Bison Transport is an “early-adopter” when it comes to technology. This investment helps to increase efficiencies, and save time and money, benefitting both our customers and our driving and non-driving staff alike.
Through our use of technology, we strive to provide our customers with Total Transportation Transparency. In our industry, shipment visibility has often been a significant challenge for shippers. Our most recent technology investment acts to fully close this gap. Late last year, we completed the installation of GPS tracking devices in all 3,200 dry van and heated trailers, and in our 550 reefer trailers, allowing our customers to see where their load is, and when it will be arriving at its destination.
Tracking devices are only as valuable as the insight harnessed from them. Trailer tracking tools, like Bison’s ‘Trailer Lookup’, have already been helpful to our Operations team. The Trailer Lookup tool shows real-time trailer information, including GPS and a mapped image of the current location of the trailer.
The ability to provide Total Transportation Transparency through technology brings value for our Drivers as well, allowing them to know exactly where their trailer is located, within 50 ft. Drivers know which yard their trailer is in, with a satellite view to see exactly where in the yard they will find it. This reduces time spent looking for equipment, allowing our Drivers to spend more time doing what they do best: Driving!
As overall visibility to our trailers increases, we become more efficient and effective. The technology, and ultimately, the transparency it provides, benefits our customers. Bison has incorporated the GPS location information on our customer facing i-Tools platform. When customers log in to check the status of their order, they will now be able to see a GPS-based pin on the current location of the trailer.
Bison’s ultimate goal with this technology is to maximize the use of data coming from our trailers and other assets. Getting this information into the hands of those who need it the most eliminates unnecessary manual steps in the process and increases efficiency in all areas of the transportation process.
[VIDEO] Shippers have likely been told by most carriers that the carrier has trailer tracking, BUT, what does that actually mean? Watch the video below to learn about the different levels of trailer tracking, what level of visibiilty Bison provides, and, as a shipper, which questions you should ask your transportation providers.
The self-serve nature of our trailer tracking tools is one of the greatest advantages of our Total Transportation Transparency system. Customer operations staff, and Drivers alike are able to see where assets are on their own time, when they need the information and aren't subject to telephone queues and someone else’s schedule.
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We are excited to see how much progress can be gained in the coming months as we strive to further leverage this technology on our fleet.
To learn how Bison's Total Transportation Transparency approach can benefit your supply chain, contact a sales representative today!
