automotive manufactures in the UK, they provide a wide array of components and parts for their vehicles which could be in demand in Poland. Some other corporations they could reach out to are GKN Automotive for their driveline systems and advanced technology, and Lucas Industries who are traditionally a major supplier of automotive parts, being able to provide various components that could be needed in manufacturers in Poland. Europegaz could leverage existing trade realtionships or establish new connections with these companies.
  These producers are constantly looking for dependable logistics companies to ship their products into the European market, especially into nations like Poland where the automobile sector is a major driver of economic expansion. Eueopegaz will need to engage with these suppliers in order to create a level of trust and propose a mutual beneficial plan that leverages Europegaz’s return route to Poland. Timing will be and important factor to pay attention to as Europegaz has to coordinate the pick-up of goods form the UK suppliers to plan for potential pickups from multiple suppliers in case a single source wont be able to fill the truck’s capacity, making sure that the route taken across the UK minimizes travelling below capacity and maximizes logistical efficiency.