Today, technology is critical to the operation of any type of business, especially in shipping and transportation industries because of the complexities of the processes involved. In turn, shipping and transportation demands elaborates solutions. New technologies in the areas of securing, planning, and managing shipments have refined the processes involved, benefiting trucking organizations large and small.
Technology’s Role
Technological advancement benefit the trucking industry in the following areas:
- Automation – Trucking companies offer automated services that result in fast and efficient shipping of cargo, local or international. The automated tools, mostly available online, help trucking companies prepare Customs requirements and estimate costs. The automated tools can provide state-by-state or country-by-country cost estimates, documentation forms, data on trade regulations, and licensing requirements. Errors in shipping address are minimized by automation because address details, such as ZIP code, can be matched and validated.
- Security – Technological advancements keep shipments safe and secured as trucking companies comply with airport and seaport requirements and processes. Trucking companies developed an understanding of the necessary security processes as all the requirements can be accessed online. Trucking companies were able to adjust their processes in line with the screening technology used in the destination port. Most importantly, technology enabled trucking companies to keep track of the progress of their shipments.
- Sustainability – Technology-enabled trucking companies to contribute to the preservation of the environment by becoming less reliant on paper and other paper products that were previously over-utilized for documentation. The entire logistics process now has the potential to be an eco-friendly version of documentation because of how much can now be used in digital format, with the exception of few instances when paper copies of the documents are required.
Carrier Maintenance – Cargo is primarily transported using container vans, trucks, and other means of freight transportation. Those units are prone to mechanical breakdown unless they are maintained. Technology has elevated carrier maintenance to optimum levels of performance through computerized evaluation, scheduling, and records keeping.
The trucking industry is one of the highly computerized industries in the world. As technology constantly evolves, shipping and transportation from one point of the world to another has become an efficient and fast operation.