Programs Used in Trucking
- Logistics programs help the trucking industry transport cargo more efficiently.American container truck on road of my trucks series image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
Specialized transportation industry programs assist truckers, freight brokers and freight companies to operate efficiently. These programs range from the handling and shipment of cargo, fleet records and activities, maintenance checks and can also calculate fuel consumption information. Many trucking companies have implemented computer networks to create a web of data management, compliance procedures and sharing of information. - Transportation Management programs are used by trucking companies to interface with other freight carriers providing information for shipment and pickup of goods. The program provides an interface for the trucking company to see which goods have an estimated arrival time at a port or station so that trucks can be dispatched in a timely fashion to pick up cargo for distribution to other destinations.
- Fleet Management programs maintain information on a fleet of vehicles, type of vehicle, capacity of the vehicle and status of the vehicle (operable, inoperable or maintenance due status). The system is also used to track vehicle purchases or decommissioning of a vehicle. For example, rental car services use a hybrid form of fleet management program to maintain status on cars that are on location or rented out to customers. These programs also maintain records on fleet vehicle titles and registrations.
- Vehicles used in trucking are exposed to wear and tear from travel. Maintenance scheduling programs contain a database of information on maintenance, labor costs and history of vehicles. The program allows mechanics to extract and analyze an entire maintenance history of a vehicle by report or computer. The program aids the mechanic in troubleshooting an existing problem which could have been caused by an old problem. Maintenance requests can be established with this program from truck drivers or fleet personnel.
- Global Positioning System (GPS) programs allow a trucking company's dispatch operators or controllers locate trucks out on the highway and find the best mileage routes for drivers. Trucks are also installed with GPS devices that show a virtual map of the area that is being travel through and the shortest way to get to a town or city. The GPS systems that are so prevalent in cars were first used in the trucking industry and are operate by satellite.
- For your average truck driver, bill of lading receipts and invoices can be hard to track manually. Logistics management programs set the procedure for handling of documents and invoices. The trucking industry has also developed specialized software allowing truck drivers to transmit receipts and invoices by using a laptop or a specialized device, which transmits the information to the main office. Information is transferred by satellite, Internet or email. Fuel consumption information is also downloaded to the program to track information for fuel tax expenditures.
