Regardless of how economic factors or worldwide crises are affecting the supply chain at the time, most BCOs and customers in need of intermodal transportation have the same major concern. They want their cargo to arrive on time, undamaged, and of course, without any unpleasant surprises. The customers at C&K Trucking are the same. However, we focus on offering them the most often-requested piece of information about their shipments: real-time data for their last mile delivery.
It’s not hard to understand why. After their shipping containers survive an overseas journey and safely arrive at the port, drayage is the next step in the supply chain, and often, one of the most volatile. Shipping containers must be promptly drayed from the port to avoid demurrage fees as well as meet customer expectations for on-time delivery to the warehouse or distribution center.
As a contractor hauls one of our customer’s shipping containers to its final destination, C&K Trucking uses many types of technologies to monitor the journey in real-time. They include:
API. API stands for Application Programming Interface and refers to software that can interact between a client and its server. We use APIs to facilitate communication between us, our customers, and the team making the deliveries for our customers. Staying connected enables us to keep customers reliably updated.
EDI. Electronic Data Interface, or EDI, is a way to transmit important documents between our owner-operators who deliver for our customers and us. Throughout the day, we communicate 214 transaction sets, which are standard transportation carrier shipment status messages. They provide the information we need to inform our customers about the shipment origin, specs, ETAs, and proof of delivery. All data is reliable and from the best possible source.
Internet of Things (IoT) Devices. IoT devices such as GPS trackers, sensors, and RFID tags help track the status of our trailers and customer shipping containers en route to their final destination. Using their feedback, we can pinpoint the location of our customers’ shipping containers and vehicles and inform them of expected ETAs.
Real-Time Analytics Platforms. Whenever possible, C&K Trucking and its expanding network of supply chain partners work together to monitor drayage operations in real time. The platform also analyzes historical and emerging data to calculate the most accurate information for the last mile. Such data provides real-time info and helps customers improve overall efficiency by providing valuable insights that can inform future drayage operations.
Customized Reporting. We have also worked with customers to meet their needs for monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators important to their enterprise. We listen to customers and always look to improve our communication and offer even better service.
At C&K Trucking, we understand that reporting last mile delivery data is important to our customers. We will continue to use the latest technologies to deliver their cargo, and the data they need to make the next delivery even more efficient. If we can help you improve your drayage with better reporting and last mile delivery data, contact us at 888-209-3837 to learn more.
