The Connected Truck - G. Ray Gompf
T
he Internet connectivity has become equally as important to the transportation industry as the power unit designed to pull the freight, the fuel and the insurance. Shippers want to know precisely where their freight is and exactly when it’s delivered or about to be delivered and they’re demanding the ability to track the progress of the movement of that freight. All of this is now possible, whether it’s achieved via a system built into the truck or a device such as a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer. But further than that, truck drivers, with one of their devices, can discover where freight is available for pick up within a selected radius in a lane of their choice using apps specifically designed for the purpose — XYpper.com is the foremost app for freight finding without hours wasted scanning load boards. XYpper sends you the message to your device telling you where the freight is, acting like your back office. With a few taps of your screen, you can book that load in seconds and all done by textual communications so instructions are clear and tracking an available option. Connectivity is now critical for every step of the supply chain. Connectivity is also critical in tracking loads that may have been stolen and assist in recovery. On the other side, the level 10
JULY - AUGUST 2020
of connectivity saves copious amounts of time, in that the closest available truck can be dispatched with certainty. Connectivity actually increases capacity by knowing if there is additional room for a smaller load that could be twinned, going in the same direction. In days of old — a few years ago — the driver would leave his or her family and there would be very limited contact between the driver and home folk until his or her return however long that separation may have been. With today’s connectivity, that personal contact isn’t just by voice when a phone could be found or if you could find more than one bar but by visual connectivity. Virtual home visits are not just possible but absolute reality. Even safety meetings with remote people is not just possible, but happens with more regularity than one might think. Today’s connectivity allows for complete knowledge of traffic situations anywhere, and weather patterns can be brought up in an instant where alternate routes can be planned before getting into situations that could cause a shut down. Even dash cameras can be and are live streamed online, not just to monitor if a driver is operating safely but to verify the inexperience of the car drivers with whom the truck driver must cope.
Truck drivers have the ability to plan better, be trackable, have direct availability to family, dispatch or virtually anyone who happens to have access to that connectivity. Connectivity should also play a role in recruiting and retention. Since truck driving is by and large a single, solitary kind of existence, the ability for normal human connection with family and friends should be paramount in attracting talent to the driver pool. Driving allows the solitude that drivers often seek, but just because they seek solitude doesn’t mean they don’t need to communicate with home as needed. This kind of communication is most often the responsibility of the driver as a supplement to the connectivity with the carrier, but why? A recognition by the carrier that this driver is sacrificing so much for the carriers bottom line would go a long way towards the retention side of the coin. That device upon which virtually every trucker depends for communications is also the device that allows for entertainment during downtimes. Even many of the games people play for entertainment on their devices require connectivity to the Internet. Online commerce has grown exponentially over the past decade to the point where bricks and mortar stores don’t really need to exist. From the seat of your NATIONAL MAGAZINE
