GPS technology boosts growth, profits and safety at trucking companies
Reuters reports today that global positioning system, or GPS, technology is enabling larger trucking companies to grow and take market share from small companies. Such technology enables trucking companies to know where all their trucks and trailers are at any moment, providing shippers with complete supply chain visibility. The article predicts this trend will continue as retailers simplify their supply chains by opting for a few, big carriers instead of hundreds of smaller carriers. Clicking on a blue dot on a computer screen map, a trucking company manager can bring up a screen showing the exact location of a truck, its load, starting point, destination, cash advances, miles covered by the driver and comments from supervisors and customers. Companies using state of the art technology use handheld computers carried by every single driver to manage and plan freight flows across the United States. Trucking companies that utilize such technology will continue to take market share and increase revenue by focusing on software and tools that smaller companies often cannot afford.
The technology that enables trucking companies to boost profits can also contribute greatly to the cause of safety, as it enables companies with safety-conscious management to closely monitor driver performance, speed, and rest periods.
The Shigley Law Firm represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia, and in other states subject to the multijurisdictional practice and pro hac vice rules in each state. Ken Shigley was designated as a "SuperLawyer" in Atlanta Magazine and one of the "Legal Elite" in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks.
Keep up the great work on your blog. Best wishes WaltDe
My wife, my mother in law and me got almost killed 2 days ago (Dec 23rd, 2006) in Pennsylvania. Two trucks ahead of us were passing each other at very high speeds on a rainy highway (I-80). All of a sudden one of the trucks went flying in the air. I could avoid it as I was going at a normal speed by braking and going to the shoulder.
How come GPS technology is not used combined with weather real time info to have a control center (pretty much like the airlines do) that would certainly prevent all these unnecessary deaths?
Do you know of any states where such regulations are being proposed?
More people die each year by these irresponsible road killers than what the whole war in Iraq took in american soldiers... yet nobody talks about it...
Please let me know how can I lobby my state to do something about this terrible problem.
