DC Velocity - August 2019

inbound

Human trafficking is a $150

billion criminal enterprise that exploits 40 million victims globally and affects every state in the U.S., according to Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), an industry group that trains truck drivers to assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of sex trafficking.

That mission recently got a boost from technology, thanks to logistics software provider FourKites Inc.

Chicago-based FourKites has added a feature to its CarrierLink driver-commu-nication smartphone app that provides one-touch access to the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH), giving truckers an expedited way of reporting suspected trafficking activities. That simple software tweak could be a powerful way to combat trafficking, enabling the app’s

150,000 users to help police by being their “eyes and ears on the road,” according to FourKites and TAT.

“Human trafficking is a horrific violation of human rights that should concern everyone,” FourKites CEO Mathew Elenjickal said in a release. “With our technology in the hands of hundreds of thousands of truckers out on the roadways every day, we wanted to do our part to provide a simple, powerful new way for them to reach TAT and the National Human Trafficking Hotline.”

Logistics software
firm joins fight
against trafficking

The process of booking a household move may be about to get easier. A Virginia company has introduced a smartphone app that lets customers manage the process themselves by obtaining virtual job estimates with either a real person or with an artificial intelligence (AI) interface.

JK Moving Services, a Sterling, Va.-based moving, storage, relocation, and logistics enterprise, says it launched the mobile app in a bid to modernize the move experience for customers.

In order to generate a job estimate, clients use their mobile phones to give a tour of their house to either a human being or an AI-based virtual representative. JK Moving’s AI-powered estimating software recognizes the shapes of objects in their home and makes an inventory list, then provides an estimate and sends it to the mobile app.

“Going mobile improves our customer offerings since many clients want products
that are seamless, easy, and quick,” David Cox, executive vice president, residential,
for JK Moving, said in a release. “We’re receiving terrific feedback for our new
mobile app and virtual estimating.”
But fear not—human estimators are still available to make house calls if you prefer
the personal touch.

HHG hauler uses AI to “modernize
the move experience”

In their never-ending quest to boost safety and efficiency, trucking fleets have turned to a range of technologies, including automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs), electronic logging devices (ELDs), and—increasingly—digital dashcams.

Installing cameras on truckers’ dashboards and windshields can help managers monitor their drivers after a trigger event, such as a sudden stop or jostling movement. The cameras can be set to record video clips of those events, which can later be used to provide customized training to drivers, ultimately improving their driving skills, reducing the number of accidents, and cutting insurance-claims costs.

Refrigerated carrier C.R. England hopes to realize similar returns through the deployment of a video-based safety program from SmartDrive Systems. The Salt Lake City-based carrier plans to use the program to capture risky driving maneuvers such as U-turns, hard braking, and speeding among its 4,400 technology-enabled vehicles and 7,500 drivers.

“The industry has been moving in the direction of video safety, and we saw an opportunity to be competitive while continuing to provide the best possible service,” C.R. England CEO Chad England said in a release. “Even though most incidents are minor—with many even occurring in parking lots—they still cost us time and money. Since these low-impact critical events are rarely triggered by other systems, we are able to see more and save more with SmartDrive.”