The verdict in three sentences
A warehouse receiving 120 trucks a day without booked slots pays detention charges and forklift overtime every month, and a dock appointment scheduling app removes most of it within weeks. A market SaaS costs 300 to 1,200 EUR per month, but fits poorly with the specific rules of a multi-client site; a custom app falls in the Kolonell mid tier, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), delivered in 2 to 3 months. The choice depends on your dock allocation rules, not on the entry price.
The hidden cost of waiting at the dock
The 40,000 m² warehouse, in a logistics zone near Schiphol or Rotterdam, or along the M25 near London, has 14 docks and serves four clients: grocery retail, e-commerce, industrial parts and food. Trucks arrive in a wave between 6 am and 10 am. The result: 1 to 3 hours of waiting, hauliers billing detention and dock teams overloaded in the morning and idle in the afternoon.
| Indicator | No appointments | With appointments (6-month target) |
|---|---|---|
| Average wait per truck | 1 h 45 | 25 min |
| Trucks billing detention | 35 per day | 6 per day |
| Detention billed (40 to 60 EUR or GBP per hour) | About 2,400 per day | About 300 per day |
| Dock occupancy 6 am to 10 am | 100 % plus a queue | 85 % |
| Dock occupancy 2 pm to 6 pm | 40 % | 75 % |
| Haulier calls to the ops office | 60 per day | 15 per day |
Even if only half of the detention ends up recharged to you, the stake is above 200,000 EUR a year.
Market SaaS or custom app
| Criterion | Dock scheduling SaaS (2026 estimate) | Kolonell custom app |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 300 to 1,200 EUR or 250 to 1,000 GBP per month, plus 2,000 to 8,000 in setup | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), then maintenance |
| Time to start | 2 to 6 weeks | 2 to 3 months |
| Rules per client | Limited configuration | Free rules: dedicated docks, chilled goods first |
| WMS link | Standard connectors, sometimes paid | Targeted integration with your WMS |
| Haulier portal | Included, vendor branded | Your branding, in the languages you need |
| Data ownership | With the vendor | With you, source code delivered |
If your site runs simple rules (one slot equals one dock, fixed duration), a SaaS is often enough. If you manage chilled-only docks, variable durations by pallet count, late penalties per client and a WMS link to prepare receiving, custom pays off from year two.
Key features of version one
- Haulier portal: book a slot from the PO or booking number, plate, pallet count, goods type.
- Allocation engine: duration computed from volume, compatible docks (chilled, tail lift, side loading), capacity per time band.
- Operations screen: live plan of the 14 docks, check-in and check-out, lateness flagged.
- Gate kiosk or QR code: driver check-in in 30 seconds, SMS 'dock 7 in 10 minutes'.
- Analytics: punctuality by haulier, average wait, occupancy by hour, a basis for contract talks with clients.
A simple version, with no WMS link or kiosk, can stay in the simple tier, 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR). Hosting is set in the quote, and Kolonell maintenance runs 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR).
How to run the rollout
Start with one client and four docks for three weeks, then extend to the full site. Send hauliers a one-page guide in English and Dutch or Polish, and keep a phone fallback for the first month. Agree with each client that unbooked trucks are served after booked ones, and write that rule into the haulage terms. Review punctuality data weekly with the dock team during the first two months: most gains come from adjusting slot lengths, typically 30 minutes for a full trailer and 15 minutes for a small van.
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Mini case study
Mark, operations manager of the site near Tilbury, counts 35 trucks a day billing detention at an average of 50 GBP per hour, over 250 working days: 437,500 GBP a year of exposure, of which about 40 % is actually recharged to his company, or 175,000 GBP.
With the app, he targets 6 trucks a day over time, or 30,000 GBP actually billed per year. The net gain reaches 145,000 GBP a year. The 9,500 EUR build plus 114 EUR per month of maintenance, about 10,900 EUR in year one, pays back in under a month of operations. Two hours of forklift overtime each morning disappear as well.
FAQ
Will hauliers play along?
Yes if booking takes under 2 minutes and trucks without a slot go after the others. Expect 70 % of trucks booked after 8 weeks and 90 % after 6 months.
Do we need the WMS link from day one?
No. A daily import of expected orders is enough to start; real-time integration adds 3 to 5 weeks.
How are late arrivals handled?
The engine applies a grace period, for example 30 minutes, then moves the truck to the next free slot. Lateness is logged per haulier and feeds quarterly reviews.
Does the app work across several sites?
Yes if the architecture allows it: each site keeps its docks and rules. Adding a second warehouse usually takes 1 to 2 weeks of configuration.
Let's scope your project. Describe your docks, clients and arrival peaks, and we will scope an app deliverable in 2 to 3 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
