If, by the end of the day, the schedule has played out exactly as Henri envisioned it, his workday is a success. That sounds simple enough. Until a customer calls asking if an extra shipment can still be added today, a load is rejected, or the schedule needs to be adjusted on the fly. That’s when the juggling begins.
Henri Houtman works as a transport planner at Van Thiel Transport. Together with his colleague Wesley, he handles the export planning for their own fleet. His favorite part of the job? As he puts it himself: “cramming the trucks full of cargo.”
Coffee first, then checking the fleet status.
Henri’s workday starts around 8:25 AM. Lunchbox goes into the fridge, computer on, and then a round of coffee for his colleagues. After that, he checks on the status of the trucks and sees where the schedule needs adjusting.
Henri describes himself as ‘calm and relaxed’. Good insight is an essential part of that, according to him. That comes in handy for his job, because: ‘No two days are the same in transport.’
Around 11:00 AM, it’s time for the soup of the day. Lunch break and a walk follow at 12:30 PM.
Filling the trucks to capacity
Around 2:00 PM, Henri and Wesley sit down together every day to organize the trucks for the following day. “It’s great when everything falls into place again,” Henri says about their daily planning session. Often it doesn’t stop at just that one moment: throughout the day, they consult on the schedule continuously.
When a customer gets in touch in the meantime asking if a shipment can still be added, Henri first checks if there’s space anywhere. “I actually always try to solve it,” he says. That can mean swapping loads around or reshuffling freight. Towards the end of the afternoon, Henri checks whether everything has been loaded, follows up with the drivers, and reviews the schedule for the next day one more time.
What customers don’t see behind the scenes
What customers usually don’t see is how much communication goes on behind the scenes. Henri points to swapping loads, reshuffling cargo, and staying in touch with other planners as examples of what happens in the background. “By now, we have so many contacts that almost nothing is impossible to solve,” Henri explains. If something isn’t working out, he tries to brainstorm along and offer advice.
Twenty loads, zero complaints
Sometimes the challenge isn’t in a single unexpected shipment, but rather in properly planning a larger project. A project of about twenty loads once earned Henri a wonderful compliment from a customer: “Super tolle Leistung!” (Great job!)
For this project, the loading and unloading of all shipments were perfectly aligned. The entire project went off without a single complaint.
Leaving Van Thiel and coming back
Henri first started at Van Thiel Transport in March 2000 through former driver Harm Huizinga. In April 2009, he left Van Thiel. Not because he wasn’t enjoying his job anymore; commuting distance played a major role in his decision. He was able to work as a planner closer to home in his hometown of Heerde. “In the end, I just wasn’t happy there. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side,” Henri explains. In May 2010, he returned: “Fortunately, the door at Van Thiel was still slightly ajar, and I was allowed to come back. To this day, I have no regrets about that.”
A major reason is the freedom he is given in his job. “Management isn’t constantly watching over my shoulder. I can make my own decisions.” For Henri, it’s primarily the team, his colleagues, and that freedom that make working at Van Thiel a joy after all these years.
When is a workday successful?
When is a workday a success for Henri? When the schedule he planned in advance actually unfolds smoothly. And what is he most proud of after all these years? Henri doesn’t have to think twice about that: the team.