ODIN Warehousing & Logistics has moved a significant part of its Rotterdam container traffic to off-peak hours after daytime congestion at terminals and on the road cut truck productivity, according to the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
The company is running container transport between 6 pm and 6 am at several Maasvlakte locations, using electric trucks as part of the shift.
“Whereas five years ago you could easily pick up six containers between 6 am and 6 pm, now you can often only pick up two or at most three. Given the volumes we handle, off-peak transport was the only logical step,” chief executive Alain Grotenhuis said.
Grotenhuis said night operations give terminals more capacity, wider time-slot availability and shorter waiting times. That has made truck planning more reliable and reduced uncertainty for shippers and forwarders.
“During daytime, uncertainty is much greater. Due to traffic congestion and waiting times, we can provide less predictable services. At night, however, conditions are more stable, and we can offer our customers greater reliability,” he said.
ODIN said the move increases the number of containers handled with the same truck and driver because less time is lost in queues and traffic. “With off-peak transport, we significantly increase productivity. This not only benefits our own operations but also enables us to offer customers reliable service at competitive rates. As traffic congestion and waiting times at terminals increase, logistics service providers such as ourselves will have to adapt,” Grotenhuis said.
Containers arriving at ODIN warehouses on weekday evenings are unloaded immediately. Boxes arriving after 11.30 pm are decoupled and processed the following morning, allowing drivers to return directly to terminals for another trip.
ODIN has invested in its own electric trucks and additional company-owned container chassis, while continuing to use capacity from regular transport partners. The electric trucks are charged on site with sustainably sourced green electricity. Grotenhuis said electric trucks are suited to off-peak transport because night driving involves fewer stops and steadier speeds, improving energy use while reducing emissions and noise around logistics corridors and urban areas.
The company said the investments will not be passed on through customer rates. “We recoup those investments by increasing productivity and utilising equipment and drivers more efficiently,” Grotenhuis said. ODIN said wider use of off-peak transport will require more evening and night access across the supply chain, including terminals, empty depots and other logistics links.
ODIN Warehousing & Logistics is a logistics service provider operating in warehousing, customs handling, ocean freight, cross-docking and intermodal transport, with activities connected to container flows through Rotterdam.
Port of Rotterdam Authority, or Havenbedrijf Rotterdam N.V., is the corporate entity responsible for managing, operating and developing the port and industrial area of Rotterdam.