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As technology continues to advance, so do the opportunities for different businesses, such as those in the freight industry, to use it to their advantage. In many cases, the development of Web-based systems have allowed these companies to provide customers with easier access to services, such as receiving quotes, placing orders and tracking shipments online. Other cutting-edge technology, such as radio frequency identification systems and automatic identification systems, have enabled freight carriers to monitor the location of freight and of fleet vessels in real-time, increasing the accuracy of delivery times and ensuring the safety of company personnel.
KEEPING CREWS AND CARGO SAFE
Approximately three years ago, Foss Maritime, which provides ship assist and tanker escort, bunker and petroleum transportation, and towing, among other services, installed automatic identification systems on all of its tugs. Two years ago, the company also fully integrated its fleet with computer systems so that tug captains could forward information to the company on a real-time basis.
"All of these systems were integrated into our fleet as time and vessels permitted," said Don McElroy, senior vice president, Marine Transportation. "It was quite a significant investment; a good four figures per boat."
With automatic identification technology, the Coast Guard and other vessels can identify Foss' fleet even when they are not visible, due to fog or other unsafe weather conditions.
"Ships can identify each other, as well as exchange information about their speed and course in order to avoid collisions," McElroy said.
"This system also hooks into the Coast Guard's VTS, or vessel tracking system, which can play an important part in a rescue if a vessel is in trouble.
"While this new technology does make our fleet more efficient, our main goal, first and foremost, is to send people home safely at the end of the day, or the end of the voyage."
Outside of Alaska, Foss is also investing in new technologies to make its tugs more versatile. "Back in the 1980s, Foss was a pioneer in tractor-tug technology, which enabled us to provide power in our tugs in any direction to help large ships dock," McElroy said. "In intervening years, the size of ships has grown in terms of length and mass dramatically, and as a result, we're having to move in tighter quarters in certain harbors, such as in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
"We've now gone to the next level, our Dolphin class of tugs, in which we've put more power into the tugs, but reduced the size," he continued. "These tugs are 78 feet long, compared to the 90- to 100-foot range of the original tugs. It's more muscle in a smaller package."
In addition, Foss has taken its existing tractor tugs in areas like Puget Sound and upgraded them with tractor-plus technology.
"This technology adds more power and maneuverability to our existing vessels in order to work with bigger tankers and container ships in more restricted areas," McElroy said.
In September of 2006, Horizon Lines introduced the first fully functional intermodal active radio frequency identification solution to the 49th state. This tracking system, wedded to Horizon Line's Web-based event management system, allows shippers to have unparalleled shipment visibility from the time a container leaves the loading facility until it arrives at its final destination.
An ocean-container shipping industry first, RFID technology is an automatic identification method that stores and remotely receives data using transponders and receivers. Attached to Horizon Lines' containers, as well as some customer containers, the tags are read by receivers placed along the highway, as well as at locations in Alaska and Washington ports and in some customer retail locations. Customers can access RFID sightings through Horizon Lines' customer portal.
In January 2008, Totem Ocean Trailer Express, or TOTE, will go live with WhereNet's RTLS (Real Time Locating System), which will enable the company to identify what is being carried in a specific trailer and where that trailer is in real-time. TOTE is currently mounting transponders on its fleet of trailers, which will communicate with readers at Tacoma, Wash., and Anchorage port gates, as well as at selected customer locations.
TRACKING FREIGHT AND PLACING ORDERS ONLINE
Over the past five years, TOTE has reinvented itself by investing in new ships, trailers, software and hardware applications. "We recognize that the costs of transportation to and from Alaska are significant, so we chose to make appropriate investments into technology in order to minimize the costs of providing this service," said Curt Stoner, Alaska Sales Manager.
This investment includes TOTE's new eServiCenter, which provides a Web portal for customers and vendors alike to handle transactions "from quote to cash and everything in between," according to Stoner.
"Any transaction, including booking, tracking, tracing, invoicing and statement review can be accessed through our eServiCenter 365 days a year, 24/7," he said. "It allows our customers to do business on their own schedules."
The eServiCenter is only one component of TOTE's e-commerce strategy, which also includes Electronic Data Interchange capabilities.
"EDI transactions have a translation function that allows the customer to do things in their system that can then be read by our system," said Stoner of the standard format for exchanging business data. "Our system accepts their information, acts upon it, and returns an EDI transaction to them."
TOTE is currently in the process of finalizing its terminal operating system, which will go live in January.
"We're very committed to serving the Alaska trade in the best and most efficient way we can," Stoner said. "And we recognize that to do this, our technology must be state-of-the-art."
Carlile Transportation Systems also recently made a significant investment in new technology, modernizing its IT system to implement an integrated enterprise resource-planning system designed specifically for the logistics and transportation industry.
"Through this process, we have modernized our outdated software system, as well as eliminated stand-alone systems in order to integrate information flow more smoothly across the company," said IS Manager Daniel Sawyer. "Companywide, it provides us with a strong platform for future innovation and growth."
According to Sawyer, the new system will provide a richer set of Internet tracking and reporting tools to customers, and provide customers and employees with greater visibility into the current and future status of shipments.
"It will make information gathering easier than it's ever been," he added, "enabling our employees to receive real-time information so that they can help customers on the spot."
Future additions to the system include placing handheld computers on the docks to track the loading and unloading of cargo, a technology which is currently only used in the company's distribution center.
In addition to new software, Carlile also has added more advanced hardware throughout the company, including a blade system with SAN-combined virtualization technology.
"This technology, which we've had in place since spring, moves data much quicker and provides greater reliability and flexibility," said Eugene O'Neal, chief technology officer. "Because of built-in redundancies, it's practically bulletproof."
Carlile has also placed Qualcomm Satellite communication systems into all of its line trucks, which enables drivers and dispatchers to communicate with each other from any location using a computer keyboard and screen. The system includes a panic button to be used in emergency situations, which notifies Qualcomm within 30 seconds of a problem, so that they can contact the regulatory compliance coordinator by cell phone.
Back in January, Lynden Transport also put computers into their trucks in order to improve real-time freight visibility.
"A customer's pick-up request can be sent to the driver electronically, and the driver can then transmit back to the system with the pick-up is complete," said Alex McKallor, president, Lynden Transport. "We are also in the process of adding more components to the system, which will enable us to track the truck's speed, braking, emissions and fuel consumption in order to make sure that the trucks are being driven safely and economically."
Lynden also recently created a new E-commerce Center at which customers can request pickups, generate documents, trace shipments, view delivery receipts, and download reports of all of their shipping activities online.
"Customers can come to our site and use their tracking number to find out where their shipment is, or they can register online to receive more detailed information such as images of bills of lading, PDFs of delivery invoices, or full reports on what they've shipped downloaded into an Excel spreadsheet," said McKallor of the free service. "We're currently adding enhancements to enable customers to customize the information they receive, and recently added an On Demand feature that allows customers to do a one-time set up of the information they want, which will then be generated automatically into reports that are emailed to them on a regular basis."
IMPROVING EFFICIENCY AT THE ALASKA RAILROAD
According to Patrick Flynn, assistant vice president for Markets, Sales and Service at the Alaska Railroad, new technologies are not only helping the railroad to decrease costs and delays, but are also improving the safety of those who travel the rails.
"Using distributed power, we're better able to handle trains with heavy loads, such as coal or fuel, in steep terrain," he said.
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