LOGISTICS
have pre-existing connections to many of the logistics services providers ( LSPs ) that are used for journeys , meaning they ’ ll have wellestablished processes for onboarding carriers that they are not connected to already .
“ The shipper will need authorisation to provide services to the technology provider and will also need to strongly encourage some of the carriers to engage in the process .”
The benefits of such visibility across an intermodal supply chain are considerable , says Sherman : “ It will improve customer service , by leveraging a technology provider who can provide updates and notifications to customers , who might be concerned about longer , and potentially more variable , transit times .”
Sherman says there are also cost reductions to be had . “ Oftentimes , the cost of transport goes down with GHG emissions , so you can achieve both cost savings and emissions ’ reduction by being able to effectively use these modes ,” he says .
“ Then there is asset utilisation . By having better visibility and the ability to take action on exceptions before they become more significant problems , you can keep asset velocity up and the number of assets required to serve your business down .”
Sherman believes that another appeal of rail is that it can already offer what autonomous trucking is promising to .
“ In the US , it ’ s said autonomous trucking will take off only once each truck is hauling two trailers and there are dedicated lanes on the highways to improve flow and safety . Also , it will only be on the first and last mile that driving is done by a human driver .
“ Well , that sounds a lot like a small intermodal train to me , so why don ’ t we leverage something that already exists today , as opposed to waiting five or ten years for autonomous trucking to have a significant impact ?” supplychaindigital . com 75