Every day, companies ship billions of dollars’ worth of cargo to customers, wholesalers, and other recipients all over the globe. Trucks, ships, planes, trains, helicopters, cars, vans, and even bicycles carry every conceivable kind of product to its destination. With the help of computerized routing and oversight software and systems, business owners leverage the power of technology to transport items from Point A to Point B, wherever those places happen to be.
What are the most impactful methods of the bunch? Of dozens in current use, several stand out, including network video recorders for truck fleets, all-electric vans and cars for municipal entities, GPS devices and digital tags in multiple industries, and many others. Even if you are new to commercial transportation and in the midst of negotiating a career transition this information can be pertinent. Consider the following details about some of the top choices among owners and managers across a wide range of commercial sectors.
Cameras in the Transport Industry
Fleet managers are employing some of the most ground breaking technology to move cargo across long distances for hundreds of different purposes. One of the lynchpins of the newest wave of devices is the NVR (network video recorder) camera system, which gives supervisors a full view of what’s happening inside trucks that are in transit. A typical camera system with NVR features is not only an efficiency booster but a way to increase security and on-the-road safety as well. It’s essential for management to know how to select the right products in this category. That means learning to evaluate comparative features like sophisticated IP cameras, cloud storage potential, various features of the VMS (video management system), and more.
Electric Vehicles for Municipal Fleets
For more than a decade, municipal vehicle fleets, consisting mostly of cars and small trucks, have been transitioning to all-electric or hybrid-electric forms of propulsion. The trend started very slowly just before 2010, but after major auto manufacturers began selling hybrids in large numbers, cities and states started converting their fleets to electric power as much as possible. In the 2020s, it’s hard to find a medium-sized or large city that doesn’t use electric or hybrid cars and trucks in its fleet.
GPS for Company Cars and Vans
A GPS (global positioning system) is an inexpensive device now in use in countless companies and by millions of individuals. They serve as a low-cost way to keep track of just about anything and have transformed the transportation industry for the better. Nowadays, company cars, vans, and trucks use the devices to pinpoint the location of valuable assets around the clock. Not only do GPS systems make it easy to find out where your vehicles are, but they also offer instantaneous location information about cargo shipments whenever managers want to check up on a shipment.
Tagged & Tracked Air Shipments
Goods that are transported via ships and air carriers represent a special challenge for logistics management teams. That’s because oceangoing vessels and planes don’t offer the same kind of instant physical tracking that’s available for trucks, cars, and vans. Tagging is one solution for busy supervisors who want precise locations of air and sea shipments. GPS-enabled tags are the most efficient way to follow a load of cargo from its point of origin to the final destination.