Atlantic Intermodal Services

Container Tracking Innovations: 3PL Adoptions and Implementations

One of the challenges for North America’s intermodal industry over the years is the ability to accurately track and report a container’s status while it is in transit.

And while that has traditionally left third-party logistics companies at a disadvantage compared with other modes of transport that utilize GPS-enabled cargo and equipment-tracking sensors, intermodal has taken steps in recent years to catch up.

3PLs, in particular, have been able to greatly improve their operations and shipment visibility thanks in part to cloud-based software and database platforms, as well as the emergence of web-enabled devices that collect, send and act on data they acquire from their surrounding environments using embedded sensors, processors and communication hardware, technology commonly know as the Internet of Things, or loT.

“Intermodal industry adoption of tracking technology has come a long way in the last five years,” Joel Tracy, chief information officer with Memphis-based trucking firm IMC Companies told Intermodal Insights. “With loT, the amount of data being generated at ports, terminals, and now via in-cab technology [such as electronic logging devices and smartphones}, along with chassis/trailer GPS devices, continues to provide more transparency into the supply chain.”

To read more, visit Intermodal Insights.