Log delivery systems: what they are made of.
Log delivery systems explained for firewood yards. The parts every system needs, how they must connect, what to ask any supplier, and what LogRun's parts are.
You probably have a delivery system already.
Log delivery systems come in many shapes, and most yards already run one, even if nobody calls it that. It might be a notebook on the dashboard, a phone full of texts, a spreadsheet, a whiteboard in the office, or a driver who rings from the lane to check a postcode.
None of that's silly. Everybody understands a notebook, and it works while one person carries the whole round in their head. This page is about what firewood delivery systems need once that stops being true.
Six parts every delivery system needs.
Whatever it's built from, a delivery system for a log yard does six jobs.
Orders in
Phone calls, the shop and anything else that turns up. They need one list, not four.
Areas
Which postcodes you cover, and which of them go out together.
Runs
A group of orders for one day, one driver and one van, with the stops in a sensible order.
Paperwork
What the yard loads and what the driver carries. Paper copes well with a wet lane.
Customer messages
People want to know their day without ringing to ask.
Money and stock
Who has paid, what cash comes back, and what is left in the yard.
The patchwork you have now, beside one connected system.
Neither side is the villain. The question is which one fits your yard today.
A patchwork
- Nothing new to buy, and everyone knows how it works
- Fine while one person holds the whole round in their head
- Orders arrive in several places, then get copied into one
- A change is passed on by word of mouth or text, and sometimes doesn't arrive
- A failed drop is remembered, or it isn't
One connected system
- Phone, shop and office orders land in one list
- An order changed after printing marks its run, so the office knows to print again
- A failed drop comes back to the pool on its own
- Customers are told their day when the run is booked
- Someone has to set it up, learn it and enter orders in one place
Plenty of yards stay on a patchwork for good, and that's fair while one person runs the lot. It stops being fair when a second person, a second van or a second way of taking orders arrives.
An example (invented, not a real yard)
A change at ten to seven.
Ruth runs a yard with two vans. Carl rings before the first one has left and asks to add a net of kindling to his order.
In a notebook yard, Ruth writes it down and tells Ian as he loads. Often that's enough. Some days it isn't, and Carl is short a net of kindling.
In a connected system, Ruth changes the order once. The run was printed already, so it's marked changed since printed, and she prints the load sheet and run sheet again before the wagon leaves.
Questions to put to any supplier.
Ask these of anyone selling you a system, us included. They're worth asking even if you never buy a thing.
- Do orders from the phone, the shop and the office land in one list?
- Are my delivery areas lists of postcodes, and who adds a new one?
- What does my driver carry: paper, a phone screen, or both?
- When a drop fails, does the order come back by itself?
- Who tells the customer their day, and how?
- Can I bring my customer list in, and take it out again?
- Does it make invoices, and does it talk to my accounts package?
Then ask what the first busy week looks like. A good answer is specific.
What LogRun's parts are.
LogRun is a firewood delivery management system with those six parts joined up in one place.
- Orders: one pool for shop orders and phone orders.
- Areas: lists of postcode districts, with new districts held under No area yet.
- Runs: made from the pool, put in order, then booked.
- Paperwork: A4 PDFs for the yard, the driver and the single drop, plus a day sheet.
- Customer messages: emails, plus a calls list for customers without one.
- Money and stock: card payment in the shop, cash entered at the finish, invoices, stock counts.
LogRun gives drivers no app, doesn't follow the van, doesn't work out the best route and doesn't keep your books. Text messages and a route planner for drivers are extras, added for a yard that asks.
Questions people ask.
Is a notebook and a phone really a delivery system?
Yes, and a fair one. If every order reaches one person and that person plans every round, it can carry a yard a long way. The trouble starts when orders arrive in several places, or when someone else has to run the day.
What is the difference between delivery software and a delivery system?
The software is the program. The system is the program plus the habits around it: who enters orders, who books runs, who prints the sheets and who finishes the run. Good software keeps those habits short.
Can I move my customers and orders across from what I use now?
Yes. Our set-up can include moving your data, whether it lives in a spreadsheet, a shop like WooCommerce or Shopify, Cloud Commerce or an older system, so you pick up where you left off. A customer record can hold several phone numbers, emails and addresses, which suits a list that has grown by hand.
Will my driver need to learn anything new?
Not much. The driver gets printed sheets with the stops in order, payment status and access notes. There's no sign-in and nothing to install.
Do I need a delivery system for one van?
Not always. If orders come through one door and you plan every round yourself, a notebook may be all you need. A system earns its place when orders arrive from several doors.
Does the van need a phone signal for any of this?
No. The driver carries paper, so nothing has to load on the way. Internet matters in the office, where the run is made and printed.
Keep reading.
Want to see it run on your yard?
Tell us how you take orders and run your deliveries today. We'll show you LogRun working on a yard like yours, and tell you honestly if it isn't the right fit.