With more and more high-tech innovations being introduced to the shipping and transportation arena every year, it’s important to know your options and how they can save both time and money, benefitting the entire supply chain.
Hitting the Road
There was a time when ground transportation was simple: a truck, a driver, a clipboard with a few sheets of paper, and a pen was all you needed to get from Point A to Point B. But new technologies have overtaken every aspect of the transportation industry, with electronics and Internet applications designed to manage everything from mileage tracking, fuel costs, and route management to geolocation, temperature, and humidity control. So there is no better time to dive into these new developments and plan for the future.
“Real-time tracking of shipments, assessing temperature and location of products en route, security monitoring of high-value products, and critical data on time-sensitive perishables are all vital to making sure you maximize every mile,” comments Nikki Hartman, corporate public relations manager for Jupiter, FL-based Locus Traxx Worldwide, which provides products and services to help shippers manage these factors. “This way, you maintain and increase your on-time ratio, shelf life, and product integrity.”
Smart Phones Get Smarter
Mobile applications (apps) have changed the way we do everything, from business communication to grocery shopping to waking up in the morning, so it’s no surprise these programs have had a major impact on the transportation industry as well.
One type of application is a real-time smartphone tool for delivery optimization. Features include an electronic signature capture for identity verification, turn-by-turn navigation and driver location tracking through global positioning software (GPS), and support for cash-on-delivery exchanges.
The ‘Driver App,’ offered by Produce Pro, Inc. of Woodridge, IL is one example. “It removes the need for truck drivers to carry excessive paperwork or to have an additional GPS system in their trucks,” explains Produce Pro’s president, Dave Donat. The app provides real-time tracking and allows drivers to create and update tasks, note delivery errors or shorts, and email signature-captured invoices on delivery.
Deliveries can also be added while the driver is already en route, with the app instantly communicating the location to the driver.
With smartphones constantly adding to their capabilities, from image and motion capture to gyroscopes and accelerometers to track the position and movement of shipments at every turn, they have become vital to the transportation industry. Many shippers are also adding GPS mapping and traffic updates to their cadre of tools to reduce delays due to congestion, construction, or accidents.
Big Data Gets Bigger
All of this information, however, from location and position of trucks to quantity and quality of cargo, is only as useful as the data that supplies it.
