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.
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.
Big data is big business, and for anyone in the shipping business, accuracy is critical—as is the ability to make sure everyone throughout the supply chain can get the same information at the same time.
Connectivity and access
In a recent survey by Bain Capital, only 19 percent of companies had consistent access to high-quality data, and only 4 percent had the right people, tools, and intent to “draw meaningful insight” from the data or act on it. This is where data management software comes in.
Data management software can provide increased connectivity for all users, with automatically generated weekly updates, and a cloud-based server that allows users mobility instead of keeping them chained to the office. It can also save time and money by maximizing access to data at every point in the stream, as well as making the entire supply chain more visible to all involved parties.
Reno, NV-based Progistix Worldwide, Inc. is responsible for FreightFlow, cloud-based software currently in beta testing that aims to cut through many of the traditional problems associated with data access and management.
“The problem with a lot of technology is that it’s fragmented,” comments Progistix chief executive officer Bud Floyd. “You have people using legacy systems, you have hardware that doesn’t communicate well with standard industry tools, and you have updates that cost a lot of money, slow down your system, and aren’t going to get the same information to everyone in your supply chain.”
This and other cloud-based systems have the advantage of making access to data—so critical in an age where a company is only as good as the information it can give and get—more flexible, available, and thorough. Cloud-based solutions also free up server space, reduce the cost of memory and the need for elaborate infrastructures and technical support, and increase security, as well as decreasing the risk of data loss in the event of theft or damage.
Connecting carriers with loads
The Silvaris Corporation, headquartered in Seattle, WA offers another way of putting big data to work for shippers via their FreightConnect service. Using a large database of qualified produce carriers, the program offers companies the ability to search, select, and monitor carriers.
FreightConnect is a cloud-based service and offers a great deal of flexibility to users. “You can post unlimited loads and reach more potential truckers,” explains Silvaris front-end web designer Denton Ward. “Carriers will be able to view your load requirements and contact you immediately; users can also find new trucking partners with over 80 different filters, so you can quickly find carriers that meet your needs,” he says.
“We update over 1.5 million records every 24 hours, with data from all relevant Department of Transportation carrier tracking websites,” adds Ward.
A sharing model, set of due diligence tools, and watch list are all included with FreightConnect, which uses a subscription-based model.
The Internet of (More) Things
Much of the technology in current use consists of what is often referred to as “the Internet of Things” (IoT). This is the process by which objects, from coffee makers and refrigerators and other home appliances to vehicles, industrial machinery, and urban infrastructure, are able to communicate, collect, and exchange data through information networks.
Billions of objects are already incorporated into IoT and have penetrated the transportation sector, including vehicles, scanners, facilities, and even packaging able to gather and share data. It is estimated that by the year 2025 IoT will consist of almost 50 billion objects and will generate over $11 billion in revenue.
Food safety applications
Locus Traxx Worldwide is already on the IoT bandwagon and taking advantage of its many possibilities. Products and services focus on improved delivery times, food safety, shelf life, and security to bring shippers into full compliance with federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandates for the sanitary transportation of food.
“The law affects everyone involved in the transportation of refrigerated and frozen food, regardless of how the load gets shipped,” explains Hartman. “These records must be available for one year and turned over to the Food and Drug Administration within twenty-four hours. Locus Traxx provides FSMA compliance with real-time monitoring, and all reports are stored indefinitely.”
The company’s flagship monitoring device is the GO LUX, which monitors temperature, location, and security of goods in transit, regardless of location, and adds a light sensor to secure shipments for cross-border movement that can detect inspection, delivery, or tampering. The GO LUX deivce is also available with an extended battery for longer shipping times.
In addition to intelligent sensor reports available in a number of formats, Locus Traxx software provides constant, customizable online tracking. “Every year,” Hartman explains, “customers save hundreds of thousands of dollars in what would have been lost shipments. The ability to take corrective action before a shipment is damaged, resulting in rejections and claims, is an evolutionary shift for the industry.”
Adding operational value
Someone who knows a thing or two about missing or lost shipments is Jerry Pilecky, logistics manager for Wisconsin-based RPE Inc. He is well aware of IoT’s capabilities and how much value it adds to his company’s goal of delivering high-quality produce.
“It was a Tuesday morning in May 1996,” Pilecky recalls, “when each phone call was answered with great anticipation. We were waiting on a missing driver, who had loaded imported grapes in Philadelphia on Friday. That was the last phone contact we had with him, and the cargo was worth over $50,000.” Remember, he reminds us, “There were no cell phones to speak of, no tracking devices to ease my mind; each phone call was more tense than the last.”
Long story short, Pilecky says the driver finally checked in after claiming to be ill (even too sick to make a phone call). The truck arrived at the receiving dock the next morning, and all involved parties were forced into negotiations due to the late delivery.
Now, of course, technology would make such a situation nearly unthinkable. Almost every driver has a smartphone and usually a tablet as well. Drivers can use apps to find the best routes, manage hours of service, book their next load, tally expenses, and even plan meals.
According to a recent survey of more than 6,000 owner-operators, 57 percent are already using their smartphones more than last year; 37 percent regurlarly use them to book loads, and 33 percent use connected devices to monitor weather, road conditions, and fuel prices. Over a third also employ GPS, load tracking devices, temperature monitors, and electronic logs.
A plethora of apps
The types of apps available, with new ones popping up almost daily, present a staggering mix of game-like images and high-tech convenience.
Truck booking applications like LoadStart, Getloaded, TruckersEdge, and ITS Trucker allow drivers to find and book loads, bid on them, and exchange rates. FleetSafer, Drive First, Textecution, and KyrusFleet are all focused on driver safety, and provide ways to prevent accidents due to distracted driving all at minimal to no cost.
Then there’s scanning technology like Camscanner and Tiny Scanner, which can capture and disseminate vital information on loads, even if the information is handwritten or nondigital. “The ability to share documentation this quickly,” notes Pilecky, “allows for fewer claims and faster settlements.”
Moving Forward
With such a vast range of alternatives, it can seem overwhelming to figure out which transportation technology may be best for your company.
Here again, however, the technology is your tool as well as your aim. By contacting different vendors and determining your company’s specific technological needs—and then making sure you check the rates, reputation, and degree of technical support available—you can be sure to find the right technology to fit your company’s current and future needs.
As cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and wireless phone applications continue to be more common and more necessary, failing to move forward is not an option.
