DC Velocity - April 2015

4 DC VELOCITY APRIL 2015 www.dcvelocity.com inbound

Trucking has come a long way since the days when the band Little Feat sang about “drivin’ the back roads so I wouldn’t get weighed” in the song “Willin’.” For years, fleets have used transponders that ping drivers to notify them that their rigs are approved to bypass weigh stations, which saves them time, fuel, and money.

Mobile technology has recently gotten into the act.

Using cloud-based software, truckers can have tran-sponder-like functionality in their tablets, smartphones, and certain electronic logging devices (ELDs), also known as electronic on-board recorders. Unlike traditional transponders that must pass beneath a reader to receive a weigh-station bypass signal, the cellular technology enables notifications to be sent no matter where a driver is on the road.

And the technology keeps getting richer. For example, Canadian company Drivewyze Inc., which provides a mobile weigh-station bypass service, recently broadened its portfolio by embedding its technology in ELDs sold by Rand McNally and PeopleNet. A third ELD provider, Zonar, is testing the technology. The ELD manufacturers sell the equipment to fleets and drivers with Drivewyze’s analytics software available free on a trial basis. Users can run the software to determine how much they could save with the bypass service before taking out a subscription.

One advantage of the ELD embed is that, unlike with mobile devices, the technology and the accumulated data stay with the truck, Drivewyze said. One Drivewyze customer, Centerville, Minn.-based intermodal carrier BarOle Trucking, plans to install Drivewyze technology in ELDs in response to the upcoming federal government mandate that all trucks be equipped with the recorders.

BarOle’s drivers currently access Drivewyze’s service through tablets. Fleet Manager Karol Smith said that because the service allows state police to automatically check the company’s credentials and safety score, it has eliminated about 15 hours’ worth of delays at weigh stations per month. The savings will translate into greater availability of trucks to handle the expected flood of containers that have been held up at West Coast ports during recent labor slowdowns, Smith said.

“Willin’” to bypass weigh stations

There’s nothing more energizing than being in a room full of people who not only are in the same profession as you but also understand what it took to get where you are today—and what you need to further advance your career. That’s exactly what the female logistics and supply chain executives who attend the third annual AWESOME Symposium May 6–7 in New Brunswick, N.J., will find at this unique educational and networking event.

AWESOME, the name of the nonprofit organization founded by Ann Drake, CEO of DSC Logistics, stands for “Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education.” The group’s purpose, says Executive Director Nancy Nix, is to advance women supply chain leaders. In addition to networking and professional development activities, the organization also presents scholarships and an annual leadership award, conducts research, and produces educational programs. AWESOME currently has more than 500 members.

For more information about AWESOME, visit http://awesomeleaders.org.

Airships, those ponderous blimp-like cargo carriers that have yet to gain much commercial traction, have a couple of fans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrat Brad Sherman of California and Republican Tom Rooney of Florida announced in March that they had established the Cargo Airship Caucus to encourage the development of the rotund aircraft for military and civilian use.

The congressmen say the fuel-efficient airships currently under development could carry large cargo payloads over long distances at a fraction of the cost of fixed-wing aircraft. Because they require little in the way of ground infrastructure, airships can land and unload cargo in remote locations. This could allow the military to deliver large cargoes to theaters of operation more quickly than via maritime shipping, and could be especially effective in disaster relief, Sherman and Rooney said. Airships are also suitable for delivering large equipment for energy projects, such as wind farms, which often are located far from ground transportation networks, they noted.

The congressmen are now recruiting additional members for the caucus and will host a meeting to introduce members to the recent advancements in airship development by U.S. manufacturers.