Apparatus and method for freight delivery and pick-up

A freight delivery/pick-up apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of sensors provided at each of a respective plurality of freight loading/unloading docks at a freight loading/unloading facility, each sensor configured to detect a presence or absence of a vehicle at the respective loading/unloading dock;
• a user system fixed at a building or stationary kiosk that is located remotely from the loading/unloading facility comprising:
• a user interface configured to communicate with a driver of a freight delivery/pick-up vehicle and to automatically gather information regarding the driver and/or a delivery schedule;
• and
• one or more input devices that are configured to automatically receive driver and/or vehicle information,
• wherein the user system is configured to automatically perform driver and/or vehicle authentication based on the received driver and/or vehicle information;
• and
• an administrator apparatus configured to automatically coordinate arrival of a plurality of vehicles at the freight loading/unloading facility to remove or mitigate bottlenecks associated with vehicles awaiting an opportunity to load or unload cargo by performing operations including:
• receiving signals from one or more of the plurality of sensors at the freight loading/unloading facility;
• automatically determining loading/unloading dock availability based on the received sensor signals wherein the sensor signals indicate the presence or absence of vehicles at the loading/unloading docks;
• sending a message via the user interface instructing the driver to go to a loading/unloading dock when a loading/unloading dock is available;
• and
• sending a message via the user interface instructing the driver to go to a waiting location until a loading/unloading dock is available when no loading/unloading dock is available,
• wherein the user system is configured for direct communication with both the facility and the administrator apparatus via an internet interface.

A processor-implemented method for management of freight pick-up and delivery, comprising:

• receiving, by a processor circuit of a user apparatus fixed at a building or stationary kiosk that is located remotely from a freight loading/unloading facility, driver information;
• automatically performing, by the user apparatus, driver and/or vehicle authentication;
• automatically coordinating, by an administrator apparatus, arrival of a plurality of vehicles at the freight loading/unloading facility to remove or mitigate bottlenecks associated with vehicles awaiting an opportunity to load or unload cargo by performing operations including:
• receiving signals from one or more sensors at the loading/unloading facility, wherein the one or more sensors are provided at respective loading/unloading docks at the loading/unloading facility, each sensor configured to detect a presence or absence of a vehicle at the respective loading/unloading dock;
• automatically determining loading/unloading dock availability based on the received sensor signals;
• sending a message to the user apparatus instructing the driver to go to a loading/unloading dock when a loading/unloading dock is available;
• and
• sending a message to the user apparatus instructing the driver to go to a waiting location until a loading/unloading dock is available when no loading/unloading dock is available.