Logistics, as an industry, is undergoing digital transformation just as much as any industry today. In this blog, we outline some of the technologies currently being used in the logistics industry, including the focal point of efficiency enablement, the transportation management system (TMS). We also cover some of the capabilities of AMCS Bulk Hauling, our own software solution, and give a brief run-through of trending logistics technologies.
Short-haul bulk commodity trucking and other logistics companies are rapidly moving away from reliance on tedious, manual processes to keep track of drivers, plan routes, send invoices, handle tickets and store data. The rapid evolution of supply chain management technologies like machine learning, automation, artificial intelligence and the cloud has coincided with the growing importance of data and analytics in transportation and fleet management.
Data now sits at the core of efficient business and operations management. It enables more accurate forecasting, facilitates predictive fleet maintenance, and encourages greater efficiency and transparency. It helps you reduce costs and minimize errors throughout your hauling business. More importantly, these technologies keep you compete in this ever-shifting landscape.
the role of the transportation management system
Any discussion about logistics technology and short-haul trucking operations should start with the TMS, the core of virtually all other logistics technology. In a broad sense, the TMS is a platform that ensures every aspect of your trucking business is as efficient as possible, while assisting you with maintaining full compliance with national transportation regulations. A TMS is particularly beneficial for short-haul trucking companies for four reasons:
- control: enables trucking businesses to strategize, execute, and optimize the incoming and outgoing movement of all types of commodities.
- coordination: ensures robust workflow management, preventing you and your employees from becoming completely overwhelmed.
- scalability: provides scalablity as your trucking company grows and is flexible enough to handle a variety of commodities in a variety of industries.
- automation: offers automated dispatch, ticketing, invoicing and reporting functionality.
software over hardware
AMCS's own TMS, Bulk Hauling, is a robust, cloud-based, end-to-end logistics system for handling dispatch, GPS location tracking (geotracking), e-ticketing, reporting, driver payroll, rating, invoicing and much more – all in a single platform. The software dashboard is fully customizable, allowing you to schedule jobs, track orders and manage your fleet from anywhere using, our flexible software modules. AMCS Bulk Hauling also enables hands-free messaging and notifications to keep drivers safe, and prevent them having to use their smartphones.
Our industry-leading SaaS platform contains fully integrated HOS LED (hours of service electronic logging devices) compliance tools to help drivers log hours of service and report their status using just a smartphone or tablet. With a single push of a button, all logs of a specific driver can be transmitted to the AMCS Bulk Hauling platform. Best of all, all hardware is included in the price of the software and can be installed in under an hour on the vehicle’s Controller Area Network (CAN) bus and mounted on the dashboard.
logistics technology trends
Artificial intelligence and automation technologies are now entering the logistics sphere at a pace. Customer service chatbots, self-driving trucks and other autonomous vehicles are all now in evidence in the industry.. Other trending logistics technologies used by trucking businesses include:
- advanced GPS: GPS is used to plan and optimize routes, as well as for facilitating driver tracking. Ultimately, this keeps drivers on schedule while reducing the frustration that comes from being stuck in traffic or lost on a route.
- dash cams: These are now used inside the cabs of many trucks to provide crash monitoring, increased front and rear visibility for the driver, and to better evaluate driver performance.
- mobile applications: Mobile apps can monitor driver performance metrics in real-time, provide notifications to your dispatchers, and make information more accessible to stakeholders. You’ll find these capabilities in our business intelligence module.
- Software as a Service (SaaS): With secure data storage in the cloud, SaaS guarantees you’ll never have to worry about losing critical data for any truck or driver in your fleet. Our cloud-based platform eliminates the need for expensive legacy software that has to be installed, run and maintained in a single, centralized, physical location.
With the right logistics technologies, short-haul, bulk commodity trucking companies just like yours can remove the barriers that might be blocking your full business potential. Our industry-leading TMS and its state-of-the-art software modules will take care of all the heavy lifting so you can focus on scaling your operation.
For help navigating your way through the world of fleet logistics, get in touch with us today and check out our resources page for more information.