Gheeraert is a family business in transport and logistics, based in Loppem, near Bruges. It has been running for more than 65 years and handles pallet distribution across the Benelux, European groupage, and warehousing. In 2025 it acquired Group De Rudder, adding distribution and warehousing capacity around Kortrijk and Brussels. That part of the business is now De Rudder Logistics, part of Gheeraert, and it takes in a heavy flow of inbound deliveries every day. For a while, getting those trucks through the gate in an orderly way was the problem.
A spreadsheet full of wrong times
Inbound scheduling ran off an Excel sheet the customer provided, listing when deliveries were meant to arrive. Most of it didn’t hold up. Carriers ignored the times, and there was no way to hold anyone to a slot.
The bigger issue was arrivals bunching up. Trucks turned up in clusters, and the yard couldn’t absorb them.
Booked slots, no queue
Gheeraert moved inbound scheduling into LoadingCalendar. Carriers book their own dock time through one portal link. Because the slots spread across the day, trucks arrive when they’re expected instead of all at once. The queue at the site is gone, and so are the charges for waiting time that came with it.
It updates itself
Day to day, what stands out is how little manual work is left. When a carrier moves a booking, the calendar updates on its own and Gheeraert gets an email about the change. Nobody edits anything by hand.
One thing carriers run into at first: the first time they open the customer specific booking portal, they get an email to confirm their address (Magic Link technology used). It takes some of them a moment to get used to, but after that they’re recognized and book straight in.
For an operation taking in trucks from dozens of suppliers, arrivals that hold to a schedule are the difference between running the dock and reacting to it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can! LoadingCalendar allows you to upload loading plans in various formats for easy access by your warehouse staff. Supported formats include images (like JPG, PNG) and PDFs. This ensures your team has all the necessary information readily available to begin loading tasks.
Consider Cleveron's approach: they equip their forklifts with tablets that display uploaded loading plans.
Absolutely! There is an option to provide internal notes about loadings that only your team can see. Highlight critical details, like fragile items or specific stacking instructions. For easier usage, indication of added notes is also displayed on the calendar.
- Reduced carrier waiting times - Warehouse scheduling software solutions ensure carriers arrive during designated windows, minimizing wait periods at loading docks.
- Improved visibility - Warehouse scheduling calendar provides clear overview of upcoming appointments. Your warehouse will get notified immediately if something changes.
- Reduced Labor Costs - By automating processes, warehouse scheduling software systems can help reduce labor costs associated with scheduling and dispatching deliveries. Less time is spent on manual coordination and more time can be focused on other important tasks.
If you have your own warehouse and currently use whiteboard or Excel sheets for warehouse scheduling, then you would probably benefit from warehouse scheduling software. You can take a self-assessment to evaluate your needs.
Only 5 minutes! You can get your account up and running in 5 minutes. Depending on you specific needs, you may need additional time to set up more complicated business processes, like predefined loading durations or lunch breaks for docks. This all can be done by yourself! No need for long onboarding process or help from support team.
LoadingCalendar also offers a 14-day free trial. This way you can validate if dock scheduling is something that works for you before committing. Free trial does not require credit card.
