Due to increasing globalization and larger supply chains, the volume of goods passing through major seaports is increasing, leading to higher congestion of goods and a larger number of containers coming in and going out. Couple this with the slowdown caused by checking containers for terrorist-type contents and the increase by the wholesale and distribution industry in moving product from developing nations—all these factors obviously lead to stress and frustration for port authorities, as well as for distributors and manufacturers.

How can we solve this seaport problem? Transportation management system (TMS) software has been developed to help ease the growing congestion along coastlines. Able to do way more than simply schedule trucks, this software can integrate with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, global positioning systems (GPSs), and satellite technology.

Why would anyone need all of this software? Let’s take a closer look!

RFID technology can assist by knowing what’s in the containers, even before they are opened, thereby speeding up the process of checking container contents. The RFID system reads the content’s tags, allowing authorities to import this data into an enterprise software system, which in turn, feeds the data into the TMS software. This helps to determine which goods can move out of the seaport and onto either rail or truck, to be delivered to the retail, wholesale, or manufacturing facility.

Along with advanced scheduling, the software can indicate to authorities if one type of vehicle is down and how they can use another mode of transport to get the goods to their destination.

Another advantage of a TMS is that when it is combined with GPS and satellite technology, if particular routes are blocked, the TMS can guide drivers onto a new path so that they can deliver the goods. But more importantly, this leaves room for new goods to come into the ports, more quickly, thereby easing the pressures of congestion.

TMS can do much more in addition to what’s mentioned above, but the fact remains that, if used correctly, TMS can help decongest whatever transport problems you are facing.

For more information, please visit the following web page:

http://scm.technologyevaluation.com/transportation-management/