How GPS Tracking Systems Help Overcome Railway Freight Transport Challenges?
Even in this age of digitally enabled connectivity, rail freight transportation continues to have a larger analog experience for
Even in this age of digitally enabled connectivity, rail freight transportation continues to have a larger analog experience for shippers.
This means that as a supply chain manager, you can have limited or negligible visibility of the location of your freight. One of the main reasons is the shortcomings of the conventional equipment identification tracking systems that railroads typically use.
This is where the use of GPS tracking system railway can help.
Improving Railroad Freight Efficiency & Control
Railway GPS tracking systems bring greater efficiency and control over your railcar and container movements. You can also use GPS asset tracking systems to track individual freight in individual cars. These benefits go beyond simple tracking and logistics.
GPS tracking systems can also allow you provide your clients with the ability to keep track of their items in transit.
Some of the different challenges that can be addressed with real-time tracking and monitoring include:
- Absence of accurate tracking
- Unexpected delays
- Inaccurate reporting on dwell-time
- Unreliable ETAs
- Inefficient railcar usage cycles
- Lack of information on payload conditions
- Failure to sync the supply chain
Some of the issues that railroads face in the absence of advanced GPS tracking systems include lack of real-time visibility, track and railyard congestions, inefficient handoffs, and high cost of trackside resources.
The challenges created by the use of traditional technology and unreliable or inconsistent data sources require supply chain managers to rely on ETAs based on data that can be too old. This can prevent you from coordinating last-mile logistics, leading to undermining other efforts for achieving operational efficiency.
Bringing Greater Transparency
The rail transportation sector is on the verge of digital revolution. This change can transform the way rail freight transport works, bringing data-based transparency and optimization that could not have been imagined ever before. It can help address the pain points that have long-curbed growth. More shippers can now benefit from the advantages offered by rail transport.
The application of GPS tracking system railway is one of the first steps in this revolution. The tech needed to implement telematics tracking solutions for railcars is available now. Such devices can be deployed to transmit key data on railcar condition, health, and location to all the stakeholders including:
- Railroad operators
- Shippers
- Railcar owners
Improved Scheduling
Freight delays can cause a rapid escalation in costs that can reach thousands or tens of thousands of dollars at times. Multi-modal transportation is often used by rail shippers to complete their complex supply chains. GPS tracking offers managers the confidence and transparency required to keep more loads on rail and avoid costlier alternatives.
GPS data provides you with a more complete picture of your rail freight’s journey. This can give you a more reliable and useful alternative to manual event data. The traditional approach to receiving any reliable data was to wait for a railcar to pass an Automatic Equipment Identification (AEI) scanner.
Modern tracking solutions can provide real-time access to metrics, such as:
- Time at origin
- Time at destination
- Outbound transit time
- Inbound transit time
This allows you to manage delivery scheduling and expectations, resulting in more efficient and competitive transit times. Such data reports can enable faster turnarounds and bring greater efficiency to asset utilization.
Despite the advantages that it offers, freight rail comes with its unique set of challenges for shippers. Maintaining service levels is one of the big challenges here. However, all that can change with the integration of the right GPS tracking devices and systems. With such new tech integration, fewer shippers will see rail as a more complex alternative to trucking. The trucking industry has already adopted untethered GPS tracking technology for containers, trailers, and other resources, providing shippers with real-time visibility into their shipments.
